Duane hits a homer
The Durango City Council has bestowed the highest honor a sports fan could ever hope for. On Tuesday, it voted to officially name the new ball fields being built at Fort Lewis College the “Smith Sports Complex” after longtime, beloved FLC professor Duane Smith.

“It’s fitting that these fields will bear his name because they sit in the shadows of the La Plata and San Juan mountains,” said Asst. Athletic Director for External Operations & Communications Chris Aaland, a longtime Skyhawk fan and Telegraph columnist. “No single person has done more to chronicle the rich history of this region and the interesting characters who have called it home than Duane Smith.”

Smith has served Fort Lewis College and the City of Durango for many years. He was the founder and former chairman of the Durango Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, which is credited with providing vision for the City’s parks, open space, trails and recreation facilities.

At Fort Lewis, Smith has become an educational institution unto himself. He first came to FLC in 1964 as an assistant professor in the History Department. Since then, he has become an expert on the college’s history, as well as Durango. He is also one of FLC’s most respected professors, instilling an appreciation in countless students through his “Baseball and the American Dream” history class, according to Aaland.

Outside the classroom, Smith is an avid sports fan, with a particular affinity for the Chicago Cubs and the Skyhawks. He and his wife, Gay, are fixtures at Skyhawk games, where Smith is  known for his vociferous and colorful commentaries.

 “Duane Smith has been one of the most vocal and loyal supporters of Fort Lewis College and Skyhawk Athletics for nearly 50 years,” says Aaland. “His support of the Skyhawks in the stands is contagious. People show up early just to sit within earshot of him.”

The 15-acre multi-use Smith Complex, on the western edge of campus, is scheduled to open later this year.

Lone Ranger rides again
Apparently New Mexico and the nearby Navajo Reservation won’t get all the glory in Disney’s upcoming filming of “The Lone Ranger.” Word has it that film crews will also be doing some time in Creede. The studio is currently going though the proper regulatory channels to build a railroad bridge over a river for one of the film’s scenes.

Apparently, tno one told them there’s a perfectly good railroad already built over a river in Durango.