My roots are from the Midwest growing up mainly in Ohio and Wisconsin with a short residency in Port Angeles, WA and Annette Island, AK when my father served as a bush pilot during the Korean war. As a child, I learned from my parents the importance of philanthropy and helping others in need. Our family would help our elderly neighbors with snow removal, yard care, meal prep, etc. It was self-understood that we helped our grandparents. We were Scouts involved in community service. My parents‘ motto was “Help others without need of recognition or reward and the world will be a better place.” Although, I have never reached as high a bar as they did, I still have time.
My first interaction with Rotary was through Girl Scouts. I was given a grant to go to the Girl Scout Senior Roundup in Coeur de Laine, ID. After the event, I was a speaker at one of the meetings. It could have been intimidating for a 16-year-old, but their kindness and generosity made me at ease.
I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Zoology specializing in palaeoentomology. My goal was to go on to grad school, but personal circumstances made me decide to take off a year to ski bum in Aspen. That year turned into 14 years which included a marriage, 2 children, 1 foster child (who is now my nephew) and a radical change in career. I worked in hotels and for the Aspen Institute. At 25, I decided to start my own property and rental management company because I was too naïve to know that I really wasn’t prepared. But with my headstrong determination, I worked hard and had a fairly successful company. Due to demands of motherhood, I sold the company and worked for the Snowmass Company as manager of the Snowmass Club and later General Manager of Woodrun V condominium which gave me a more normal schedule.
Our jobs took us to South Carolina and Florida. Unfortunately, my husband passed away while I was in my late thirties with two preteens. I was contacted by my past company, Lowe Enterprises/estination Hotels, to run a Resort in Florida with the promise that they would give me a position so I could return to my beloved Colorado. It took 8 years for that promise to come to fruition but finally I moved to Denver. Although my residence was in Denver, I was opening projects in Stowe VT, Cle Elum WA, Palos Verdes CA, Charleston SC and Squaw Valley, CA and wasn’t home as much as I wished. Since I was rarely home, in 2015, I sold my 1888 Capitol Hill Victorian and moved to my tiny ski condo in Silverthorne. Best decision of my life! I finally “retired” in May of 2019. I had a wonderful summer taking 2 of my three grandchildren on a trip from Shannon Ireland, London, Paris, Venice, and Athens. The fun didn’t last long. In August, Lowe asked me to help with a project in Puerto Escondido Oax, MX for a few months. On March 15, 2020, I agreed to be the interim general manager until a replacement manager could be found. Three days later the world fell apart and I served in that position commuting back and forth until April 2022. I still consult for them and a few other properties just to keep my mind sharp.
On the fun side, after my children left home, I took up some hobbies like running marathons– 14 including Chicago, Detroit and New York (at 50); mountaineering on very high (14K to 20K) mountains – Everest Base Camp, Kilimanjaro, Pico Aconcagua and Cerro Boneta, Argentina, Pico Orizaba, MX, Whitney, Rainier, and various 14ers (at 62); road biking events (at 58) and paddleboarding (at 70). Always athletic, I did downhill skiing, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, hiking, ice skating, camping, hiking, horseback riding, swimming, running 10Ks and half marathons, etc. throughout my life I have just pumped up my goals and will try to keep it up as long as possible.
I’m back! Summit County is my home. I look forward to being a Rotarian.