Stories – Page 2

After a particularly large and somewhat dangerous fire at the Vail maintenance building in the late 70’s, those of us volunteering for the fire department thought we might need more training. Steadfast in our conviction, we went to the CMC A-frame by Gore Creek between Vail and Lionshead and worked together to start a fire science degree program.

It seemed like a good idea at the time as we had enough advanced degrees in our ranks that we could teach classes as well as attend others. Collectively we could learn to be better firefighters and get an associate degree in the process. Pretty straightforward from our point of view, after all – we were firefighters and we had a training room in the firehouse. Administratively however, it was a laborious process of applications, paperwork, credentialing and more paperwork.

Ironically, most of the early fire science archives were lost to water damage. Remember, the CMC A-Frame building was next to the creek, a creek prone to spring runoff. Early on, the joke was that it took 4 years for a BA and 11 years for an AAS from CMC, especially if your records were “displaced”.

To everyone’s credit – literally, and in CMC’s tradition of truly helping students, firefighters who had lost their paperwork were allowed to test out of most courses they had previously taken in route to their degree.

What we learned in the college-level fire science program was invaluable. Everyone associated with its initial inception benefited from what is today an important program to firefighters and their communities throughout the region and beyond. What is true for the fire service, as in most disciplines – education is critical to advancing endeavor.

From those early days at the A-frame, CMC has always supported the first responder with a commitment to education. And now even more with the advent of the Starting Hearts First Responder Scholarship Program – “first on scene and first in our hearts.”

It was 1978. I was coming over the top of the hill and seeing the Spring Valley campus for the first time. I was a bit nervous coming from a high school graduating class of 750 and now a college with about half that! Yikes!

But it couldn’t have been a better fit! Great people came into my life both in faculty and students. Ted Magnuson (1st year photo professor) was real good about sharing real life examples.

A bunch of us would sit on the cafeteria tables outside the darkrooms and talk about everything, including photography. We sat on the front lawns a lot to soak in the beauty of the surroundings with fantastic people, what amazing times.

I graduated as part of the Class of 1980 and went right to work for a few large studios and labs in the Denver area. I started my own studio in 1982. Still going and love sharing the craft I learned at CMC.

I toured the campus just a month ago and was blown away at the wonderful growth and all that is available at the school now, especially in the photography arena! Congratulations on turning 50, CMC.

The big FIVE – O, all grown up! I feel honored to celebrate this milestone because, for the past forty-two years, Colorado Mountain College has been central to my life as a learner and as a teacher. We have proven to our communities, our students, our licensing entities, and ourselves that Colorado Mountain College can be one of the best small colleges in the nation.

CMC gets stronger each time a student grows confident of their scholastic and personal abilities, and then moves on to build a life full of purpose and service to others.

CMC’s wobbly toddler stage is over. In 1975, when Sue Daley, dean of Summit Campus and hired me to teach French, the Breckenridge building had only two classrooms. We taught classes in our homes, in saloons, at real estate offices, and even at a Super 8 Motel.

I’ll never forget Margaret Peterson’s Music Theory class in 1978. We four students gathered in the parlor of her Victorian home in the Old Town part of Breckenridge. That year Summit Campus offered 80 classes in various venues, and our enrollment was a few hundred. Today, our students number more than 3,500. The biggest change is that now we hold courses in smart-classrooms.

What has not changed, and what keeps getting better, are the progressive and inspirational values that were laid out five decades ago: Affordable tuition for all students, comprehensive education that prepares students to enter the workforce, and innovative pedagogy that reaches all learners. We can safely predict that these values will continue to be the source of our greatest strength for the next fifty years.

Today, we are starting from a stronger base than fifty years ago. CMC has become a stable and vital presence in all the communities that we serve. Thanks to the foresight of the founders, who structured a two-year college primarily funded by property taxes, we enjoy beautiful new buildings and campuses at 11 sites. Our students use state-of-the-art equipment to train for their chosen careers.

Our school has talented leaders who watch the big picture and chart a course for the changing future. Increased full-time faculty give our students the individual attention and expert guidance that college students deserve. These landmark achievements are tributes to the hard work and commitment of all who have shaped and supported CMC’s successful programs over the years.

I am confident that CMC will continue to change and at the same time maintain the traditions that have been established in our first five decades. We have transformed ourselves, the places where we live, and the thousands of people who have looked to CMC for knowledge, training, and new horizons.
Thank you, and Congratulations, CMC!

Leadville native Kristen Wells misses her hometown and the Rocky Mountains. The Lake County High School graduate and former CMC student is now pursuing her Ph.D. in genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine. Though she yearns for views of the Collegiate Range, the allure of being on the cutting edge of medical research is more compelling.

