¡Colores!; 19; The Senator from New Mexico: Pete Domenici; Colores Dominici #19-Thelma Interview

Thank you very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very very,

very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, in line with allos, albacaercj that I grew up in is so different from now, but actually I need to tell you I experienced that difference a few years ago when I came back to albacaercj because I have been gone for such a long time, the albacaercj we grew up in as a family, it kind of interesting and fun too because where people look at Huantibo, for example. Here's this wonderful six

-lane highway and it was our roly -coaster bicycle road. We would pack our bikes in the car, totally a dirt road, go up there, ride our bikes to our hearts content, and that was really not even near what we called Albuquerque, which is right now downtown Albuquerque. But I guess if you look at Albuquerque that we grew up in as a family, we grew up in a sort of situation where we were so connected to the Italian community because you know everybody needs to remember our mom and dad were both born in Italy. So the people that they were closest to were people that we connected with, which was this really vibrant Italian community that was here. And if I have a look back on it, I would have to say that we may not have looked at our family necessarily as being entrepreneurial, but they truly were. And I think that could

be said about so many of the Italian people who settled in Albuquerque. You know if you look at my dad and his brother who came here together, they had courage, such courage, to do the kind of things that they honestly didn't understand the importance of something like say marketing or a strategic business plan. And yet you look at the success of their endeavor. Right now, it's interesting to think marketing. That's an interesting word for an entrepreneur because when they think about dad, marketing was taking us as a family, all of us in the car to visit every single customer that purchased groceries from what was called the Monizuma grocery store. And I think that as a family, we have visited every single Indian Pueblo grocery store in the entire state of New Mexico. That was our Sunday. And that was dad's connection to his clients. So we also

learned how important it was to know the people who are purchasing merchandise from you. I guess can you give me a sense of describe Albuquerque's down and what it was not just as a place of business, but just for the community. Well, downtown to us as kids really was the chemo theater because we used to go to the movies for whatever price it was. Ten cents. And that was really downtown was more movies. The shopping that I remember downtown was more this wonderful parachute store that everybody remembers because the Matussi family owned and operated that. But downtown was nothing like you're looking at even today where it's being so revitalized. It was just special little places that we went to. And to tell you the truth, some of that was owned and operated by some of the

Italian immigrants. And one of the stores I remember so, so dearly was a kissler callister, which was here forever, which as you look back probably became the prime provider of most of my brother's clothes because you know anybody who knows the senator or who knew him growing up certainly knows that you know clothes and a tire and wardrobe were the least of his concerns. It was my mother who was kind of the person who sort of made sure that Pete always had the kind of suit he needed or the clothes that he needed. But those kind of concerns were never part of people of the Pete's world anyway. Now what were this is just kind of a device. So if you can tell me who were your family members and what was your relationship to him. So this is a setting on my father was someone's up, my mother was someone's up. We had four sisters and one brother

and the oldest. That kind of just give us it'll allow me to use the pictures you gave me. Okay. My dad's name was Carabino Constantino Domenici, known to everybody as Chopo and the nicknames in our family are horrendous. We all have a nickname. And the reason dad was called Chopo because he was not tall and kind of stocky. Dad was was very nice looking and very business like but pleasant, very decisive, worked very hard and coming directly from Italy and never attending school in this country. It's easy to see what he brought with him as a young boy when he came in his teens having been taught that the man in the family was kind of responsible for providing quote the best for the family and he worked very hard to do that for us. My

mother's name was Alda Vicki and they both came from Italy, Northern Italy, Tuscany but different villages and the families settled in Albuquerque. My mother came with her mom and dad when she was three years old and so our own American culture and American society and way of doing things impacted my mother somewhat more than my father. Personality -wise my mother was one of these that would create fun for us and like to take us different places even if it was to the mountains on Sunday and cook ham and eggs. Daddy was this entrepreneur I guess we would call him today who worked very hard always joined us but was not necessarily the instigator of that kind of fun but as a family we did everything together which is I think part of when I visited Italy and got to meet the diminishes and meet the Vicki's or what was left in the village where my mother was born you

can see that the bases was that the family did more things together than trying to just reach out and have a whole lot of other people included at it. So as children you know many times together might have been just driving to some of daddy's customers places but we did things together vacation always together. Paramount I think if I look back on it was the fact that both dad and mom were very very concerned that we would always get the best education possible and always you know we're on top of where we studying enough where we're accomplishing what we should and where we were we should excel in the class I wouldn't necessarily say that they may be promoted an uncomfortable you know competitive accomplishment spirit but they were always concerned about the fact that we should do the best that we could at whatever we did. What was your mother's influence on Pete?

