Denver honors 150 ‘unsung heroes' on sesquicentennial
Rocky Mountain News on Saturday, November 22, 2008
by AlanD 

 

 

 

 

 

In celebration of its 150th birthday, the City and County of Denver has selected 150 of its citizens to honor as “unsung heroes” – ordinary people who have done extraordinary things to help make Denver a better city for this and future generations. And lists 150 Wonderful Things About Denver.

On November 22, 2008, Mayor John Hickenlooper hosted a ceremony at the Colorado History Museum to recognize these 150 residents, officially kicking off the City's birthday. “Denver succeeds because of the character and dedication of these honorees,” Hickenlooper said. “Because of their work, passion, commitment or activism, they are truly unsung heroes.”

The 150 honorees and their contributions span all neighborhoods and all ages and reflect the spirit that makes Denver a great City.  Here are 150 Wonderful Things about Denver .

The City received nearly 300 nominations. A committee of public and private officials from numerous City, civic and private organizations selected the honorees based on established criteria. The nominees had to be living, they had to reside or work within Denver, their work had to be transformational and they had to be an “unsung hero” – someone who has not been widely recognized or distinguished in the past.
 
The committee strived to select heroes representing all parts of the City as well as the broad diversity of City life. City employees were excluded from the nominating process as they are honored separately by their peers for their contributions to the City.

The 150 honorees were awarded a special plaque signed by the Mayor as well as gift bags featuring items from City and County of Denver Division of Theatres & Arenas, The Rocky Mountain News, 5280 magazine, Cherry Creek North, Cherry Creek Shopping Center and Starz Denver Film Festival.

The ceremony began with honoree Hazel Miller singing “America the Beautiful” and with a 150-year tribute film commissioned by Downtown Denver Partnership. Westword Editor Patty Calhoun served as emcee.

Following the reception, Mayor John Hickenlooper cut the ribbon to open the Colorado History Museum's all-new exhibit Imagine a Great City: Denver at 150, featuring the events, people, communities and politics that have shaped Denver over the past 150 years.

Denver's 150 Unsung Heroes   
For biographies, visit http://www.rockymountainnews.com/pages/news/special-reports/denver-150-capsules

 

Will Adams

Joe Craft

David Greenberg

Paddy McClelland

Cleo Parker Robinson

Rosalinda Aguirre

Dana Crawford

Hill Hadley Hooper

Tommi McHugh

Tom Robinson

Linda Alston

Isetta Crawford-Rawls

Dea Harmon

Candy Meininger

Anthony Romero

Sueann Ambron

Carl Crookham

Rosalind Harris

Henry Meininger

Lucy Roucis

Jerry Arca

Noel Cunningham

Anna Jo Haynes

James Mejia

Dawn Russell

Marilyn Auer

Alicia Daigler

Nita Mosby Henry

Morey Melnick

Toni Saiber

Mary Baca

Arzella Dirksen

Chanda Hinton

Jose Mercado

Joyce Schlose

Kathy Bacon

Marcia Donziger

Paulette Hirsch

Dana Miller

Toni Schmid

John Bailey

Sandra Douglas

Matthew J. Hogan

David Miller

Gwen Scott

Bradford W. Bates

Tom Downey

Walter Isenberg

Hazel Miller

Dara Shalette

Gladys Noel Bates

Sue Dunn

Kirk Johnson

Nettie Moore

Ted Wood-Prince

Robbie Bean

Ed Dwight

Arthur Jones

Jesse Morreale

Betsy Stapp

Richard Bell

Norm Early

Rev. Leon Kelly

Chuck Morris

Nick Sterner

Jan Marie Belle

Pera Beth Eichelberger

Richard Krugman

Karen Nakandakare

Shane Sterner

Bart Berger

Marion Ellerbee

Sally Kurtzman

Elaine L. Neal

Grace Stiles

Lacey Berumen

Margaret Escamilla

Francois Lacour-Gayet

Khoa Nguyen

James Todd

Joan Birkland

Ray D. Espinoza

Dora-Lee Larson

Sen Nguyen

Les Townsend

Carl Bourgeois

Matthew Faas

Leona Lazar

Joel Noble

Harry Tuft

Matthew Brady

Mark Falcone

Carol Lease

Thomas Noel

Alicia Valladolid-Cuarón

Fred Brockmeyer

Jeff Fard

Rich LeDuc

Andy Nowak

Sean VanBerschot

Fred Brockmeyer

Robert Flory

Harry Lewis

Joe O'Dea

Rich Von Luhrte

David Burgess

Amy Ford

Lloyd Lewis

Carrie Olson

Dave Walstrom

Charlie Burrell

Leslie Foster

Randle Loeb

Jerome Page

Chip Walton

Carl Clark

Sarah Lee Foster

Laura Love

John Parvensky

William Allen West

Todd Clough

Jean Galloway

Stevon Lucero

Don Pearson

Roz Wheeler-Bell

John Cohen

Marjorie Gilbert

Lunden MacDonald

Lonnie Porter

Keith White

Megan Colvin

Grace Gillette

Evan Makovsky

Dr. Dean Prina

Hazel Whitsett

Stella Cordova

Nita Gonzales

Bernadette Marquez

Julie Reiskin

Sid Wilson

Charlie Cousins

Tom Gougeon

Timothy Marquez

Daniel J. Ridgeway

TG “Woody” Witte

Jane Craft

Hugh Grant

 Eric Matelski

Terrance Roberts

John Wright