Get to Know Your Neighbors

Longmont Times-Call Community Review Sunday, June 30, 2019

100

Get to know your neighbors

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Welcome to ‘100’

Welcome to the ninth edition of “100,” the Times-Call’s annual look at the people of our community. From a Girl Scout who sold 1,359 boxes of cookies this year, to a 91-year-old resident who still finds Longmont to be a great place to live and has suggestions for keeping it that way, you will find in these pages the variety of fascinating people who make the St. Vrain Valley the vibrant place it is today. Readers have grown to love this special edition, and so have our peers. The 2018 version of “100” earned firstplace honors in the Colorado Press Association’s excellence in journalism awards. That’s thanks to all of the fine people who agreed to be a part of it. I think you’ll enjoy this year’s edition, too. Get ready to meet the “100.” — John Vahlenkamp, managing editor

The first “100” published in 2007.

WHO’S INSIDE Dr. Molly Abernathy .....8 Brett Ackerman..............8 Rob Bardenett ................4 Cynthia Barnes...............8 Deb Baumgartner..........9 Eric Bellamy ................... 9 Daniel Benavidez............6 Emily Benitez................12 Strider Benston ............ 10 Rebecca Sue Boyd........12 Wanda Brandfas ........... 12 Heather Brandt.............13 Melissa Brim.................13 Tim Brod.......................13 Jason Buss.....................13 Mike Butler...................14 Cliff Clusin ...................14 Sophia Collender..........14 Jessica Collins...............14 John Conrads................20

Molly Cropp..................20 Alyce Davis ................... 16 Tina Davis.....................18 Oakley Dehning........... 20 Rick Ebbers...................20 Katie Emery..................21 Katie Fankhouser.........21 T. Fanning .................... 21 Jennifer Ferguson........21 Jared Fiel.......................22 Steve Fisk......................22 Ralph Ford .................... 22 Bren Frisch...................22 Julie Gallegos................23 Katie Goldsberry..........24 Jacqueline Gonzales.....27 Bianca Gordon..............24 Matthew Gravatt...........24 Molly Gravatt................24 Elisabeth Harris...........24

Rachael Heinrich..........25 Maurice Henriques......25 Noah Hess.....................34 Chandler Holt...............34 Barbara Howe...............34 Heather Isaacson..........34 Jeff James......................35 Douglas Jamison..........35 Vijay Kailasam..............35 Kathy Kerr ...................35 John Kotson..................36 Michael Laurenz...........36 Bethy Leonardi.............36 Kelly Mahoney ............. 36 Larrissa Mangione.......37 Donovan Mann.............37 Patrick McFarlane........37 Madeline Anne Meier..37 Terrell Minton..............40 Marilyn Miyazima........40

Bill Musselman.............40 Tanja Nelson.................40 Tracy Nelson-Welker...38 Jeff Noonan ..................41 Enoc Olivas...................41 Pamela Patrick..............41 Michael Payne .............42 Lee Phillips....................41 Tim Rakow....................44 Sofia Raygoza................44 Troy Renck ................... 44 John Reuer....................44 Blaine Robinson ........... 45 Jennifer Rossman.........45 Scott Salzman................45 Mark Sample.................45 Emily Sanchez..............46 Billy Sawyer..................46 Robert Sears.................46 Melanie Sidwell............46

Jonathan Singer............47 Andrea Smith................47 Natalie Sonora .............. 47 Sara Staley ....................47 O Stecina.......................48 Ian Tinney.....................48 Mary Alice Tonkinson.48 Jill Vickland...................48 Quincy Vork..................49 Savannah Vrooman......49 Dr. Robin Waterbury....49 Amanda Wilson............49 Tisha Wood...................50 Philip Woods.................50 Owen Wroe...................50 Jeff Wurtz......................50 Dennis Yanchunas........51 Joseph Zanovitch..........51 Connie Zweck...............52 Tom Zweck ................... 52

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 3

Rob Bardenett, a retired concrete worker, offers private agility lessons at Front Range Agility Club of Northern Colorado.

4 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

He works for the top dog L

BY AMY BOUNDS STAFF WRITER

ongmont’s Rob Bardenett, a concrete subcontractor for 35 years with a love for competitive sports, found a new passion — and job — in the world of dog agility competitions. “As I got older, I find dogs are better for all that athletic stuff,” he said. “You can be a world champion with your pets. I’ll keep competing until I just can’t.” He has three award winning border collies, 15year-old Pistol Pete (now retired from competitions) and two of Pete’s offspring, 8-year-old Merrie Christmas and 6-year-old Jimmy Neutron. He and Merrie were crowned Performance Speed JumpingSW regional champions at the United States Dog Agility Association’s Wild West Regional Championship held in March in Arizona, qualifying for the national competition in the fall. Altogether, he has gone to 12 national finals with

Rob Bardenett

Age: 67 Occupation: Agility dog trainer Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 24

five dogs in his 19 years of competing in dog agility contests. For the competitions, dogs compete in groups based on their jump height, from 8 inches up to 24 inches, and their ability level — novice, advanced or master. Earning high placements at local events qualify dogs for more competitive events at the regional and then the national level. The national championships for both the AKC and USDAA dog agility competitions will have between 800 and 1,000-plus dogs competing over three to five days, Bardenett said. The winner, he said, is the fastest dog that makes the fewest mistakes going through the course. For his two competing dogs, Merrie is smaller and jumps in the 20-inch group. “Merrie is a true competitor at heart, very savvy

and, no doubt about it, she’s my doer just like her dad Pete,” Bardenett said. Based on his height, Jimmy would jump in the 22inch group. But as a “very powerful, fast and agile dog,” he’s able to compete in the highest 25-inch group — the group that would allow him to compete at the international level, he said. “Jimmy is my thinker,” he said. “He needs to know he’s doing the right thing, and when he does it’s hard to decide what’s more enthralling: his power, speed or grace.” Along with competing, Bardenett is an agility judge and a course reviewer — a typical course includes jumps, weave poles, tunnels and ramps. He also shares his knowledge by teaching private agility lessons at Front Range Agility Club of Northern Colorado. He moved to Colorado from Syracuse, New York, in 1976, settling first in the mountains before moving to the outskirts of Longmont where he raised

