Welcome to the New Mexico Euskal Etxea Member Portrait of Ron Paneboeuf.

I grew up in Albuquerque but spent weekends and summers on ranch land in Vaughn and Santa Rosa. I chased and was chased by goats, sheep, and bulls, and I rode horses. My father s uncles and cousins had Basque surnames and many had visited the Basque Country. It was a lifelong dream of my father to go to the Aldudes valley in France he was a soldier in WWII and fought in France and Germany but never reached the Basque Country. In the summers, we went to the parks of New Mexico, as he loved the outdoors.

Upon graduating from Manzano High School in Albuquerque I joined the Army and spent most of my time overseas in Africa and Asia. I also took leave and visited many national parks in Europe and Africa as I have always retained my love of the outdoors. I used the GI bill to get my BS, MA and doctoral hours at UNM and I continue to teach. I traveled throughout Europe but not Spain. My mother s family is Spanish (Martin-Serranos, Martinez and Montanos) and I also love the culture of eastern Spain.

In 1999 I spent 3 months traveling across northern Spain and southwestern France. I loved the cities and landscape of the Basque Country from Gernika, Portugalete, Pamplona, San Sebastian, and Biarritz.

I inherited my father s love of family, friends, traveling, and being a jokester, characteristics that seemed to be a part of his French-Basque heritage oh, and his love of food! FAMILY, FRIENDS, FOOD and the pride of the uniqueness of the Basque people. I ve tried to pass that on to my sons, Kemen and Seber, as our time together is so limited (they live in Maryland). I use our heritage as a common thread and bond across the distance and time.