This year that someone is actually a whole group of people, and they have all decided to honor a local organ donor, the late Manuel Sandoval from Stanley.

As part of next year's Tournament of Roses Parade, Sandoval's image, along with 75 other organ donors, will be reproduced in organic material and make up the tail feathers of a giant floral phoenix for the Donate Life float.

The theme of the float — which draws on the way the mythological creature is said to be born from the ashes of another phoenix — will be "New Life Rises."

This is the first year someone from New Mexico has been honored in such a way, and Manuel's story is very much rooted in the Estancia Valley.

Manuel graduated from Moriarty High School in 1980, went to college and came back to Moriarty, where he became part of the fabric of the district, teaching there for about a quarter of a century, nearly until the day of his death.

A coach and teacher at Moriarty High School, he died unexpectedly of a brain aneurism in November of last year. Because he'd signed up to donate his organs when he got his drivers license — a simple check mark he'd made while filling out paperwork — Manuel's organs were used to save four people's lives, according to Maria Sanders of Donate Life New Mexico.

Not only were people saved, but other parts of his body were used to improve people's lives, she said. His eyes were used and allowed two people to see again and his tissue, tendons and bones were used in about 50 other operations.

"From one person, 56 people will be helped," she said.

Sanders said that Sandoval's family was almost immediately contacted by school board president Phil Anaya, who had received a heart transplant in Arizona last year.

"In small communities everybody knows everybody," she said. "It has tremendous impact … there's tremendous support that is given."

Anaya, who has made it his mission to increase the number of organ donors in New Mexico, said he's been working with Donate Life New Mexico for some time now. When he heard about search for donors for the Tournament of Roses Parade float he immediately mentioned Manuel's name.

"Here is an individual who graduated, was born and raised in Moriarty and came back to help through education," he said. "His family helped other people continue their lives."

Although it is clearly a complicated and emotional issue, Melanie Sandoval, who was married to Manuel, explained that the process was some comfort to her as well.

In fact, it was Melanie's children — Megan and Manuel Jr. — who were first to respond when, just before Manuel died, doctors asked if he was an organ donor, she said.

"They both answered, 'Yes,'" she said. "He had always been an organ donor on his license … You don't ever think about it … what it means."

Even though his death was sudden and tragic, for Sandoval's family it soon became important that he was an organ donor.

"It kind of gives it a purpose, if you can ever find one," she said. "We just always say what goes around comes around, so maybe that was what this was … I don't know."

After the organs had been transplanted, Melanie said she was sent a letter from one of the organ recipients.

"You don't get names," she said. "One man wrote a letter and gave the history of his life … he had a wife and two children."

The man said he is diabetic who had received a pancreas. He explained how the donation had impacted his life, she said. Melanie Sandoval, who also is a teacher, has brought the subject up with her students as well, and said she's gotten a lot of positive comments from them. It turns the somewhat abstract concept of organ donation into something concrete.

"Most of them knew him if they didn't know who he was," she said. "It puts a face on a plan of actually doing something."

She and her family will be at the Moriarty High School gymnasium during the basketball games to put the finishing touches on the portrait for the float on Friday starting at 4 p.m.

Along with being included in the parade, which she said is a huge honor, sharing what they are doing with the public honors his memory and the kind of person he was, she said.

"Since he died it's been pretty public … It's just impacted a lot of people," she said. "He was a very social man, he loved being around people … I'm sure he is thrilled."