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Alton R. Packard, born Friday, February 1, 1929, passed away at his home in Albuquerque on Monday, September 26, 2005. Al owned and managed Packard's Indian Trading Company on the Santa Fe Plaza until 1979. Al was one of the last of the vanishing breed-the American Indian Trader. He had hundreds of Indian friends from the Pueblos of New Mexico and Arizona, the Navajos and other tribes. The stories he could tell about his experiences were endless. He and his close friend, Tom Woodard, also a well-known Indian Trader, were responsible for passing laws to protect consumers of Southwest Indian Arts and Crafts. They worked with Ex-Governor Toney Anaya, who was Attorney General at the time. Al had a nation-wide reputation as an expert in Indian arts and crafts; chaired the Indian Arts Fund until it was absorbed by the School of American Research in the 1960s and was a member and chairman of the New Mexico Association on Indian Affairs during the period when it evolved into the Southwest Association on Indian Affairs that staged the annual Indian Market; was a charter member of the Indiana Arts and Crafts Association (IACA) and chaired the Ethics Committee; was on the Board of the Indian Art Magazine; was called upon to judge many shows, including the Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial, the Northern Arizona Show in Flagstaff, the Navajo Fair in Window Rock, the Heard Museum in Phoenix, the Santa Fe Indian Market and the Eight Northern Pueblos Shows. Al appraised hundreds of Indian Art collections. As a collector himself, he leaves one of the largest collections of Navajo pictorial weavings in the country. Al was involved in other Santa Fe activities. He served on the board of the Santa Fe Animal Shelter; was a member of the Santa Fe Rodeo Association and was in charge of the parade for several years. The sole Ponderosa pine tree on the Plaza was donated and plated by Al in the mid-70s. Al moved to Santa Fe from Oklahoma in 1937 at the age of seven. His parents, Frank and Marie Packard, owned the Blue Mountain Ranch at the intersection of Cerrillos and Airport Roads. He attended grade school and Wood-Gormley Elementary School, junior high at Harrington Junior High and high school at Santa Fe High School. He attended the University of New Mexico where he studied Geology and Anthropology. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War with the 188th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, also known as the "Enchilada Air Force." Al is survived by his wife, D. J. Packard; brother, Frank O. Packard, Jr. of Albuquerque; daughter, Kate Foley and her husband, Jack, of Santa Fe; and grandson, Matt Foley of Los Gatos, CA; son, Rocky Packard and his wife, Susan, and grandchildren, Laura and Ian Packard of Petaluma, CA. Memorial contributions may be made to Southwest Association for Indian Art (SWAIA), P.O. Box 969, Santa Fe, NM 87504. A memorial gathering will be held in Santa Fe at a later date. French Mortuary, Inc. 7121 Wyoming Blvd. NE (505) 823-9400
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