three children. Though the city has grown exponentially since he moved here 24 years ago, he said, he has no plans to leave. “I love it out here,” he said. His interest in dog agility started when he took a cattle dog to an obedience training class and saw agility equipment. He started taking agility classes with his dog just as the sport was getting off the ground, he said, and liked it enough to keep learning. He decided the smart and athletic border collie, bred to herd sheep, was the perfect match for agility training. “Border collies are trained to work with us and listen to our commands,” he said. “They need a job, and they’re fun to play with.” For his own dogs, he typically starts training them as puppies, taking two years to teach them both to be “good dog citizens” and to navigate the obstacles of an agility course. By two, he said, they’ve not just learned the necessary

skills, but also developed the “mental maturity” needed to concentrate on the course instead of other dogs. “Agility dogs are some of the best trained dogs in America,” he said. “Agility is literally obedience at 100 miles per hour.” While some dog breeds are better suited to the sport of agility than others, he said, any dog in good physical shape can learn agility basics. “The best way to be successful with your dog is to have a good relationship with your dog,” he said. “If you keep it fun, they will become successful at whatever you want them to do.” As a longtime competitor, he said, he’s learned to trust his dogs. The most common mistake he sees people make when competing is hesitating in giving their dogs a signal for an obstacle. “The reason I have so much success is I don’t get nervous,” he said. “I have great dogs. I don’t sweat it. At the end of the day, we all go home with the best dog.”

Story by Amy Bounds • Photo by Lewis Geyer • Longmont Times-Call

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 5

Longtime community activist Dan Benavidez, 83, has seen Longmont change since he first arrived here in the early 1960s.

6 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

‘I know where I belong’ BY JOHN SPINA STAFF WRITER hen Daniel Benavidez moved to Longmont to work for the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center in 1963, the community didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet. “When I got here it was a small town, and I liked it, but there was a lot of places you couldn’t go,” he said. “You know, restaurants and stuff like that didn’t serve people of color, I was told people of color in Longmont couldn’t live west of Main St. and that we couldn’t belong to any of the private clubs like the Elks or Moose clubs.” The racial tensions bubbling under the surface eventually came to a head in 1980 when Jeff Cordova and Juan Garcia, two unarmed 21-year-old Latinos, were shot to death by

W

Daniel Benavidez

Age: 83 Occupation: Co-founder of Belonging Revolution Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 56

a Longmont police officers after a traffic stop gone bad on Main Street. According to Benavidez’s book, “For All the Wrong Reasons,” the shooting threatened to trigger racial riots and further violence in Longmont. Civic leaders, including Ed Lehman, then publisher of the Longmont Times-Call, turned to him as perhaps the one person in the community who could prevent the situation from erupting into chaos. In response, Benavidez lead a peaceful march on city hall demanding police reform and helped found El Comité, a Latino advocacy group that began working with the Department of

Justice to advocate for the rights of Latinos and improve community relations with local law enforcement and the community at large. Though Benavidez would continue to work at the air traffic control center until he retired in 1992, his experiences in 1980 awoke a passion for civic work that would come to define his adult life. Two years after founding El Comité, Benavidez was appointed to the City Council. The next year, he became the first Latino to win an at-large election in Longmont’s history and later became the first Latino to be selected as mayor pro tempore. During the nine years he served on City Council, from 1981 to 1985, and again from 1988 to 1992, the council made significant strides in making

Longmont a more inclusive city, Benavidez believes. “I think, together with my colleagues, we changed the course of the city of Longmont,” he said. “Besides doing the traditional things we needed to do, like passing ordinances and bringing in new business, I felt there was a feeling of inclusiveness, and I think it’s been instilled in this council to this day.” While Benavidez said Longmont has come a long way since he first moved here over 55 years ago, his work is not done. Even at 83 years old, he and Public Safety Chief Mike Butler walk through different neighborhoods every Sunday just to check in on people and make sure they feel safe and welcome. In their effort, called Belonging Revolution, Bulter and Benavidez have walked more than 200

neighborhoods and talked with more than 3,000 people since they started their walks in 2014. It’s been so successful, they’ve been joined by congressional delegates, state legislators, county commissioners, City Council members, as well as staff from the Longmont Public Safety Department. While he admits that all of the accolades and recognition for the work he’s done used to feed his ego, now he’s all about getting back to the grassroots community building he experienced in his younger days. “When I was younger I used to think, ‘Wow look at me, I must be some kind of big mover and shaker,’ but that was for all the wrong reasons,” he said. “Now in my life, I just want to do for my community. I know where I belong.”

Story by John Spina • Photo by Lewis Geyer • Longmont Times-Call

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 7

Dr. Molly Abernathy

Brett Ackerman

Age: 41 Occupation: Veterinarian, owner of Family Pet Hospital Years living/working in Longmont: 8 What brought you here? What has kept you here? While attending veterinary school at Texas A&M in the early 2000s, I began visiting family members that resided in Longmont. I fell in love with the town. After our first daughter was born, my husband and I decided to try a change of scenery and move closer to family here in Colorado. We settled in Longmont, where I practiced as an emergency veterinarian in Front Range hospitals before opening Family Pet Hospital in 2015. I adore the small town atmosphere here and how the people of Longmont love their furry family members. I have met the most wonderful people and pets and feel so lucky to practice in this community! What drove you to help animals? Ever since I was a little girl, I had wanted to be a veterinarian. I love to solve puzzles, and there is no better puzzle than trying to figure out how to help an animal that cannot tell you what is wrong. The way animals behave and interact with each other and with people is fascinating. Over my career, I have developed a passion for veterinary dentistry. Often I see patients with unrecognized oral pain due to dental disease. I cannot tell you how many times people say they had no idea that their pet was in pain. Then after the dental disease is treated, their pet starts playing in ways they haven’t in years. This brings me so much joy! My other passions are treating cats, the often-forgotten furry family member, and decreasing patient stress during veterinary visits. I want dogs and cats to look forward to coming to the vet, so I work hard to help them feel more comfortable and less scared at my hospital.

Age: 14 Occupation: Student at Longmont High and help out with my stepdad’s construction business. Years in the St. Vrain Valley: My entire life. What brought you here? What has kept you? My parents live here. They’re a real estate agent and architect. What’s your favorite thing to do in Longmont in the summertime? Eat. Any place. My favorite place is Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. I never get the ice cream, though. I don’t know why not. What do you hate about high school and what do you love about it? I like how you get to be out for lunchtime. There aren’t many things I hate about it.

