Emails about the historical image that appeared on the back of the last “Accolade” began arriving shortly after the issue published in June. Among the first came from John Strand, who didn’t receive the magazine but whose friend Cleve Voiers (‘68) had shared the document. Strand, it turns out, was the Burt Reynolds look-alike who appeared front and center with fellow intramural wrestlers Joe Easaw, Roger Morales, Glenn Celenza and Warren Adams. Each had won his weight class at an intramural wrestling competition.
Strand, of southern New Mexico, started college at New Mexico State University but was convinced by Voiers to transfer to Cochise, his fondest memory of which is that “it felt like the people there, especially those in the residence halls, were one big family. It was a good start, especially for someone who wasn’t ready for the size of a university.”
He enjoyed his celebrity resemblance for many years, recounting a story in which his friend’s mother, upon seeing the real Burt Reynolds filming on a beach in Mexico, informed the actor that he looked like John.
“I had a lot of fun with that for a while,” Strand says, “although both of us have aged and lost most of our hair.”
John Plaisted (’68), left, and John Strand, right, were roommates their last semester at Cochise College. Plaisted pitched for the baseball team. The two still get together with other Cochise friends to tailgate at University of Arizona football games. Other alumni interested in tailgating should look for a peace flag tied to the back of this 1947 Ford truck.
After Cochise, Strand studied public administration at the University of Arizona. He operated heavy equipment at a mine in Miami, Arizona, before moving to Playas, NM, to help build a smelter. In 1976, he earned his first administrative role as an assistant with the City of Deming. He became city administrator six years later, following in the footsteps of a well-regarded predecessor and mentor.
The City of Deming made significant strides during Strand’s 29-year tenure. He made stable financial solvency a priority by not seeking revenue bonds and by creating departments to accomplish work that normally would be put out to bid. The city earned Enterprise Community status, which provided federal tax incentives and grants to distressed communities that plan and carry out strategic visions for change, community-based partnerships, economic opportunities, and sustainable community development. Numerous Deming projects focused on enhancing historic city properties or repurposing facilities for new uses. For example, Deming expanded its history museum and renovated the 1850s Customs House, renovated an old store into the Andres Z. Silva Conference Center, turned a civic center into a library and an empty department store building into a civic center and university branch, and created a 1,300-acre industrial park over a former mill site. It established a youth boot camp with local partners to discourage juvenile crime and promote education, aggressively used Community Development Block Grant funding to improve infrastructure, and secured funding for a literacy center and family resource center. It also improved recreational facilities by adding an aquatic center and expanding the golf course.
“I developed partners to assist with finances to complete projects,” Strand said, also recognizing the elected officials who “gave me the flexibility to complete their needs. We tried to create a workforce that would remain until retirement and hopefully enjoyed coming to work every day.”
In 2005, Strand was honored for his leadership when the City of Deming named its municipal building for him. Today, he and his wife Holli, an artist originally from Deming, also have a home in Vail, Arizona. He continues to serve on the Deming museum board and is a consultant with the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project, which will transport energy from Arizona and New Mexico to customers and markets across the Desert Southwest.