My mom's influence on Pete. Pete and mom were very close very close and I think if I look back on it at the time it's sort of like her little boy that was just ever ever so precious but you know you have to go back even further than that to even take a look at the influence of either mom or dad on Pete because you know this wonderful 10 pound bundle of joy that was born was the first boy in our family and he's we are very female dominated you know if you look at the family ultimately there were five girls when boy and for a long time he was the youngest in the family. Constantly when we say that about our family composition people will say oh I bet he was so spoiled and quite the contrary because you know if I think back on it I think it kind of not that ever ever we would think that someone like Pete would ever be where we find him today

but if I look back on things that occurred with us my mother always encouraged Pete to do the kinds of things that he kind of wanted to do and you know it's it's interesting if you think like now what affected me as I became who I am when I was little and it it happened in our family in many many ways and I think that one of the most important ways was mom always saying yeah you can do that you know you can encourage that and maybe later I can share with you some of the reasons that I think he's really moved in the direction that he moved in that's influence on Pete a little different but also very important because I think both sides of the teeter taught or so to say we're kind of balanced in that fashion because where mom was was much more playful wanting to do kind of fun things willing to explore things that maybe she didn't know the outcome totally of dad

was a little bit more rigid but in a very responsible way and I don't mean by that that he didn't have a sense of humor he did but he his focus was on really making sure that we grew up the best way possible having the things that we needed to be the kind of people that he wanted us to be fantastic now what's you you brought it up but but if you we just focus because St. Mary's was so important to Senator Nivens and he said what's your fondest memory of your childhood and he says well he just had to be wrapped up in the St. Mary's how important was education to your family or education was important to each of us and and if you look at education when we were growing up the schools weren't the size they are now and so you know

the competition and the ability to strive and really excel were ever so different than they are now but you know let me go back just a tiny bit because when you get into education I would like to talk just a tiny bit about Pete as a brother before he even started school you know you have to keep in mind that this little guy when he was born was ten pounds and I think he had a nickname before he ever really had a name and that when my dad realized what a bundle this little creature was aside from the fact that this was the first male and you know and forget that he was at that time the youngest in the family he got his nickname from a bachibal because he was so roly -poly and my dad named him bachie and that has stuck forever and ever and so you know in in our family there was unbelievable rejoicing that this finally we have this son and finally we have this brother and

I think it was interesting because you know it showed up in so many many ways but even before school you know you could see these kind of traits in Pete that if you look at where he is now you know you would sort of laugh and say well how can some of these things ever have contributed to this but so many attributes and you're growing up really kind of make you who you become and Pete never liked to do anything alone you know it was either organized kick the can and get the neighborhood together play cops and robbers and get the neighborhood together you know all of that kind of thing where he could see a group that he could connect with do something with him have fun see an outcome and then think of something else to do always stimulated with something else to do you know people people really do constantly ask us you know if we as his sisters didn't spoil him well quite candidly sometimes we worked very hard not to

and I I do want to tell one cute story and I know as the senator watches this he's probably saying oh you know something you shouldn't have done that but when he was very very tiny for whatever reason we decided to lock him out my mother was not home and so we told him we were locked we locked him out and he kept coming to the kitchen door and he would say you let me in or I'm gonna push my fist right through this window and our answer of course was go ahead push your fist right through this window and he did and I think you know the scar that that's left is there but the fact that we were just always constantly playing things like that it wasn't that we gave in or that you know but the challenge to be that boy and be strong that's why I have to laugh because I think sometimes it kind of preparing for the other side of the aisle maybe so to speak but you know other things that he did always were with people baseball is probably the biggest example of anything in Pete's life