“The coolest thing about Stanford is that all the top research is happening right here,” Kristen said. “We’re the first to implement many of the latest innovations in the science world, then a year later everyone hears about it and is talking about it in the public sector. It’s really fun to be a part of that.” For example, Kristen is using CRISPR, the revolutionary new gene editing technology, in her daily work. Her thesis, in layman’s terms, is about looking at gene expression that’s involved in preventing autoimmune disorders. Using CRISPR “really speeds up the research because we can manipulate an individual gene and see what it does,” she explained. The research may eventually lead to improved treatments for devastating autoimmune diseases like MS and lupus.

Wells credits her experience at Colorado Mountain College Leadville with setting her up for success in college. By the time she was a high school junior, she had maxed out on all the science and English courses available at her school. A counselor suggested that she take some college-level courses “up the hill” at CMC. So she did, taking Spanish with former Professor Mary Ebuna, and English with Associate Professor Jeff Runyon. “CMC was an incredible experience for me, especially Mr. Runyon who made English really fun. He pushed me, and made English exciting.” She learned early the rigors of college-level study, including increased homework and higher expectations from her instructors. “It made the transition to college much easier for me.”

Upon graduation from high school, Wells won a Boettcher scholarship and a full ride to Colorado College where she earned her bachelor’s in biology. She then was accepted into the doctoral program at Stanford where her education is completely paid for by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. “I use the writing skills I learned at CMC in my work now”, she said. “There’s a lot more creativity in science than you would expect, as writing and communication are a big part of the process. We write and publish papers, and orally present our work to our peers.”

For now, Kristen’s return to her home state will have to wait. She estimates it will take 4 more years of study to complete her doctorate. After that, she would like to continue advancing the study of genetics, wherever that pursuit takes her.

Why CMC? Because my high school counselor said with my GPA, I wouldn’t make it at any other college in Colorado. So, I arrived at the Spring Valley Campus in the fall of 1978.

I came to CMC with the anticipation that I would raise my GPA and get into a music engineering school. A funny thing happened on my way to being a music engineer.

A teacher by the name of Gene Minor taught a philosophy class. In that class, we did not harp on the mechanics of the great thinkers and what they espoused. Gene emphasized learning to think for ourselves. I took that lesson to heart. I realized that the world needed some good answers. I wanted to be a part of solving the problems rather than making great music records.

It was like someone turned the light on for the first time in my education. I was introduced to the idea of sustainability, which included solar energy, rooftop gardening, energy efficiency and new ways of transportation.

CMC became a staging ground for all sorts of ideas and people who were making a difference. I thrived at CMC. No longer was I uninterested in scholastics, I craved it. My first semester I achieved a 3.8 grade point average and eventually graduated Phi Theta Kapa (top 1% of my class). I was awarded a scholastic scholarship for my achievements in my second year. I took on special projects in the area of sustainability and reopened the campus greenhouse as a learning lab.

Because of CMC, I pursued renewable energy and energy efficiency. I came back to CMC several years after getting my associates degree to be one of the first students to participate in CMC’s new solar energy vocational program.

Since then, I have worked in the energy efficiency field for over 35 years. I was able to settle in Glenwood Springs and find a career at Holy Cross Energy as an energy auditor and member service representative. I owe it all to Colorado Mountain College. What a great place to learn and be enlightened.

CMC Breckenridge once held several singer-songwriting workshops. For me it began when I performed at a CMC “talent show” held sometime in the mid-1980’s.

Tom Hart, who was a CMC program director at the time, heard my performance and asked if I would like to teach a beginning guitar class. The following semester, I had prepared my syllabus, secured a “textbook” (Fretboard Theory and Technique by Dan Fox and Dick Weissman) and had a full class of beginning guitar students. Favorite song to learn was “A Horse With No Name” as it only had two chords.

After this experience, I attended several singer-songwriting workshops held at CMC. My friend and fellow musician, Nancy Cook (also a CMC guitar teacher), helped to organize these workshop sessions. Guest musician Jim Salestrom and Dick Weissman were a couple of the clinicians.

But the best surprise of all time was a guest appearance by Don Henley (Yes! Don Henley of the Eagles). It might have been 1993 or so. The Eagles were going to be performing at Red Rocks and Henley just happened to be in Breckenridge due to an invite from a CMC employee that went to high school with him back in Texas.

Regardless of how it all got put together, in came Don Henley to the Breckenridge CMC theater. He sat up on a stool on stage, and then chatted and answered questions for us about songwriting and performing for about an hour. It was a thrill. Thanks CMC for these wonderful memories!