Cynthia Barnes

Age: 55 Occupation: Owner of inspiration Art Academy Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 16 How did Inspiration Art Academy come about? I came to Longmont in 2003 to take care of my parents who were suffering from Alzheimer’s and worked as an art teacher in the Adams 12 public school district. My dad always used to ask me, “When are you going to be an artist, when are you going to be an artist?” because I had been teaching for 25 years at that point. When he died in 2014, I was like, “When am I going to be an artist? This is crazy.” So I walked my dogs down Main Street, which I never do, and I saw a sign in the window at 457 Main St. that had the rent price on it, and I was like “I’m going to do it. I’m going to start my own art classes.” Having been an art teacher for 25 years it’s nice to do something new. So how are the classes different than art classes at school? Traditionally art teachers taught students how to try to replicate what this famous artist or that famous artist did. But then it’s all about the teacher. I knew how to get a kid do what I wanted them to do by going step by step, but it’s like teaching a dog to jump through a hoop. It’s all about my ability to get them to do something, and that’s wrong. That’s not teaching creativity, that’s not teaching kids how to be artists. Now realistically, of the thousands of students I taught, none of them will likely become artists, but I don’t care if you’re a lawyer or a plumber, everybody has to have that creative edge, that spirit of innovation or whatever, so I feel like it’s my job as an art teacher to teach those artistic behaviors because you can apply it to anything in life. So if you’re like, “We’re making a giraffe today, and this is how you do it,” these kids don’t know what to do. But if they’re seeing what all the other kids are doing, then they’re like, ‘Well I want to do that and then they’re like, well can I do that, and how about this?” You let have kids have their own ideas, and once kids have their own ideas and they come and do what they want, you can’t tell them what to do anymore. It’s so fun to watch and be a part of.

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Eric Bellamy

Age: 67 Occupation: Retired Years living/working in the St. Vrain Valley: 45 What brought you here? What has kept you? My husband and I moved to Colorado in 1974 for job prospects. We were both from Pennsylvania but moved to Tampa, Florida, where he went to school. After living there for a few years, we knew that wasn’t where we wanted to live. So, after he finished school, we packed up a small U-haul trailer and ventured west. We lived in Boulder for three years before moving to Longmont. The beauty of this state is incredible. After all these years, I remain in awe of the mountains and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. We have such a diverse group of people too. Longmont is a caring community with many organizations willing to help others, both humans and animals alike. An organization I volunteer with is Longmont Friends of Feral & Abandoned Cats (LFFAC). Why do you volunteer with LFFAC? It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I like cats. LFFAC has provided me with the opportunity to help cats that aren’t as fortunate as our pet cats with comfortable homes. I believe “community cats” (known as feral cats to some) living outdoors deserve our respect and to be treated humanely. Through LFFAC’s many programs, we are able to help these cats and the people in the community who care about them. I am proud to be a part of the amazing and compassionate group of volunteers in the LFFAC organization.

Age: 42 Occupation: Wine distributor with Rocky Mountain Vinifera Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 9 How did you get into the wine business? I worked as a wine buyer at PJ’s Wine & Spirits while I was working as a freelance photographer and being a stay at home dad, but then life changed and when I was going through a divorce, I needed something more regular so I called in my contacts in the wine world and got in with Vinifera imports out of New Jersey. I’m a big food and wine geek, so I’d rather have a good glass or two of wine with dinner than drink a bunch. Are you still shooting photography? Oh, yea. My heart will always be in photography, and journalistic photography in particular, but it’s changed. You can’t support a family on it anymore. I still shoot weddings with my partner Chris Stark — he was also a newspaper photographer at the Loveland Reporter Herald — and I still have some contacts in New York that give me some freelance work, but I don’t seek it out anymore and don’t do any hard news anymore. I think the last thing I shot was a feature on the Stanley Hotel for a French magazine that was interested in its connection to “The Shining,” but they didn’t know the movie was actually shot at a different hotel so the story changed. Is there a story or photo that stand out in your career? When I was in school I covered Columbine, but I probably did some of my best work at the Greeley Tribune. In my time I covered the balloon boy, then the last story I did was the Aurora movie theater shooting. Quite a way to bookend a career, huh?

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www.stevesautorepairlongmont.com COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 9

Strider Benston still helps organize political events around Longmont with groups such as Longmont Leads With Love, and he speaks up at almost every City Council meeting.

10 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

Still fighting, one step at a time BY JOHN SPINA STAFF WRITER

is seared in his memory forever and drives him to Age: 75 continue to fight injustice im Benston, better Occupation: Retired to this very day. Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 14 known as Strider “A little girl, about age 12 (22 in Boulder County) around Longmont, has was on my right, holding spent most of his life my hand,” he said. “One fighting the establishment. Once Benston was able deputy strode up and stuck As a result, his life has not to hitchhike back to the his gun in her face and been an easy one. South, he immediately spewed some severe In the summer of 1964, worked his way to Selma, words. In response to his Benston hitchhiked from Ala., where he began orgahis home in Arkansas up to nizing rallies, marches and threat of imminent murder, she squeezed my hand, New England in search of voter registration drives. then just held it firmly, work. On his way back “The whole world knew looked into his eyes, and down south, he heard there was something going spoke calmly. ‘Mister, you about the Democratic on,” he said. “It just hadn’t do what you gotta do, but I National Convention in blown up yet, but things ain’t movin’ for nobody.’ A Atlantic City and decided to always seem to happen at minute or two later came stop by to see if he could once.” the tear gas. My only guide find work there. Seemingly as soon as he was that unknown little When he heard Fannie got there, that’s just what girl. I could not let her Lou Hamer speak there, he happened. down. so, I started singing, was inspired, and he thrust ‘Ain’t gonna let no tear gas “I was going up to Marihimself onto the front lines on, Alabama, the night they turn me ’round, turn me of the civil rights movekilled Jimmy Lee Jackson, ’round, turn me ’round. ment. Ain’t gonna let no tear gas and a lot of people don’t “I saw the vigil on the turn me ’round. I’m gonna know this, but that’s why boardwalk after they had we organized the march on keep on a-walkin’, keep on just discovered the bodies a-talkin’, marchin’ up to Montgomery,” he said. of (James) Chaney, Freedom Land!” “We were going to carry (Andrew) Goodman and Jimmy’s body and put it on Though his courage (Michael) Schwerner (in the steps of the state capibrought many back to the Mississippi), and I just tol.” rally, it didn’t stop the joined in,” he said. “I spent A week later, Strider was police from beating him a couple of days talking on the front line of the within an inch of his life. with Stokely Carmichael (one of the founders of the planned march from Selma His only salvation, he said, came from the NBC news Black Power movement) at to Montgomery, on a day known as Bloody Sunday, cameras that were broadthat point and he invited when Selma police officers casting nationally. me down to join the Student Nonviolent Coordinat- savagely beat the nonvioThough he had put his lent protesters, knocking ing Committee.” life on the line for the moveBenston unconscious ment, at the same time, he Chaney, Goodman and twice. said, the Black Power Schwerner, all civil rights After getting out of jail, movement had started to activists, had been abducted Benston went to Camden, become more insular. Once and murdered in Neshoba Benston got out of jail, he County, Miss. Their deaths Ala., where he joined in are known as the Mississip- another bloody demonstra- was essentially pushed out tion, the scene from which of the movement. pi Burning murders.

