Don J. Ortiz was just 10 years old when he ventured to the top of Santa Fe's Sun Mountain with his telescope to ponder the wonders of the universe. Today, at 77, he's still intrigued by the elements that constitute our galaxy, as well as the more than 170 billion galaxies in the observable universe.

"If it weren't for the big bang, black matter and the string theory, we wouldn't know about the modern theory of multiple universes," he explained.

Quantum physics has always played an important part in Ortiz's life. In 1975, when he became the chairman of United Southwest National Bank, he built the nation's first active solar energy bank, at the corner of St. Francis Drive and San Mateo Road, the current location of U.S. Bank. "Back then, the country was going through an energy crisis, and I just thought that it was time to try to become less dependent on fossil fuels," he said. "So we secured the funding necessary to build an active solar energy bank. We had a very progressive board that included Mary Lou Cook, Garrett R. Quintana, Carlos Martinez, Dickie Montoya, Tito Griego, Jack Daniels and Joseph Montoya Jr. At the time, it was a novel approach, especially for a business. People from Japan and other countries came to see the operation," he said.

Within six months, the bank was profitable, and in 1981 it was sold to Western Bank. While overseeing the banking operation, Ortiz founded Fidelity Realty and the Don Juan Gallery & Gift shop at Sena Plaza. His business acumen and drive was fueled by some sage advice that his father, Frank Ortiz, passed on to him at a young age. "My dad used to say, 'Santa Fe is a tough town; if you can make a million dollars here, you can make $100 million someplace else.'"

Don J. Ortiz was born in Santa Fe in 1934, one of six children born to Frank Ortiz and Lucy Castillo. His father served two terms as mayor of Santa Fe — from 1948 through 1952 — and ran a grocery store on Galisteo Street for many years. Frank Ortiz died in 1984, and Lucy followed in 2009 at the age of 102.

Ortiz graduated from
St. Michael's High school in 1953. He still remembers the browbeating he received from football coach Salvador Perez. "While playing receiver, I missed the ball, and after the game he came up to me and said, 'Do you need one of your dad's grocery baskets to help you catch the ball?' That really hurt my feelings, so I stopped playing football."

Ortiz received a degree in political science from The University of New Mexico in 1958. After graduation, he was accepted to Georgetown University School of Law. But with a young family to support, he decided instead to take a job with a data-processing company in Washington, D.C. Ortiz is divorced and has six children and 10 grandchildren.

In 1964, Ortiz was offered a stockbroker position here in Santa Fe with Quinn & Co. and jumped at the opportunity. He said, "I loved my time back east, but there's no place like Santa Fe. I was happy to come home to my culture and my family."

Through connections he had made in Washington, Ortiz was approached by Teddy Jones, the son of Edward Jones, and became the 38th broker with the national firm of Edward Jones & Co. In 1965, he opened his own Santa Fe branch office. "Twenty years later," he said, "Teddy Jones came to Santa Fe for a visit and to say goodbye before he died of cancer. At that time, the firm had over 1,900 brokers."

Ortiz retired from the business community 15 years ago after working as a stock broker, bank chairman and businessman. "By the time I retired, I had put one of my sons through medical school and made sure that the rest of my kids had college degrees and technical training," he said.

Today, he remains active with the Democratic Party and mentors young children to keep them from dropping out of high school. He also plays tennis three times a week at the Shellaberger Tennis Center on the grounds of the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. "At my age, I can still play one good game of singles tennis, but my friends tell me that I excel as a doubles partner," he said.

Ana Pacheco's weekly tribute to our community elders appears every Sunday. She can be reached at 505-474-2800.