Rio Rancho schools commends veteran for colorblind glasses donations

RIO RANCHO — “Vibrant” was the word Rio Rancho High School student Aiden Allalunis used to describe his surroundings at the district office building April 28 when he was given his first pair of glasses used to correct his colorblindness.

Allalunis, a freshman, received one of nine glasses donated that day by Ronald Neldon, a retired U.S. Air Force veteran, who has given away spectacles to Rio Rancho Public School students for four years.

“I’m excited to have color back in my life,” Allalunis said in an interview, adding that he plans to use the glasses on a summer trip to California before heading back to school in the fall.

As Allalunis prepares for a new journey, so does Neldon, who announced he was going to end his practice of donating colorblind glasses ahead of his move to Tennessee to be closer to family. Neldon, who purchased the glasses using court settlement money he received as a survivor of the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, was commended by RRPS on April 28 during a Board of Education meeting.

“We’re sad to see him go, but we just want to offer our sincere thanks,” RRPS spokesperson Wyndham Kemsley told board members during the meeting.

Since 2021, Neldon has given away more than 50 pairs of EnChroma brand glasses during a period when the district cannot readily provide them, Kemsley said during the meeting and in an interview.

A teary-eye Neldon complimented Kemsley during the meeting for his coordination in reaching out to families who needed colorblind glasses. This school year, every student that needed a pair was able to get one, Neldon said.

What stood out to Neldon at Monday’s gathering, he told the board, were the parents’ reactions.

“Their smiles were huge. All of them came up and thanked me for it,” Neldon said. “They can see how their child’s life has been enhanced; it’s beautiful.”

Allanunis’ mother, Jessica Rivera, was one of those parents. She told the Observer that she was excited that her son would receive the glasses, which she didn’t even know existed until a friend’s son received them.

Neldon said his mindset behind donating the glasses is to show something positive can come out of tragedy like the one he faced almost 30 years ago.

“My life was redefined by the bombing. I’m hoping I’m redefining the lives of the students,” Neldon said, adding he may “sneak in” and donate more glasses if he does not move before the start of next school year. “Every time I think about it, I smile — just knowing I made a big impact on these students’ lives.”