A disc jockey and his legacy

GRANTS, N.M. – On Wednesday, July 21, New Mexico State University-Grants faculty, Donn Webb, and many of his companions joined together to commemorate the showcasing of an exhibit dedicated to Webb’s life as an educator and radio host, or as Webb put it, a “disc jockey.”

Webb has lived in Cibola County off and on since the seventies, and he was involved in the radio business for 38 years. Webb also taught history at NMSU Grants for 27 years. Throughout all of those years, Webb was able to accumulate a collection of rock and roll memorabilia, newspaper scraps of photos and stories featuring his accomplishments, awards, academic certificates, plaques, et cetera. With the help of the NMSU Grants Library staff, Webb was able to put all of his collections together into an exhibit for all to enjoy.

The exhibit lies within a separate back room of the NMSU Grants Library, in which two walls are taken up by the glass casing and shelves featuring Webb’s valuable items. According to Webb, his favorite part about the working in the radio business was the people and artists that he got the opportunity to meet. That was evident just by viewing the several photos sitting upon the shelves of Webb’s “Special Collections.” Some of these photos including one of Lesley Gore autographed to Webb and one of Webb standing in between two of The Beach Boys.

Webb certainly had many stories to share to go along with the exhibit. As NMSU faculty and some of Webb’s companions gathered together in the NMSU Grants Library room at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Webb shared many of his iconic stories and encounters with the music stars of his day. Those in attendance shared some laughs, viewed the exhibit items, and joyfully listened to Webb’s unique stories and memories.

As for the future of this exhibit, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Associate Campus Director Marlene Chavez-Toivanen said that she hopes the NMSU Grants Library staff can continue to develop the exhibit, especially in a way that might attract the younger generations. One idea Chavez-Toivanen brought up was possibly adding QR codes to the exhibit so that whenever visitors are viewing the rock and roll collection items on the shelves, they can scan the designated QR codes that go with them and then be able to listen to the music and artists featured.

Webb recognizes the importance of passing oldies rock and roll music, along with his stories, down to the next generation and that is partly what inspired him to put his collection together in this way. One day, Webb recalled his daughter telling him, “‘Dad, younger people— pretty soon nobody’s gonna know who Elvis is. Elvis who?’ So [Webb’s daughter and family felt] very important about getting this stuff set up,” said Webb.

When asked why he thinks it’s important to pass it all down to the younger generations, Webb said, “If it’s important to remember Thomas Jefferson, it’s pretty important to remember The Four Tops!” Webb went on to explain how he used to teach a History of Rock and Roll class and how that class, as well as specific classes focusing on artists like Bob Dylan, are offered at places like Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley.

At the end of the exhibit showcasing on July 21, Webb thanked everyone for coming, and Chavez-Toivanen said she hopes more people can make it out to see the exhibit as well in the future.