by Eva Dameron
Daily Lobo
There's a poker game where the players still call each other by last name, and some say a player has to die before another one can enter the game.
"That isn't strictly true," author Dave Stewart said. "But it's very hard to get in to the game."
About 20 accomplished New Mexicans, authors, and UNM deans and professors have been playing poker together since the 1960s.
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Stewart said this was their one private activity away from the media spotlight.
"The roots of this poker game go back to the days when UNM was smaller, and things were a little more cordial," he said. "Business was done face-to-face and less was done on forms and policy books. A lot of these guys came out of the Great Depression, World War II, and really loved the idea of working in academics. For a lot of them, it was like, 'Oh man, I could be doing some really dirty work - I am so lucky.'"
On Jan. 16, eight people, including former Student Publications business supervisor Richard Pfaff, Albuquerque Journal columnist Jim Belshaw, film critic Sarah Voorhees, UNM Press director Luther Wilson, biology author Bill Degenhardt, and CEO of Wright Edge Advertising Ray Shewnack played poker at a dining room table in northeast Albuquerque. Shewnack was cast as the chief villain in Tony Hillerman's latest novel, The Shape Shifter.
They eat chocolate and potato chips and wash them down with Diet Coke and decaffeinated coffee. Someone deals a round of Omaha.
The only conservative at the table is Degenhardt. They bring up a story about John Hightower, and Degenhardt looks up and says, "Is that the liberal?"
"No," Belshaw says. "That's Jim Hightower."
"Most of us share the same political philosophy except Degenhardt," Wilson says.
"We used to have another (conservative), but he died," Degenhardt says.
The players try their best to keep everyday politics on the backburner.
"There are folks who are extremely liberal and some who are quite conservative, so you don't want to have a big old food fight," Stewart said in a separate interview.
Back at the table, they reminisce about the late journalist extraordinaire Hank Trewhitt, who used to play poker with them.
"He really did his homework," Pfaff says. "He had to introduce Rudy Anaya one time and just for that simple introduction, he read every book that Anaya had written just so that he would have that kind of background on him. He was a thorough guy."
Degenhardt snaps at Pfaff.
"Well, see what just happened right here - Pfaff talked too long, and old grampus over here just let him have it," Belshaw said, pointing to Degenhardt. "Pfaff, get in the game!"
The round ends, they deal again and move on to motorcycles.
"About six weeks ago, I had a 10-hour back operation because of a motorcycle accident," Belshaw says. "The accident was about 35 years ago, and the back finally fell apart."
Shewnack one-ups him, saying he rode 10,000 miles around the United States in about six weeks. Belshaw had no idea.
Stewart said the main games are Omaha and Texas Hold'em, but they veer off to a game of Herpes.
"That's the reason I started playing poker," Voorhees says. "Herpes was a game - just a little thing Degenhardt brought back from Savannah or something."
Stewart said having a woman's presence at the game has a calming effect on the men.
Voorhees laughs. She says it's not true at all, but flattering nonetheless.
"Maybe I have a calming effect on him," she says.
Stewart said he counts on the game continuing longer than he relies on the integrity of U.S. presidents.
"Why has the game stayed together for so long?" Belshaw wonders. "I don't know. If you figure it out, let
me know."
