Richard Fenner Burges

His mother died six days after he was born, and he was raised by his father, his grandmother and his aunt, Nannie.

His home at 603 West Yandell, was donated by his daughter to the El Paso County Historical Society in 1986.

His vast collection of "books, correspondence, photographs, scrapbook, articles, historical paper and other documents" can be examined there.

He commanded the battalion in the Battle of the Argonne and was awarded a Croix de Guerre by the French government after he and a sergeant, Sam Dreben, "made a dash into enemy territory and captured six machine guns and killed 21 German soldiers."

As a member of the American Forestry Association, he promoted the development of Carlsbad Caverns as a national park.