William Edward Boykin was born June 27, 1932 in Clarendon, Texas, the third son of Edna Matthews Boykin and G.L. Boykin. Ed, as he was known throughout his life, moved with the family in 1935 to Spearman, TX, and in 1937 came to southern New Mexico where his father was employed with the New Mexico Extension Service at NMSU, formerly named New Mexico A&M. Ed was educated at Mesilla Park Elementary, Court Junior High, Las Cruces Union High and NMSU. He was a member of Cub Scouts, Boy Scout Troop 66 and St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. Ed played football in the seventh grade, but later that year was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and was held out of sports until he entered high school, where he lettered in four sports, was chosen for Boys State where he was elected as representative, was selected honorable mention all-state quarterback, was elected senior class president of the class of 1950, and was awarded the senior citizenship award. He also participated in band and choral music as well as the junior and senior class plays. Ed also became Master Councilor of the local DeMolay chapter and was a member of the Methodist Youth Fellowship at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. Former Aggie football coach, Vaughn Corley offered a full scholarship to Ed who became a starter for the Aggie freshman team under legendary Aggie football star, Leon Pratt. Ed started every freshman game and then started every varsity game but one for the Aggies, playing quarterback, tight end, split end, defensive end and defensive back. “Wherever they needed me,” he used to say. He was returned to quarterback his last game and the Aggies beat West Texas State by a touchdown, which was scored by Jim Bradley on a pitchout they had never practiced. Ed was named honorable mention All Border Conference defensive back after his junior year. At NMSU, Ed sang with the men’s quartette with Ray Madson, Dave Holt and Stanley Dennis and coached by professor Carl Jacobs. He also was a member of Alpha Omicron Chapter of TKE, sports editor and later editor of the yearbook, vice president of the student governing body, cadet commander of the NMSU Air Force ROTC wing, and named to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. Ed and his class friend Roger Siddall also wrote and produced a sports talk show in the early days of campus radio station KGRT under Professor Verle Weber. In June of 1954, upon graduation with a BA in Journalism and a MA in English, Ed went to work for Orville Priestley who owned and published the Las Cruces Sun-News as well as the Artesia Advocate. He started in Las Cruces but was transferred to Artesia to be a reporter and sports editor, prior to entering the United States Air Force with a second lieutenants commission in November of that year. Ed started flight training at Bainbridge Air Base, GA, and was the first in his flight to solo the Piper PA-18 and the North American, T-6. He was then assigned to Webb AFB, Big Spring, TX, where he flew T-28’s and T-33’s. In January, 1956, Ed was awarded the Silver Wings of the USAF, following his brothers Jim and Ben who had also graduated from the USAF Flying Training at Webb AFB. Ed was then assigned to the Basic Instructors School at Craig AFB, AL. The next assignment was to the Basic Flight Program at Laughlin AFB, Del Rio, TX, and then to Bryan AFB, TX., in the same capacity. As the result of a perfect check ride with the Bryan AFB 24 Standardization Board, Ed and two other instructors were chosen to fly to Ellington AFB in Houston to take assorted VIP’s on orientation flights in the T-33. In late 1957, Bryan AFB was designated to be closed and after Ed’s current students completed their schooling, Ed was transferred to the Wing Commanders Staff as base Information Services Officer; the identical action had occurred at Laughlin AFB where the training command moved out and SAC moved in with U-2’s. Ed separated from the Air Force in 1958, came home and entered graduate school and was offered a job at Las Cruces High School as a teacher and assistant coach. He and Jo Irving were married in July 1958 and both started new jobs with Las Cruces Public Schools. Ed was an assistant coach on one football state runner up, one football state champion, three basketball state champions and one track state champion at LCHS. He became head football coach at LCHS in 1962 and in 1963 his team played for the State championship and lost to Highland of Albuquerque. Ed taught sophomore and junior English as well as sponsored the school paper several years and the yearbook one year. He became activities director in 1967. In 1970, Ed joined the Aggie football staff as linebacker coach for three seasons, after which he worked for Fidelity Union Life Insurance as state director for three years in Albuquerque. In 1976 he and Jo moved their family to Farmington where Ed was assistant principal at the high school for eight years and principal for two. He served as state coordinator for the New Mexico Association of Secondary School Principals and was named “Outstanding Secondary School Administrator” in 1986. A highlight for Ed was the unusual opportunity he had to present diplomas to his children, Marty, Doug and Ken upon their graduations. Ed took early retirement in 1986 to be primary caregiver for Jo, who had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in late 1983, and in 1989 they moved back to Las Cruces, where Jo passed away in 1992. In 1996, Ed married Jane Larson and was soon asked to be interim principal of Mesilla Valley Christian School where he served until the end of the 1998 school year. He served on the Board until 2002, having been elected State Representative in 2000. He then resigned from the Board and continued in the legislature until the end of 2006, where he was a member of the House Education Committee, Tax and Revenue, Transportation, and several interim committees. He was honored by the Albuquerque Journal for his work in sponsoring four bills that laid the groundwork for the Spaceport. Ed chose not to run for office again after 2006, and he and Jane spent lots of quality time at their cabin, Joyous Garde, at Willow Creek Ranch on the northern edge of the Gila Wilderness. Survivors include his wife Jane; daughter Marty McCray and husband Pat, their five children and four great grandsons of Peeples Valley, AZ; son Doug and his wife Noreen and their two sons of Socorro; son Ken and his wife Kim and their son and daughter; three stepsons, Mike Woods of Colorado Springs and his two daughters; Todd and Samantha Woods of Las Cruces; and Phillip and Linda Woods of Denver and their son and two daughters; brother Jim; brother Ben and wife Janis; and sister Betty Wolle, all of Las Cruces; and a bunch of nephews and nieces scattered across the country from Alabama to Alaska to Hawaii. At Ed’s request, cremation will take place. A memorial service will be held in his honor at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, on Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 10:00 AM.