J

Strider Benston

“I didn’t feel like I had a place there anymore,” he said, “but Vietnam was going crazy then, so I got involved in the anti-war movement and was an organizer in Wisconsin and in the Chicago area.” After the war ended, he started fighting corporate America by joining in the labor movement, taking both the Chicago Truck Driver Union and U.S. Postal Service to federal court for encouraging poor working conditions — especially for those people of color he worked for. “People were dying on the job from broken backs, crushed by the machinery, mandatory overtime every day for two and a half years,” he said of his time at the Postal Service. “So I made a speech in the lunchroom, and the result of that was a walkout.” The Post Office identified Benston as the instigator and fired him. The fight took five years, but he eventually won the wrongful termination case and was brought back to work. When he did, though, he broke his back while throwing the heavy sacks of mail around, sometimes weighing more than 200 pounds, and was once fired again. Now 1978 and completely fed up with society, he entered his self-described “Forest Gump” phase of his life and just started running.

It took him nearly a decade of running, competing in several long distance races such as the Leadville Trail 100, to clear his head and find his next move, which was to Boulder. That’s about the time his daughter gave him the nickname Strider. Though he struggled to find work in Boulder without many unions, he started attending the University of Colorado Denver, where he graduated with a degree in political science. He then went on to get a master’s in humanities, philosophy, and history from Cambridge University. “That made me officially unemployable, so I’ve never been able to get a real job,” he said. “So I’ve just been doing whatever I can ever since, carpentry, truck driving, pickup work, whatever. So yeah, life has been pretty heavy.” While his fight for democracy has slowed, he still helps organize political events around Longmont with groups such as Longmont Leads With Love, and he speaks up at almost every City Council meeting. “I’ve been under assault my entire life and haven’t been able to stabilize, but I keep trying,” he said. “I believe in Democracy, and during the civil rights movement I saw we didn’t have one, so that’s why I put my whole life into it.”

Story by John Spina • Photo by Lewis Geyer • Longmont Times-Call

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 11

Emily Benitez

Rebecca Sue Boyd

Age: 16 Occupation: Student at Silver Creek High School Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 2 What brought you here? What has kept you? My mom’s remarriage. I lived in San Diego before. What do you love about Longmont? It’s very homey. It’s like the small-town movies you see. Everyone grows up with everyone here. It’s very different. It’s a nice place to retire. And it’s a nice place to raise kids. I would retire here. What kind of extracurricular activities or stuff outside of school do you do? I do FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America. We compete against other people from Colorado in marketing, advertising, business-related stuff. People here are smart. What are your future plans? Any for college? I want to move to Boulder, and I want to be a student in Hawaii. At CU Boulder, I want to do business and marketing. You can study in Hawaii; Boulder has a program for that.

Age: 61 Occupation: Registered nurse and lactation consultant Years in the St. Vrain Valley: I have lived in Colorado since 2007. For the past nine years, I’ve lived in the St. Vrain Valley. Since 2011, I have worked for UCHealth at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland and then here at UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont since it opened August 2017. What brought you here and what keeps you here? My three sons moved from Ohio to Colorado and we followed to be near them. I found a job in lactation at North Suburban Medical Center in Denver. Then, we had a night at a B&B in Estes Park and learned one of the inn keepers was leaving. It has always been a dream of ours — my husband of 42 years, Randy and I — to work a B&B together. So, I had a second job, cooking every weekend for 20 guests. We fell in love with Rocky Mountain National Park. I applied to work at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland as a nurse on night shift. The interim director, Shirley Nehrboss, and manager, Heidi Bradley, knew my passion was lactation, so I started working in WeeSteps, running outpatient lactation appointments and a breastfeeding support group to assist our area families. Also in February 2015, I was blessed to help start the Northern Colorado Breastfeeding Coalition, which aims to increase the success and longevity of breastfeeding. In 2017, I was privileged to help open Longs Peak Hospital as their lactation consultant team lead. What’s the best part of being a nurse? Simply put, I love people! Caring for them medically or as an innkeeper is my passion. To be allowed to look into a person’s intimate life journey is a precious gift. I want to empower them to succeed in their goals and to increase the knowledge that if they can breastfeed their infants, they are increasing health benefits to not only their environment and their infants, but themselves!

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Age: 80 Occupation: Child-watch attendant at YMCA for past 22 years; was stay-at-home mom before that. Also work at a preschool three days a week. Was a dental assistant earlier in life. Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 42 years in Dacono What brought you here? What has kept you? We lived in Fort Morgan but moved here to be closer to my husband’s job. My husband worked in Boulder, in construction. I like Dacono because it’s small. It’s close to wherever you want to go. When we first moved here, there wasn’t anything, just wheat fields. It has filled up. Why did you choose to care for children at the Y? It was just something to do, after the children left home. I was a dental assistant until my first child was born, then was a stay at home mom. It just comes naturally for a woman to care for children, especially when you have your own. A baby is a baby. Do you ever take a break? I don’t take vacation, but I take days off now and then. I don’t care that much for travel. I stay home with my garden — my husband is retired. I just come to work, do my job and go home. I’m always busy in the house, doing housework. I love gardening in my yard, mostly flowers. Some people think you get old and just sit in the rocking chair. I just keep going. Do you think you’ll ever retire? Retire? Eventually. I always say this will be my last year, but I’m still here and will be as long as I feel good. I didn’t dream I’d be here 22 years. You recently were inducted into the local YMCA Hall of Fame. What was that like? It was an honor to be recognized.

