Gig Brummell

Arriving in Albuquerque from Boonville, Mo., Bernard E. “Gig” Brummell played basketball and baseball for the Lobos even though he was not recruited in either sport. He came with his family after graduating from a small Missouri high school. Brummell quickly found a home in New Mexico.

A three-year letterman in basketball from 1959-61, Brummell was team captain in 1959 when he led the team in scoring. He was probably better in baseball, earning three letters and all-conference honors as a pitcher. Brummell signed a professional contract with the Albuquerque Dukes, then an affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics. An arm injury cut short his pro aspirations, but there were still plenty of opportunities on the horizon.

Not only was Brummell a fine athlete, but he was also one of the best-liked students on campus. While earning his degree, Brummell was active in student government. He was sophomore class president and president of the Student Lettermen’s Club.

Brummell took the leadership skills he had learned from playing sports and the education he had acquired from UNM and parlayed them to his subsequent career in business. In 1974, he moved to Dean Witter (and eventually Morgan Stanley Dean Witter). As branch manager, Brummell opened and managed eight offices in New Mexico and El Paso. Among the 400 branches nationwide, the Albuquerque parent branch ranked in the top 10. His firm was recognized as one of the top five Morgan Stanley Dean Witter branch offices in the U.S., as well as the No. 1 branch in the Southwest for nine consecutive years.

Brummell has contributed a tremendous amount to the community, serving on numerous boards and in service and church organizations.