Once upon a time in an age that seems long ago, Lena Lovato was born and raised in northern New Mexico. Her strong parents and maternal grandmother supported little Lena in what would become her quest to become an excellent student and a person who would help the world become a better place for all people. Lena would become the kind of person who would always hold fast to dreams.

When Lena went to school her teachers did not pronouce her name like her family did. Her teachers called her Lena with a long e sound. Although many Hispanic people suffered prejudice in those times, Lena did not personally experience discrimination. er approach toward others made them comfortable. She used her sensitivity and problem solving skills to help others understand the culture and problems of the Hispanic community. Lena helped others to hold fast to dreams.

Lena earned a scholarship to the University of Denver where in 1942 she received a bachelor's degree with a major in Spanish and a minor in Education and Latin. In 1943 Lena married her special friend and life long mate, Juan U. Archuleta, and she became Lena Archuleta. In 1951 she received a master's degree in Library Science. In 1976 she obtained a certificate in Education Administration.

Lena taught in New Mexico for seven years, then she moved to Colorado and taught in the Denver Public Schools for over thirty years. As a teacher she became a role model for her students and everyone who worked with her. Her quiet, determined manner helped her and other women work through machismo, a time when women were not as respected as men were. Her education and knowledge of how to work with other people helped her and other Hispanic people win many civil rights. Lena helped found numerous community organizations that would go on to help others become productive members of the Hispanic and greater community. Lena became a teacher and used her personal power to help others hold fast to dreams.

After Lena retired from the Denver Public Schools in 1979 she continued to teach the community to help her achieve her dream "that every child will want to go to school because he or she will be missed and will miss out on something." In addition, Lena has used her retirement time to become involved in more civic and community affairs. She has extensive involvement as a volunteer and Board member in a variety of interests, including housing, religion, parks and recreation, child care, women's leadership and training, education, drinking water research, and intergenerational concerns. Throughout her career Lena has had many accomplishments including being the first Hispanic woman principal in the Denver Public Schools. That is why Lena has a school named for her and why she would say to every boy and girl, "Always hold fast to dreams."

Mrs. Lena Lovato Archuleta was born in Clapham, New Mexico on July 25, 1920. She is the eldest daughter of Eusebio and Dominguita Lovato, both deceased. Her only sister, Leonor, who was a Navy nurse during World War II, died in 1976. Lena and her sister were fortunate to have parents and a maternal gradnmother who valued education above all else. They provided the opportunity through hard word and sacrifice. Lena Lovato graduated from Raton High Schooll (Raton, N.M.). She then married Juan U. Archuleta in 1943. When Mr. Archuleta died in 1998 they had been married fifty-five years.

Education: Lena attended the University of Denver on a four-year, half-tuition scholarship, graduating in 1942 with a B.A. in Education. In 1951, she received a master's degree (M.A.) in Library Science from the University of Denver.

Educational Experience: Lena L. Archuleta taught in the classrooms of New Mexico and Colorado for over thirty years. Her first assignment in Denver was as librarian at Westwood Elementary School.

In the last fourteen years, Lena served in various administrative positions with the Denver Public Schools. Her last assignment was that of principal at Fairview Elementary School.

Awards and Honors: Among the honors presented to Mrs. Archuleta are Regis University's Civis Princeps Citation in Humanitarianism, the Bernie Valdez Award for Community Service, the Hispanic Annual Salute, the Women's Bank Education Award, the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce "Famous Firsts" Award and the National Achievement Award from Mortar Board, Inc. In 1986 she was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. The University of Colorado at Denver conferred upon her its Distinguished Service Award in May 1999.

In 2001 Mrs. Archuleta received the Regional "Mujer" Award from the National Hispana Leadership Institute. That same year Mayor Wellington Webb included her in a tribute to "Mile High Legend Unsung Heroes."

The Denver Public Library Commission unveiled the Cesar Chavez Leadership Hall of Fame and created the Lena L. Archuleta Community Service Award in April 2002. Her portrait will be among the first in the gallery of Latinos and Latinas displayed at the Woodbury Branch Library.