Melissa Brim

Age: 54 Occupation: Founder of Helping Hands Longmont Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 19 What inspired you to start Longmont Helping Hands? In November 2017, after Thanksgiving, my family took all of our leftovers and went out to feed the homeless. When we did, we found a family of five, with a 4-week-old, a 1-year-old and a 5year-old, starving in an old school bus that broke down while they were driven up from Florida. They had a series of unfortunate events, where their IDs were stolen and couldn’t get help at the OUR Center, so we fed them and when we got off work the next day we invited them to the house and fed them again, did laundry, allowed them to take showers and took them back to their bus. At the time, my daughter also had a house available in Greeley and so I went into another group called Neighbors Helping Neighbors and started a GoFundMe to try to collect some money so we could furnish this house and surprise this family with a place to stay until they got back on their feet. How has Longmont Helping Hands grown over the last year and a half? It’s growing rapidly. Last time I checked, we have 1,825 members in the group. I have partnered with Life House Covenant Church, who helps with clothes and a food pantry. We have strollers and high chairs and furniture, and we have laundry services. I could go on and on. Just yesterday I raised over $1,000 in less than 24 hours for a guy who had helped out our group in the past, to fill his propane tank. It’s amazing, but we are a hand up not just and hand out, so we also have a ton of referrals in our files for different programs at the OUR Center, the Coordinated Entry System or different rehabilitation centers. What’s the future of Longmont Helping Hands look like from your perspective? This isn’t just my group, it’s everyone’s group, and the word has spread to a point where the site is pretty much running itself. We used to have to do little events around town to keep donations coming in, but now everywhere I go people recognize Longmont Helping Hands and want to donate. I have to tell them to just put it up on the site, because I don’t have any space left to store all of the stuff. So at this point, it’s not just my site, it’s everybody’s site. Everybody goes through something sometime, so sign up because there might be somebody out there who could use more help.

Tim Brod

Age: 60 Occupation: Commercial beekeeper Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 13 What brought you here? What has kept you? Like many of us, I came here to follow a woman! As owner of Highland Honey and a bee advocate, what drew you to bees and honey business? I have always had a deep fascination for systems and environmentalism. Bees are an icon of sustainability and a system in crisis. In the 21st century, bees represent the issues we humans face with unparalleled species extinction, misuse of natural resources, population pressure, our food systems and the continual demise of our pollinators and habit destruction. Bees and honey are a strong reminder of the severity of the issues our families, our community and the world as a whole face. They are a vehicle to inspire change with in us. And of coarse, bees are just cool, and real unadulterated honey is unparalleled in taste and health benefits! Unfortunately, unless you grew up in a beekeeping family, or have friends who keep bees, very few North Americans have experienced the joy of a high caliber, unadulterated honey which has not been manipulated to serve “the marketplace.” How many bees do you need to make pound of honey? A worker bee in its very short intense life (4-6 weeks) will produce one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey. It takes 600 bees, 2 million visits to flowers, and tens of thousands of flight miles to create 1 pound of honey. And that’s if a hive is healthy, and there is available forage (something we are rapidly losing). What is the role of a queen bee in directing worker bees? I queen bee is just one small part of a hive. Granted, without her, a hive will wither and die, but it is the integration of the various jobs of the bees as a whole, which is determined by the age of a bee, that is are responsible for the hive’s health. Bees practice a “group think,” where the members of the hive will make decisions, such as where to forage, when to swarm, and when to create a new queen.

Heather Brandt Age: 53 Occupation: Owner of Heather Brandt Homes Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 25 What brought you to Longmont? What kept you? I met my husband in Boulder, but he was living in Longmont at the time. When I went down there to visit him I immediately fell in love with it. I love the small town feel, the charm and the people. It was very welcoming. As a real estate agent how have you seen town change over the years? The growth in Longmont has been amazing. We’ve seen a lot of new people coming to Longmont from Boulder and the surrounding areas but also from all over the country. I’ve found that all of the newcomers add value to the community and welcome the opportunity to meet new people, listen to new ideas and work together in creating a community that everyone is able to be a part of in a positive way. Despite the growth and regardless of how large it eventually gets, the beauty of Longmont is that it always feels like a small town. You run into people you know shopping or out walking on the trails. It’s just a great community. We’ve made lifelong friends through our kids’ schools, and it’s just been a great community to raise a family. Our kids — Carson, Cole, Kylie, Isabel, Erin, Thea — would say the same I think. How do you feel you’ve made an impact on the community? Buying a house can make a huge impact on a family’s life when they’re establishing their roots and really settling into the town, so I love the opportunity to introduce people to such an awesome community and show Longmont off. We’ve also volunteered at all our kids schools, we’ve served with Housing and Human Services and belong to Rotary. It’s nice to be able to give back to a community that has given us so much. Having seen how good our lives were here, even my parents left Brooklyn to come to Longmont when they retired 18 years ago and my brothers followed soon after.

Jason Buss Age: 26 Occupation: Project designer at F9 Productions architecture firm Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 2½ What brought you here? What has kept you? I moved out here for this job from Philadelphia, and I kind of chose this area because I have a lot of family that lives out here, so I’ve got aunts, uncles and grandparents and all that. It was an easy move, and I wanted to come out west and explore, and I just happened to find a job in my town where all my family lives. I really like what I do, I like what the Longmont area offers a lot of amenities, a lot of stuff to do around town and also the mountains are right nearby. It’s really clean around here and everything is really well-kept, which is nice. I like the weather. Did you sense a difference in the pace between the East Coast and the West when you moved out? I did a little bit. I definitely noticed the formalities and the pace, and my cousin who got here at the same time noticed people were so much nicer out here. And also the healthier lifestyle, you can see it in the general public just walking around. People are way more in shape here. That’s inspiring on its own. What kind of projects do you lead at F9? We do a lot of residential, we’re getting into some more multifamily, we’ve done a couple commercial projects, as well. We have our hand in a lot of different buckets as far as project types. There is a porch being replaced next door that is going through the Historic Landmark Society that is a small thing we’re doing. We’ve also done projects like the office of Eldorado Climbing Walls, they just recently opened house with a bunch of shipping containers in Louisville as their offices. That was pretty sweet.

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 13

Mike Butler

Cliff Clusin

Age: 65 Occupation: Public Safety Chief Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 40 What brought you to Longmont? What has kept you? I was working for the FBI and I didn’t want to work in a large city anymore, so I became a local public servant. and that’s where my heart is at. When you work for the FBI you work for the United States of America, and while your serving your country at some level, those your serving tend to a little bit more impersonal and I wanted to really get into local public service work, where I knew who I was working for and be in a much more personal environment. I came to Longmont because there was a position as a police officer in the City of Boulder. I was there for 15 years and worked my way up to commander, which was second in control, and I was looking to become a chief somewhere. I lived in Longmont, so when the chief’s job there opened up in 1994, the opportunity to work for the people in a community where I lived was quite attractive for me. How has the job changed as Longmont has grown? I’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth. When I got here the community had 38,000 people, now we’re close to 100,000. I’ve seen it morph from being a somewhat agricultural community into a bustling, busy community with a lot of industry and technology. In my opinion, as communities become more complex and more populous and more diverse, police services have to be more aware and conscious of what it takes to continue the relationships within the community. How have you been able to do that? One of the biggest things has been an initiative called Belonging Revolution where we get different representatives from our community, including our congressmen, state legislators, county commissioners, city councilors and members from the public safety department to go walk in through different neighborhoods every Sunday and just talk to people. Dan Benavidez and I have been doing this since July 2014, and in that time we’ve walked over 200 neighborhoods and met over 3,000 people. In essence, the purpose of that is to encourage people to believe and feel that they belong in our community. If people feel like they really belong, then they have a sense of ownership, and when something belongs to you, you’re more likely to make an investment and take care of it.

