QUE PASA
Newsletter of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico
May 2021
Tributes To Gary Montague
By Elaine Montague
There will be a Celebration of Life for Gary Montague at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 2626 Arizona Street NE, at 10:30 on July 17, followed by a light lunch. I will welcome those who would like to participate. It’s been a long time since Gary passed on November 6, but at last the church is open for a service.
The College of Education at the University of New Mexico is paying a tribute to Gary via Zoom on June 10. Part of the tribute is included below. It will be read by Dr. Ruth Luckasson, Chair, Department of Special Education. There will be information about our scholarship, The Elaine and Gary Montague Victory from the Shadows Endowed Scholarship in Special Education, which we set up to broaden the understanding that those with poor or no sight can live successful, meaningful lives. The scholarship will be awarded to undergraduate or graduate students in a special and general education teacher-training program. The scholarship will be awarded in perpetuity, and the first one will be announced or awarded this December.
UNM College of Education Tribute – Gary Ted Montague
June 10, 2021
A friend noted that Gary was always by his wife’s side, inspiring her to do her best, while quietly going about his work, even during declining health. His engaging smile invited others to persevere, and they enjoyed his sonorous voice.
Gary Ted Montague loved his God, his wife, his country, music, and tools of all kinds. He overcame blindness, cancer, deafness, poor mobility, and other challenges to win six awards for his book “Victory from the Shadows, Growing Up in a New Mexico School for the Blind and Beyond.” He wrote Victory to show why there is no giving up and to promote the understanding that individuals with extremely poor or no vision can participate fully in life. Anne Hillerman called Gary’s story one of strength, resilience, and optimism. It documents domestic life on a mid-20th century New Mexico homestead and a farm on the eastern plains. He describes in a straightforward manner how his family reared a boy with special needs and the conundrum of living with low vision. He shows his perspective of the educational and employment challenges of those with little or no vision from 1936-1994 and includes current observations and resources.
Gary became a residential student at the specialized school at the age of eight. Thereafter, he spent Christmases and summers on the family farm. He graduated from the University of New Mexico College of Education with assistance from 300 volunteer readers and married his college sweetheart and co-author, Elaine Carson Montague. Gary believed one should persevere with integrity whatever the challenge.
Born with low vision, he was a determined trailblazer. Gary’s career spanned more than thirty years at Sandia National Laboratories in the areas of Education and Training and Safety Engineering. He worked in the sighted world with few accommodations. The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed four years before he retired.
Gary is published in the 2018 Southwest Writers Anthology and a 2019 newsletter of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico. He gave talks, was featured in a magazine article and a podcast, and his YouTube video was presented at a conference of a historical society. The video is online at www.elainemontague.com. Victory was chosen the 2020 Best Biography in the Communications Contest of the National Federation of Press Women and won first place in the Parenting and Family category of the 2020 New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards. Victory is available through BARD for those with a print disability and online for Kindle and Nook. Print copies are sold in bookstores and by Elaine at authormontague505@gmail.com.
Gary wanted Victory to be used in general and special education teacher-training programs. The parent of one child with Down syndrome and a second with Tourette’s told the Montagues, “Victory is not a book about vision loss. It is a book about hope.” And hope is what Gary was about.