Page 51 - Winter 2020

Ms. Papen’s body of work is extensive
and impressive. She has received state and national attention and awards for her advocacy of mental health services and laws to combat violence against women.
The American Psychological Association Practice Organization in 2012 named her
the Legislator of The Year. In 2006, she successfully sponsored Katie’s Law, which now requires DNA collection from anyone arrested on a felony charge. That piece of legislation was drafted in the aftermath of the murder of a New Mexico State student in 2003.
But no talk of her legacy would be complete without recognition of her role of parent, mentor and guiding force in the lives of her daughters and their children.
“She’s always been kind of a rock for
me,” says Allison. “I’m adopted and she was adopted, so we’ve always had that common bond. She’s been a very steady figure in my life and a very solid person that I could always count on.”
As every parent knows, learning to let their children venture out on their own is a tough call, but when that time came for Senator Papen, she was confident she had raised
Susan and Allison to be “strong, independent- minded women.”
Susan dropped out of high school soon after her dad died and moved to Mexico
to finish school there. She took sociology, Spanish and math and in the process became fluent in the Spanish language. While in Mexico, Susan, an accomplished horse woman, trained with the Mexican Olympic equestrian team.
On her return to the U.S., she enrolled at St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas, and graduated with a degree in art, English and education. During that time her son Paul
Jr. was seriously ill with asthma and she did
research on various drugs and their effect on humans.
Allison, who was three years old when her father died, was a standout goalie on her club soccer team and at Las Cruces High School. She too studied abroad, first in Germany, then in Switzerland and Zimbabwe, Africa. In Germany she worked in a pub, in Switzerland she went to a hotel management school and in Africa she worked at a hotel and two French restaurants.
After several years away from home, Allison returned to Las Cruces and earned a master’s degree in family and consumer sciences.
What Susan and Allison have accomplished in their adult lives and careers is probably a testament to what their mother constantly told them.
“The thing that mom instilled in me and has made the biggest difference in my life is that we all had to earn our space here
on Earth. We all have to be out there,”
says Susan.
That concept, says Senator Papen, came straight from her mother’s playbook on parenting. In simpler terms it means you have to contribute to society. Try to make the world a better place. Pay it forward.
Grandma Briesch would be proud of all her girls.
Susan and her husband Paul Vescovo, now retired, formerly owned a car dealership in
Las Cruces that their son George now runs. Susan served on the New Mexico Racing Commission for several years and is a highly respected authority on medications used in the treatment of race horses.
Allison is a lobbyist with a long list
of clients, including the state’s restaurant association, the association of food banks, an oil and gas drilling company, a utility renewable energy company and a coalition
“Are you willing to put the bit in
your teeth and start running, or are you always going to take the safe angle because it’s what’s going to get you popularity?”
of main street communities. She also owns a legislative tracking and recording service. Her husband, Greg Smith, is the executive director of the non-profit Dona Ana Arts Council.
As for Senator Papen, there isn’t much left in her bucket list. She has no plans to seek political office again but will continue to advocate for mental health care. She toys with the thought of going back to school and getting a degree in speech therapy. (In her ‘50s, she earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from New Mexico State). She’s excited about the expected opening soon of a crisis triage center in Las Cruces. It was her bill that provided the initial funding for the center.
And she remains a believer that risks are worth taking if it’s for a worthy cause and whether you win or lose matters not. In the end it all adds up to “a beautiful adventure.”
“Enjoy and embrace that adventure,” she said.
WINTER 2020 49