Age: 64 Occupation: Accountant for non-profits and founder of Meditation Place Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 21 What prompted you to open Meditation Place in Longmont? I led a couple of meditation groups and noticed that there were other people meeting in homes or churches with carpeting with other activities going on so eight years ago I just took a chance to rent a place with a wood floor, natural light and a more conducive environment for meditating. Now I rent to about 10 to 15 different clients and groups. They’re all pretty small, but if we pool our resources and volunteer our time we’re able to afford the space. What kind of meditation do you practice at Meditation Place? I lead a Buddhist group and offer secular medication to people that want to learn to meditate without any hint of the Buddhist philosophy. What do you enjoy about meditation? It’s almost like being in nature even though you’re indoors. It’s a bodily practice that makes you feel more alive. I call it the landscape of the present moment. You’re just enjoying the quiet and observing your thoughts. That’s the biggest mistake people make in meditation, is thinking their not supposed to be thinking, which makes them feel like they’re doing it wrong. You actually just let your thoughts flow on, just like listening to the sound of traffic. It takes a little bit of practice but I would say I enjoy my thoughts. It’s a different way of experiencing them when you’re in that posture

Sophia Collender

Age: 17 Occupation: Silver Creek High School student Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 13 What brought you here? What has kept you? My parents moved out here because my grandparents lived here, and my grandparents just really like it, they like mountains. My parents are from New York, but before this we lived in England. Longmont is a really strong community and there’s a lot of opportunities to be involved and be a part of it if you’re open to them. What’s been one of your favorite experiences at Silver Creek? I really like a lot of the teachers. I feel like they put a lot of effort into helping out the students and making the curriculum engaging. The school district in general here is very good and they definitely put a good amount of thought into running things to the best of their ability. I hear you want to go to New York University for college. Why? I like that they have a lot of study abroad options, and I like that they have a campus in Abu Dhabi which looks cool. And I also really like their film school. I want to go into film, or something with screenwriting.

14 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

Jessica Collins Age: 42 Occupation: Executive director, Longmont YMCA Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 17 What brought you here? What has kept you? My family moved to Colorado from Southern California for the changing seasons, the cost of living and the slower pace of life. We’ve stayed because of this awesome community! Longmont has an amazing network of people that believe strengthening the foundation of our community, and at the YMCA I get to see this happen every day. What has kept the YMCA relevant into the 21st century? The YMCA was founded nearly 175 years ago to help people in need, and our mission is still the same today. Every day at the Y, we nurture the potential of children and teens, improve our community’s health and well-being and support and serve our neighbors. The Y ensures that everyone has the opportunity to become healthier, more confident, connected and secure. Truly, the organization has remained relevant into the 21st century because we continue to adapt to the changing needs of our community and respond to the challenges of our neighbors. Within the Y and through our partnerships with other organizations, we work to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability, age, cultural background, ethnicity, faith, gender, gender identity, ideology, income, national origin, race or sexual orientation has the opportunity to reach their full potential with dignity. Our core values are caring, honesty, respect and responsibility, and they guide everything we do. How do you observe the Fourth of July? Family, friends and fireworks!

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COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 15

St. Vrain HIstorical Society Executive Director Alyce Davis followed a steady progression at the historical society, having started there as an intern after completing her undergraduate degree.

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BY CHARLIE BRENNAN STAFF WRITER ne could say that Alyce Davis has grown into her role as executive director of the St. Vrain Historical Society — and that the process started when she was barely past childhood. Davis, who has been living in Longmont for 29 of her 30 years, holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s in nonprofit management, but her schooling in matters historical began long before that, and was in fact imbued by a passion for it that was always present in her own family. “My grandmother started volunteering there. She took care of my sister and I, and looked after us when our mom was at work, and we often accompanied her on everything that she did,” Davis said. “So, being part of the Historical Society, we just fit right in. Because my grandma was volunteering, we started volunteering too, giving the tours, being part of the tours.” Her grandmother, Luella Lindquist, still with lives in Longmont, and is now 81 years old. The Historic Hoverhome, built in 1913 into 1914, is one of four historic properties owned and maintained by the histori-

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She is living history causes, which included translating books to Age: 30 Braille. Occupation: Executive A key legacy of the Hovdirector of St. Vrain er family now is an immediHistorical Society ate neighbor to the Historic Years in St. Vrain Valley: 29 Hoverhome, in the form of the Beatrice Hover Assistcal society, the others ed Living Residence, forbeing the Hover Farmmerly the Beatrice Hover stead, Old Mill Park and Personal Care Unit, comthe “Old” St. Stephen’s pleted in 1979, a collaboraChurch. Those sites are tion between Beatrice Hovthe focus of the society’s er and her mother, to offer restoration and preservaa retirement home for lowtion projects, forming the income elders. backdrop of a variety of “Katherine, Beatrice’s education initiatives and mother, saw many of her fundraising events. friends facing their senior From a young age, years and sometimes being Davis’s role was to play the alone, and sometimes in part of the Hovers’ daugh- poverty, and that really ter, Beatrice. upset Katherine,” Davis “I never met Beatrice, said. “She always envibut over the many years sioned having a place you get to know her, in where senior members some sense. I think that’s could go and live with digthe secret, that you know nity. It was Beatrice who someone through your put her mother’s vision in research, your own general action and got the ball rollfeelings and intuition, and ing on that. None of that putting yourself in their would have existed without shoes, in the same home the vision of Beatrice and — in fact, the same home her mother that’s one that she grew up and lived things that amazed me in,” Davis said. about her.” Beatrice Hover, accordDavis, who is not maring to the society’s website, ried, followed a steady prohad been adopted by gression at the historical Charles and Katherine society, having started Hover when she was 9, there as an intern after coming to live with them in completing her undergrad1907. She had never maruate degree at the Univerried, and took care of them sity of Colorado Boulder in throughout their lives, and 2011. also worked for a variety of “It was a job I thought

