Robert L, Mildred L, and Keith Holmes Memorial Basketball Scholarships 

This scholarship site is dedicated to the memory of Robert, Mildred, and Keith Holmes who's love for Basketball will be shared for years to come in the form of scholarships for students in Gallup, New Mexico

 Mildred LaVerne Marshall

Mildred was born  July 18 1929 in Leigh, Texas. Upon graduation from high school in Karnak, Tx where she was an excellent student and top notch basketball player, she attended Bishop College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education.  After her first teaching job in Ashdown, Arkansas, she married Robert L Holmes whom she had met in college.  Roert had been on an academic basketball scholarship.    He met Mildred in his first year in September 1947.  Mildred was sitting on a bench at the business office.  When Robert passed by with a friend of his, he struck up a conversation with her.  Robert told Mildred he already knew a lot about her.  By that time his friend had left them alone.  Eventually Mildred went to church that evening and Robert went to basketball practice.... And the rest is history. 

After their children were born Mildred's first teaching job was in Prewitt, New Mexico.  Next the family moved to Crownpoint, New Mexico where her 35 years of teaching in McKinley County began.  Among her many recognitions and commendations, Mildred received distinguished teaching awards from the state, county and students.  Her years or teaching were in Gallup, New Mexico at stagecoach elementary school, where she retired in 1994. 

From the time she retired until her untimely death in February  2012, she dedicated her life to volunteering within the Gallup community. The girls basketball tournament at Miyamura HIghschool was named after Mildred  for the 2012 tournament.  Durring her lifetime, she supported and attended the Robert L Holmes Basketball tournament and the girls tournaments.

Volunteer activities included: 

A:  Coordinator of Futures for Children.

B: #1 individual fundraiser and nine year vonunteer for the    National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

C:  Membership drive chairperson of the Gallup Housing Authority for 21 years

D:  Assisted in Voter registration and charitable foundation drives.

E:  Church work:  visited the sick and shut in, taught Sunday school, assisted in community outreach.

F:  Display assistant for the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial.

G:  Adoppted a child frim Tanzania through Compassion: save the children.

She was preceded in Death by her parents, her husband Robert, her son Keith and brothers Ray, Roy and Lorenza. 

She is survived by her daughters and son in law, Belinda and Chonita and Georges Holmes Katsovakis.

Robert LaVelle Holmes 

Robert was born in Saint Charles, Missouri on March 4 1930.  He earned his Bachelor of Science at Bishop College and Masters in Education at the University of New Mexico, Las Vegas Campus.  Coach Holmes started teaching history and coaching basketball, track and football, in the McKinley County School System in 1959 in Crownpoint, New Mexico. In the Fall of 1965, Coach and his wife Mildred transferred to Gallup to teach and give their three children, Keith, Belinda, and Chonita, more educational opportunities. Coach Holmes fulfilled his dream of starting the Gallup Junior High School Ninth Grade Wildcats Invitational Tournament around 1967.  His goal was to support the ideal of character development through sports and education. The Tournament began with teams from public schools in McKinley and Cibola counties. When Coach Holmes died unexpectedly in January of 1972, his basketball team, parents, educators, and school administrators decided to rename the tournament after him. Though the school name has gone through many changes, the tournament is still going strong with the ninth-grade team of the Miyamura Patriots.

Coach Holmes' family established the Scholarship in honor of his legacy and belief that skills developed by playing sports can be instrumental in greater success in education and life in general.