People

Legends

Hometown heroes of Albuquerque. Fighters, writers, painters, pilots. We write them in a good light, from the public record. These pages are independent tributes. Not authorized biographies. We don’t use their faces, and their names stay theirs. If a fact is wrong, write the desk.

An empty Albuquerque boxing gym, ropes and a heavy bag

1967 – 2012

Johnny Tapia

The Godfather. Five-division world champion.

Barelas’ own. Five-division world champion. The city’s fighter.

An empty training cage in a dark Albuquerque gym

Living

Holly Holm

Boxer. Kickboxer. UFC bantamweight champion.

Albuquerque’s own. Boxer, kickboxer, UFC bantamweight champion.

A wood-fired horno oven in an adobe courtyard

1937 – 2020

Rudolfo Anaya

Novelist, teacher, voice of the llano

Pastura, Santa Rosa, then Burque. Bless Me, Ultima put our villages on the shelf without sanding them down.

Gold and red paint on a custom car, no person in frame

Living

Don Vanderslice

Painter. The city’s eye.

An Albuquerque painter. Still working. We honor the eye, not a private life.

A hot rod in a shop, no driver in frame

1939 – 2021

Al Unser Sr.

Four-time Indianapolis 500 champion

Albuquerque’s racing family. Four Indianapolis 500 wins. A hometown habit of going fast.

Hot air balloons at dawn, no person identified

1930 – 1985

Ben Abruzzo

Balloonist. Double Eagle II. The box that still works.

Albuquerque balloonist. Double Eagle II, 1978. He helped this city learn to look up.

Balloons over the high desert, no person identified

1963 – 2010

Richard Abruzzo

Balloonist. Four-time world champion. Ben’s son.

Ben’s son. Albuquerque. Four-time world champion. A pilot this city still names.

Hot air balloons lifting off at dawn

1934 – 2019

Sid Cutter

Aviator, Balloon Fiesta founder

The Albuquerque aviator who turned a 1972 gathering into Balloon Fiesta, and taught the city to look up at dawn.

Balloons over the high desert at sunrise

1934 – 1983

Maxie Anderson

Balloonist, transatlantic pioneer

Albuquerque gas-balloon pilot. Double Eagle II. He helped prove this desert could launch a crossing.

Petroglyphs on volcanic rock with mountains in the distance

1925 – 2008

Tony Hillerman

Novelist, UNM journalist

A UNM journalist whose novels made readers look harder at the Four Corners. The books are his, not a tribal history.

Quiet Albuquerque neighborhood at blue hour

1900 – 1945

Ernie Pyle

War correspondent, Burque neighbor

The World War II reporter who kept a small house in Albuquerque and wrote about ordinary soldiers.