Alyce Davis

would last only three months, but then just through things that happened, and changeovers, I slowly just got extended into positions from intern. I became an assistant office manager, and then office manager and then executive director,” she said, shortly after getting her master’s degree at Regis University in Denver. Taking the reins at the historical society, she said, has been something of a revelation. “It surprises me every day just the many hats you have to wear,” she said, due to the society’s very small staff. “It’s surprising to me even now, being executive director. It’s just that new things pop up that you have to think about and manage. “But that’s what makes it fun. Every day is truly a surprise. You never know what you’re going to deal with; I’ve learned so much about construction and maintenance.” Angie Anderson, president of the historical society, has known and worked with Davis for about eight years, now. “We appreciate all that she does for the society, Anderson said. “She goes above and beyond. I know she puts in a lot of hours and dedication, and she just kind of lives the histor-

ical society.” While Anderson presides over the society’s governing board, it is Davis, she said, who has command of, basically, day to day operations — and all that that entails. “She’s very good at deciphering whether something needs to go to the board for a decision,” Anderson said. “And she is very good at communicating on an ongoing basis, so that we are never surprised. She’ll call me, just to update me on things; she pretty much runs the show.” Davis said she does not consider it unusual for someone of her relative youth to be so immersed in not only the history of her city, but really, the broad and colorful history of Colorado. “I don’t think I’m an exception. I’ve had the privilege to work with many people, and we have many volunteers younger than I,” Davis said, adding that the society’s Pioneer days celebration at Old Mill Park is just one example of how history clearly stirs the passions of the young. “It’s amazing to see what hits people. It’s uplifting, to know that there people after me who are very interested in this. I don’t think I’m really all that unique,” Davis said.

Story by Charlie Brennan • Photo by Lewis Geyer • Longmont Times-Call

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 17

Tina Davis opened the Tina Davis Studio Clay Arts Co-op, at 947 Kimbark St., four years ago.

18 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

‘This is what I breathe’ BY SAM LOUNSBERRY STAFF WRITER ongmont potter Tina Davis has been an artist in the St. Vrain Valley for more than 20 years. Her headquarters, the central Longmont Tina Davis Studio Clay Arts Coop near 10th Avenue and Kimbark Street, has been her home for the past four years, where she has hosted at least 10 opening shows for artists, some with local roots. “We have a party, we have live music, we have food on a big table along the wall” for the openings, Davis said. The building wasn’t in the best of shape when she took it over, but she said she put a lot of time and work into getting the place

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Tina Davis

Age: 60 Occupation: Owner of Tina Davis Studio Clay Arts Co-op Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 28

fixed up to contribute to Longmont’s community arts scene and be a learning place that could attract other art teachers for hosting classes. The Emery Street resident said she kept driving by her current studio and gallery while she was searching for a new space while she had her art supplies in storage on Mountain View Avenue, and finally made the move to acquire it — she took out a loan to start the business and lease the space from a property management

firm. Plus, it had the right hookups for her kilns, she said. “I called about every rundown barn I could find, I called about everything to find a space,” Davis said. “This whole place came about (smoothly), it was really meant to be and I love it.” She got her start teaching in Longmont as a potter at the old Firehouse space, before it was converted to a gallery, and remembers signing up her daughter, now her in 30s, for a class as a 12-year-old. Davis hopes to again host well-known landscape oil painter Jane Hunt for her plein air workshop in the French painting style, who was hosted by Davis in September.

“Support of the arts has kept me here,” Davis said. “This is what I do. I’ve tried those retail jobs, and my husband said, ‘Don’t do that.’ … This is what I breathe. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.” She teaches classes on how to work with stained glass and mosaics in the studio. As for the favorite piece she’s ever completed, she declines to say how she ranks her work, instead stating her motto is that her “favorite piece is the next one.” “You get better at your craft the more you do it,” Davis said. But there are some pieces she has completed for commission for others of which she is particularly proud, she said, because

she has been able to tap into their future owners’ interests and embody them in the final product. “I want other artists to come in and teach what they love to do and keep this place going,” Davis said. The potter currently leases studio space to painter Susan Helen Strok, who had on display in her room in Davis’ space a sepia-style portrait of her mother. “She’s getting away from the kind of more fantasy, and going towards these sepia tones,” Davis said of Strok. Davis hopes to host an art show for Strok within the next two years, if the painter can get together a collection of the sepiatoned pieces Davis has complemented.

Story by Sam Lounsberry • Photo by Lewis Geyer • Longmont Times-Call

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 19

John Conrads

Molly Cropp

Age: 87 Occupation: Retired from John Deere overseas service in 1990. Had a second career as a home builder, building 67 homes. One year, in the mid-1990s, was the most productive contractor in Boulder County. Twice elected president of the Longmont Home Builders Association. Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 29 What brought here? What kept you? Our youngest daughter, Heidi, had married a man from here. We visited Colorado, and it reminded me of Europe. Boulder reminded me of a German city, with outdoor cafes and all of that sort of stuff. That year, 1990, John Deere offered early retirement. That was when I came to Colorado. I had always had an idea to be on my own, so I switched from fixing tractors to being a home builder. I stayed because I finally had my business going. In your travels, what’s the most interesting situation you found yourself in? I was in Athens, Greece, in 1967, when there was a coup, and that got kind of spooky. I look out of the window and I saw tanks rolling in the street. They were arresting people. My wife heard about it but there was no communication. She didn’t know if I was dead or alive. After three days it calmed down. I stayed in the hotel room and watched the whole thing from my balcony. The food service went on, but I couldn’t work. Iran was the most interesting place for us to live. I was heading up the John Deere exhibition and met the shah. Our son, John, actually went hunting with the shah’s brother, who was head of the International Foundation for the Conservation of Game. As they came back from a hunt, they had a mountain goat in the back of a jeep. And our family camped from the southern tip of Europe, in Portugal, to the most northern part, 20 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle in Norway. My kids got mad at me for making them take a shower. It was so cold. The shadows were so long, we could understand where the spooky stories come from. We still have that big tent.

Age: 38 Occupation: Firefighter Years living/working in the St. Vrain Valley: 10 What brought you here? What has kept you here? A job brought me to Colorado in 2002, but my career has kept me in Longmont since 2009. Why did you become a firefighter? I took an EMT class because I was unhappy in my previous career. Through that class, I was exposed to firefighting and couldn’t think of a better career. It’s never the same day twice and being able to help people on their worst days can be very rewarding. What’s your favorite success as a firefighter? I’ve had several little girls mention to me that they’ve had boys tell them that girls can’t be firefighters. Being able to show them that they can do anything they want to do (and boys too!) puts a smile on my face.

