CELEBRATING 50 YEARS The 2022 Heritage Award he Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® (AIBF) Heritage Award recognizes individuals who have made signifi cant and long-time contributions to Balloon Fiesta through the preservation of AIBF Tcorporate or event history, promotion, communication, or educational activities, or through other innovations that have been shown to help achieve AIBF’s mission statement. This year, the Balloon Fiesta is honored to recognize Paul Smith, the event’s Executive Director for the last quarter-century. Paul, a lawyer by professional background, assumed leadership of the event the year after Balloon Fiesta moved to the current Balloon Fiesta Park. Many improvements to the park enjoyed by balloonists and guests today happened under his watch, including a fully grassed launch fi eld, VIP guest experiences including the Gondola Club, Chaser’s Club, Glamping, and Concierge services, Bike Valet, expanded RV parking, new activities and shows such as Music Fiesta, the Chainsaw Carving exhibitions, the fi reworks “candle line,” and more. Pilots benefi t from the addition of weather stations around the area to monitor changing conditions and more advanced briefi ng and forecasting tools. Paul leads a permanent staff of about 20 full- and part-time people, supported by hundreds of Navigators (Balloon Fiesta volunteers), and works with city and county offi cials, law enforcement agencies, and the FAA to facilitate a safe event both on the ground and Above: Paul Smith in the sky. For nine days every year, and through the two months of setup and teardown, he is the de facto manager of the state’s second-largest city, dealing with everything from tickets to transportation to sanitation. A few years ago, when the popular TV series hit the air, someone with a sense of humor developed “Better Call Paul” pins recognizing the many hats Paul wears. They sold like hotcakes. Paul is also a formidable pilot and competitor in his own right, with a string of victories and high fi nishes in local, state, and national competition. This past fall, Paul received the Ed Yost Master Pilot Award, refl ecting 40 years of safe fl ying. OFFICIAL PROGRAM 269