If you looked up the definition of “hard worker” in the dictionary, you would see a picture of Samantha Blea.

The Rifle native earned her associate of arts at Colorado Mountain College while still a teenager. By taking dual credit class, she graduated from both CMC and Rifle High School in 2007. From there, she went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the United States Naval Academy.

“I took online classes through CMC,” says Blea. “It was really convenient to be able to work at my own pace while staying on top of the syllabus for each class and it allowed me to do my high school work at the same time.”

Blea’s first post in the Navy was aboard the USS Ford in Everett, Washington. In a 2015 Post Independent newspaper article, Blea explained she then was stationed in San Diego and worked as an electronics material officer.

The Navy told the paper, she was part of a “53-person crew that rotated between the USS Independence and USS Coronado.”

“I am now on my second ship and have traveled around the world to eight different countries,” Blea told the Post Independent. “I’ve worked with electronics warfare and weapons systems and will be shifting toward information professional including cyber and network security.”

Working aboard some of the Navy’s newest ships, Blea says she knows she and her crewmates are “building a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.”

Genevieve Clough believed in the transformative power of an education.

“Her belief was that everyone is special,” says Carol Efting, coordinator of scholarships and records for the Colorado Mountain College Foundation. “And those with the motivation and commitment to successfully achieve an education, whether or not it is for a vocational or professional career, should have the financial resource to do so.”

In cooperation with CMC, Clough started a multimillion-dollar scholarship endowment in 2008. Its mission is to help graduates of Coal Ridge, Grand Valley and Rifle high schools pursue their post-secondary vocational and college goals at CMC and other not-for-profit institutions.

But what makes the Clough Fellowship unique is that it is not solely based on academic merit, athletic ability or leadership experience. It is geared to applicants with financial need, participation in community service, and a solid career plan.

“Her gift has provided many CMC students assistance to achieve their educational goals,” explains Efting.

Sadly, Genevieve passed away two years after establishing the endowment, but her generosity lives on. The fellowship program is now in its 10th year, and more than $3 million has been awarded to 450 Clough Fellows.

“I’ve always wanted to go to college, and my dad always told me he regretted never going,” Tiffany Cose said in a Post Independent article. “But I really don’t know if I’d be able to go to CMC without the help” from the Clough Fellowship.

Barbara Boe was a ranch wife and mother when the bottom dropped out of her life.

“All I had known was taking care of five children,” says Boe, recalling how she felt when she and her husband separated in 2005, leaving her with their children, aged 4 to 14, and a ranch on Silt Mesa near Rifle. “I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

Years later, she has far fewer doubts and many more options thanks to her time at Colorado Mountain College in Rifle. It was there she completed her applied engineering technician Associate of Applied Science degree, a program that trains graduates to work in a variety of industries including oil, gas, waste and water treatment, and power and electric plants.

Best of all, her daughter, Crissi Boe, studied right alongside her mom for the same degree. Both were on the President’s List.

“I’ve always told my children to go to school, get your education,” says Barbara. “It’s something that no one can take away from you. It’s something that you have forever.”

But it’s just the beginning for this mother and daughter duo. They went on to pursue the college’s Bachelor of Applied Science degree. The BAS allows those with associate of applied science degrees to seamlessly continue studying for a bachelor’s degree, increasing their employability and opportunities for advancement.\

For Crissi, having the opportunity to go to college with her mother and stay in western Garfield County has been ideal. She has learned from her mother the importance of developing marketable skills and knowledge.

“Having the opportunity to go to CMC has been amazing because it allows me to be where I want to be,” says Crissi. “My experience in the applied engineering program has been awesome. And, as a woman, you don’t have to rely on anyone.”

Steve Mills made it his mission to make sure Colorado Mountain College was in tune with the communities it served.

For example, in the 1970s, when surveys determined that 10 percent of the adult population lacked a high school diploma; the college “built the biggest adult basic education program in the state,” Steve says.

Steve also looked to local businesses to provide the training they needed for staff. In Glenwood Springs, the police department, hospital, and local carpenters’ union paid tuition for their employees to take professional development courses at CMC.

“The college tuned in to community needs,” says Steve, who was hired in 1969 to manage CMC Aspen, and was later named director of continuing education across the entire district.

Among many other highlights during his time at CMC, Steve secured grant funding for English as a Second Language and Adult Basic Education.

In 1978, Steve transitioned to vice president of Administrative Services. He
reported directly to President Dr. F. Dean Lillie on all campus operations.

Steve went on to direct capital building projects for new locations in downtown Glenwood Springs and Vail. He also led the creation of online systems for registration at all college sites and application tracking systems for full-time students.