he loved baseball so much but if you look at it it's the same thing he had a group of people that he was connected to he did turn out to be the leader in that and but the other attributes that I think as I look back on it that really without knowing that it was preparing somebody for something great was the commitment that he made to it and the practice that he gave it he would take his baseball mitt and ball to work with him at dad's grocery store and practice with people every minute that he had he would be throwing this baseball just to get better and better and better and I think that's that's a quality that Pete has carried with him always through life his most coveted kind of things to do with even the little spare time that he had and still has are still things that require having someone with him hunting a real passion because my dad was a great hunter and he would take Pete with him but

today he's always values that time people go with him he organizes it he takes the time to do it the same thing with fishing loves it but again he's with somebody or several people and in the fishing piece and in the hunting piece especially in these more recent years it's his son and his grandchildren and so forth he also includes in those kind of wonderful value time kind of things to experience well after laugh there are things that that make you think of him but one of the things that the we as sisters always used to say oh you were so cute when you were little and it's true he was he was darling but I don't remember so many anecdotes as things that

maybe we did to bring out whatever in him I remember one time he was he was gonna thummit he was gonna leave home and so my mom says and this is just shows how you know how fun my mother was and she said okay but she will pack up your little stuff for you and you can leave so she took this big stick and she took a dish tile and she packed it up with all these goodies that he could take on his trip tied it to this stick and we all said goodbye to him and he walked out the house toward the gate which was really funny and he got all the way to the gate and then he turned around and came back but you know he he was always as sometimes I think kind of enticing us you know to see exactly how far he could go but there was we were very close as a family very close as a family and did we tease each other a whole lot in interesting little incidents is like that the only other one that I can remember was that locking him out again and really I don't know what the big deal was about locking him out but our backyard

was full of gravel and so we locked him out one day and he says please let me in because if you don't I'm gonna push gravel up my nose now I can imagine what you're seeing in your mind but it was that ridiculous because he did and of course you know that was not such a nice story for us who ended up locking him out but we always did things together you know always so whether it was picnics or vacations or whatever oh yeah this you know Pete when Pete connects to someone whether it's out of incredible respect or love of that person I think he showed it clearly in a little animal that we had we had this little dog just dog and his name was Tubby and Tubby died one day and we found him and for days and days and days Pete missed Tubby and he was standing on the gate in the backyard and he would just call him Tubby please come home

please come home I miss you but I think that's true and Pete connects to somebody he's very very respectful and appreciative of whatever that happens to be um now if you can help me just we know a brief bit about he's in high school there are a lot of photos of him as a young man he does look like a strapping confident young man and can you help me understand what was he like is he is he began to grow into adulthood how did the dynamic change from little watch to this you know about to become a man well to take bachi from a little boy about to become a man I would have to tell you that some of that coming from me would have to be things that I have absolutely had told me told to me because I was not in albacarkey at that time but there are marvelous stories about it and I think one of the things that stays the strongest with me was his absolute

determination to do the things he wanted to do and I think outstanding in that was his commitment to st. Mary's and his leadership roles at st. Mary's and his desire to play baseball even though it was seen by some of the older Italian people particularly my dad and other folks that oh he might get hurt so you know we really don't know if he should play baseball or not you know my dad was was really kind of cute at that time because they had people praying that you know Pete might have wisdom and not get involved in sports that might injure him but when you look at that and look at his determination he really put heart and soul into the growing up part of his years but he pursued the things he liked to pursue and I think we have to stop and think you know even though he graduated from UNM and was very convinced that education was his field he began immediately after he taught for several years this constant intellectual curiosity of Pete's has always been something very remarkable so when

he decided that he wanted then to go on to law school that was something that he had to do on his own and he did and he pursued it and at the story is you know he was a good lawyer and I think the basic piece of the law was really what gave him the strong foundation that he has as far as being the kind of senator that he is and the support that he got from everybody at that particular time why do you think he ran for politics why do I think he ran for office why do I think my brother ran for politics I've thought about that and actually when you think back on Pete growing up there's so many things that indicate that he

had the roots in the beginnings of the attributes that it takes to be a leader and they're there and they were there and they will always be there and I think the fact that he could serve others and respond to needs I think was possibly a driving force and also the fact that he could lead in a way that would show people that he was concerned about whatever that issue was that he was taking a leadership role in you know if it's easier to look back than it is sometimes it's easier to look back and see the kind of things that make a person what they are today but Pete has always relished a challenge and you know I have an unbelievably favorite author whose name is Greenleaf and in 1977 Greenleaf wrote this

