Arthur Yellen

Arthur Irwin Yellen passed away suddenly and unexpectedly of pneumonia on January 7, 2006. But those who knew him well know that he lived a good and full life, and was glad for every moment. He is survived by his loving children Wendy Yellen (Michael Rogers) of Ribera, NM, Pamela Yellen (Larry Hayward) of Lamy, NM, Kenneth (Linda) Yellen of Montpelier, ID, and 6 grandchildren – Heather, Kenny, Cameron and Kristie Yellen and Darren and Bryce Dayton. Arthur was born in Buffalo, NY, and married to the late Carole S. Yellen. Before his death, he asked his children to use this story as his obituary. Several years ago, it was a contest entry for the topic "Outrageous Grandparent". There will be a public memorial service in Taos, NM later this year. Should you feel moved to honor him in some way, Habitat for Humanity was very close to his heart. We miss him already. Here's how he wanted to be remembered… Outrageous Grandparent – Outrageous: "extravagant, immoderate" What defines "extravagant, immoderate" in a grandparent? A grandparent is, by definition, "old". They are expected to be slowing down, saying no to the excesses of youth, to have learned to be moderate, not to take extreme chances, to leave the excitement to the younger folks. Risk is a big part of what grandparents need to let go of - grandparents are supposed to be so close to the end of life that risk is no longer wise. "Play it safe, relax, you've earned it." This grandfather has never heard of these ideas. He doesn't act his age. It wouldn't occur to him. That's why, when he retired at 65 and moved to a new state, a new part of the country, he looked around and thought, "What we need here is affordable housing." He personally met with most of the movers and shakers in town, took them all to lunch, individually, on his own dime. He convinced them of the need to bring Habitat for Humanity to Taos. After a year of lunches and persuasion, Habitat was brought to Taos, a prominent lawyer helped to organize it and volunteer a huge percentage of his services and houses were begun. Now, years later, it is a thriving, integral part of the Taos landscape – beautiful adobe houses that families have built with their own hands and hours of help from the community – with a monthly bill that anyone can afford. But no, that wasn't enough. This grandfather looked around and saw the poor quality of education in the schools, understaffed and overworked, and so he volunteered in the elementary school every day, reading stories and tutoring kids and being a good listener to the kids who cried when he walked in the door, "Here's grandpa!" But no, that wasn't enough. This grandfather looked around and thought, "This county needs a watchdog, someone to keep it honest. There is corruption, nepotism, and funds are disappearing without accountability while roads are desperately in need of repair and the people need services." So, he took it upon himself to attend biweekly county commissioner meetings, often being the only citizen who would attend the entire session. He spoke countless times during the meetings, trying to get the community to wake up to the graft and misappropriation of funds. People began to come to him, to tell him things, privately, because they knew he would try to bring dishonesty to light, to bring justice. Drivers of pickup trucks would stop on the road to talk to him during his daily walks, giving him the details to power his watch-dog efforts. The Taos News would quote him. Men would whisper things to him, things they were afraid to say publicly, knowing he could take the ammunition and use it to protect Taos. The County Commissioners all know him, with a mixture of dread and respect. They wonder, "What's Arthur Yellen going to say today?" But no, that wasn't enough. He joined neighborhood associations, served as a board member, even joined the associations of his children's neighborhood when they wouldn't find the time. And he also became the watchdog for these neighborhood associations when he attended the county commissioner's meeting. Others were supposed to go with him, but week after week, only Arthur would make it there. Well, you might be thinking, that's because he had all this time, after all, he's retired. But there is one more piece. When Arthur arrived in New Mexico, he looked around the area, an economically depressed area where schools are some of the worst in the country and one of the few places where it is still almost impossible to get a good job, and said to himself, "This place needs help. I can help the economy here and in nearby states. I know how to do it." Which is why, at 73, he came out of retirement and began, from scratch, a newspaper about RVing. It started small, in the southwest, and grew to national distribution. And he is meeting his goal. In Colorado, for example, a festival that had never been large drew record numbers when Arthur's paper printed an article. The chamber said "We had more people than we ever had before, and the RV parks were all full – for the very first time." And while publishing this newspaper, RVing America, though he is now almost 75, he still has time to pet 9 cats, water the neighbors' evergreens and hollyhocks, stop to help strangers, and admire beauty everywhere. When is the last time that someone stopped you and told you that you have a terrific smile? (Without an ulterior motive?) Arthur does it almost every day. Don't you think that's outrageous for a silver-haired grandfather?