Robert Gonzales remembers a visit to New Mexico by King Charles III like it was yesterday, even though it was 40 years ago.
Gonzales was the Las Vegas fire chief in 1982 when then-Prince Charles III visited the city. The future king was on the board of world governors for the United World College (UWC) and stopped in Las Vegas for its official opening in Montezuma.
Gonzales provided protection and assisted with whatever was needed.
“It was so exciting to be able to have this significant person here,” Gonzales told KOAT recently. “The city was excited. People were on the streets to see him. I accidentally bumped into him, not realizing it was the Prince. He was really nice and smiled at me.”
At a news conference during his visit, the future king said, “One way to perhaps progress this whole movement was to concentrate on particular problems that matter in the world at the moment.”
Gonzales said he hopes King Charles III continues to be an ambassador of unity.
“It just amazed me that Prince Charles would put something like the United World College together,” Gonzales said. “The fact that it was to promote peace among nations intrigued me because we need that.”
UWC has just two locations in the United States, including the one in Montezuma; the institution's website said. UWC-USA was originally founded as the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West by Armand Hammer at the request of then-Prince Charles, then the president of UWC.
“Hammer chose the Montezuma, New Mexico location in the American Southwest, because of its remarkable beauty, proximity to immense wilderness areas in Northern New Mexico, and an architecturally compelling site within a historic region of the United States,” the website said.
The college currently has 235 students from ages 17-19.