incredible book called Servant Leadership which today is coming back as a bestseller and I I'm thinking of Pete in that role because if I look at his journey through life and politics you know it's very interesting because it all begins to tie together you know first he was a son then he was our brother then he became a husband and then a father wonderful family values then he became a grandfather an uncle a friend and now a senator to so many many people and I think that the title of this book describes for me our senator the best way that I can think and that it is Servant Leadership and the outstanding characteristic of Servant Leadership is service another is making every attempt to meet the needs

of others another is always looking for new opportunities to keep moving forward but along with this a right to make decisions and right to be responsible and the authority that goes with leadership Servant Leadership comes from an inequality that's tied deeply to faith and love and that too is our senator what am I most I am most proud first of all that he's my brother because you know so many times I've said to him you know Bachi you're my favorite brother and he says ha ha ha you know I'm your only brother but you know you can pick your friends but you really can't pick your relatives and I would pick Pete any day anywhere anytime I think the moment I've been most proud of

was when he was first elected to the Senate and the reason I say that is because I remember so clearly two years prior to that when he didn't when the governor's race and we were all gathered and these big tears were coming down his eyes and and he was you know sad and yet understood what had occurred and then two years later when he won the Senate race he was still crying and he says to the mass of people that was there two years ago you saw tears of a totally different thing he said I am so grateful and so appreciative and I will be your good senator but why that was so many to me was because my mother was still living and was there that evening what do you believe is most important to accomplish you know it's hard to sum up the one thing but if you just come up

what is it you think this most important is accomplished it's hard to say that I could look at his career and say what is the single most significant accomplishment because I think that Pete has attacked giant issues that when you look at them at that particular time they probably are in your mind oh my that's the most important thing he'll ever do and then something else comes along and you say oh my that's the most important thing he's going to do so I don't know that I can say the most important but if I look back I think for me personally was the whole budget process the whole taking making sure that that deficit was gone and that we had the whole balanced budget because I think that postured Pete in this country

as the real protector of the budget for us and I think I would might put that first even though if I look at it now I think I sit in anticipation like many people knowing that there still may be something even bigger than that as he addresses something like our energy issue if you were describing say that again if you were to describe your brother does someone who's never met him how would you describe him I would love everybody to meet my brother and I'd love to describe him to somebody who has never met him and I think what I would say to that person my brother is somebody you can trust somebody you can believe in somebody who's committed to whatever cause he takes on who is truly

the leader and definitely will never forget you as an individual you as a person means something very important to him I think you will enjoy meeting Pete because he also has a sense of humor and I think that meeting Pete you are meeting someone with a keen mind a good heart and a wonderful soul let me let me pick up one other thing that kind of came to me just now which person Nancy had said I asked her what was her thing that attracted you to some of the energy and she says well it was it was gradual but she goes you know something about him in addition to him being she says very laid back he was driven but laid back he didn't get waked out over stuff he just was very easy to be around but she says you know something he he was really into big ideas and he was fun to listen to him just he always had new ideas and things like that you're talking about

you know he was into the budget when the budget you know wasn't cool and he now is into energy and is looking at the future of our country long term future our country what do you what do you feel about that I mean can you tell me something about he's kind of big ideas and how he was always kind of interested in what's way off in the future I think people always have ideas I think he always had ideas as a little kid you know even if it was just a game that was different or learning something was that was different I think he's challenged by new ideas he might like to be the creator of that new idea or the initiator of that new idea and I think that's very true but I also think he likes to listen to new ideas and really get into the heart of that and whatever that new idea is whether it's his or somebody else's get in and make that new idea happen and I think that's what's

going to happen with the rest of his career now is there anything you want to say then that we have the the only thing that I think I would like to say is that it's wonderful that we get to recognize the senator because I think in so many ways he has loved a lot of us for such a long time and I think that this notable New Mexican event is really our response back saying to him we love you too thank you that was wonderful is there a continuity question before you took the cross off those questions you want to be able to use that what is the word about that