Oakley Dehning Occupation: Recently graduated high school student What brought you here to Longmont? What has kept you? I love Longmont. It’s one of those places people never seem to want to leave. My dad grew up here and now I have too. As an athlete at Longmont High, you’ve been a part of miraculous comebacks on the football field and you’ve hit huge shots to win state titles on the basketball court. Please tell us a little about your favorite game you played in during your time at LHS. It’s hard to pick a favorite. There’s almost nothing better than a state championship, but there’s something about high school football. I’d have to say our playoff victory over Mead junior season. Everything about it was perfect: packed stadium, rivalry game, win or go home, and a last minute touchdown to win it. Now that you’re done with high school, what are your plans for the immediate and/or distant future? Next year I’ll attend MIT to study business analytics or applied mathematics. In the future I’m hoping to start my own business, travel the world and come back to watch some LHS football and basketball games.

20 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

Rick Ebbers Age: 55 Occupation: Pastor and Chief Bottle Washer of The Journey Church of Longmont Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 20 What brought you here? What has kept you? We moved to Longmont to start a church, the idea being to create a church where we could create space for people to figure out God at their own pace. We stayed for two main reasons. We love Longmont. Really, we love this city! We love the people. We love the community. We love the location. We love how Longmont feels like a small town. After 20 years, it has become our home. And our church has become our extended family. So, it’s hard to leave the people and place you love. How does planting a church in Boulder County compare with planting one in the Bible belt? In the Bible belt, if you have a decent place to gather, a decent kids’ ministry, and decent worship you’re almost guaranteed to make it. Here, many are disconnected from church life. To start a church in Boulder County requires an understanding of our diverse culture as a transplant area. It requires relationship — a willingness to get involved in difficult things with neighbors and to adjust to where people are in their life. When you planted The Journey Church of Longmont how did it grow? Twenty-one people turned out for our first official gathering. Today, attendance hovers around 100 adults and 20 to 30 kids. While the adult number stays fairly constant, we have about 30 percent turnover every three or four years because we are a church for people who need rest and recuperation. There is a core group of 50 to 60 people. Then, there are folks here just for a while to take a break — maybe from life or from a busy church. We seem to hit that niche of being a safe shelter from the storm. What is your most memorable ministry moment? The 2013 flood. Initially, the westside flood emergency shelter was at Silver Creek High School in Longmont. But that shelter needed to relocate. One of the officers in charge of the sight asked if our church knew how to set up shelters. If we did, could we prep the new Niwot High School site? Yeah, we could do that! For six years we already had partnered with other churches to shelter homeless people over the winter. That ministry prepped us to serve our community when the thousand year flood created new homelessness no one could have anticipated.

Katie Emery

Katie Fankhouser

Age: 33 Occupation: ELCA Lutheran Pastor Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 6 months What brought you here? What has kept you? My husband and I moved from Terry, Montana, to Longmont in November 2018 after I accepted a call to be one of the pastors at First Evangelical Lutheran Church. Before moving here, we didn’t know much about Longmont, but the longer we are in this community, the more we are excited to stay. How do you see the mission of your church as we near a new decade, and has it changed in recent years? Two months after I got married, I spent a year with my husband in Africa and Europe doing a preaching fellowship. His thesis was, “How is the Gospel preached in a multicultural and/or rapidly changing culture?” Through that year of study and experience, we learned that the mission of the church doesn’t really change at its core no matter what decade or country you are in. The Christian church is called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus in word and action in all times and places. The thing that does change is the way that this is done depending on the context, and our contexts are always changing, even if we stay in the same place. As Longmont grows and continues to attract people from many different walks of life and backgrounds, the way that we show and speak the love of Christ shifts as well. Currently, First Lutheran is going through a visioning process to figure out what the Holy Spirit might have in store for us next. One of the areas that I think we are called into is partnering with the other organizations and congregations in the area. After all, as we like to say in our ELCA Synod: “We are Church, Better Together”. What is an interest or pastime of yours that some people might find surprising? Probably, the most interesting pastime of mine, alluded to above, is that I have lived on three continents, and have visited 18 countries. There are many stories that follow those facts, including being in Haiti during the 2010 earthquake.

Age: 17 Occupation: Lyons High School student; will be a senior 2019-2020 Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 17 What brought you here? What has kept you? I’ve lived here all my life. I love the proximity to everything. We’re here right at the base of the Rocky Mountains. How has living in Lyons benefited you as a runner and champion kayaker? We’re so close to a ton of rivers. We’re close to Denver, if I need to get gear that I need. The St. Vrain River through Lyons gives me an opportunity to kayak on my home turf. In terms of running, the high elevation gives me a big advantage. How did you get involved in athletics, particularly kayaking and cross country? The way I got into it was to answer an ad for the Lyons Kids Kayak Club. I was 10 years old and totally fell in love with the sport. Running was just through school. I joined the cross country team in eighth grade. What was your favorite part about competing of competed in the 2017 International Canoe Federation Freestyle World Championships in San Juan, Argentina? I got to meet all those people from around the world. I definitely got some coaching from other countries’ team members. Since then, I’ve had quite a few foreign friends come to visit me. What are your plans after you graduate from high school? I haven’t picked a school yet but I’d love to run in college. Kayaking is not a college sport, unfortunately, but I may wind up somewhere I can keep kayaking, hopefully.

T. Fanning Age: 40 Occupation: Mortgage broker; owner, Home Loan Mortgage Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 40 What brought you here? What has kept you? I was born and grew up in Longmont. I attended Colorado State and moved back home after graduation to work with my father. My wife and I have stayed in Longmont because of the great people we know and have met. We also no longer have to leave town for entertainment; Longmont offers many great breweries, restaurants and other outdoor activities. I’m proud to say I’m from and live in Longmont! Why did you get into the home loan mortgage business? My father built a very successful construction loan business, financing many areas in Longmont and across the Front Range. I was fortunate enough he gave me an opportunity to work with him and I’ve been very grateful I’ve been able to spend time with my parents. I concentrate on mortgage loans and have been lucky to work with a lot of great people. What changes have you seen in the Longmont housing market? Longmont has grown over the years and has become a desirable place to live. Although Longmont is still one of the least expensive places to live in Boulder County, prices have skyrocketed, with the median sales price being well over $400,000. One of the challenges Longmont and the Front Range face is affordable homes for firsttime homebuyers. You and your wife are actively involved with the Longmont Recreation Center? What can you tell me about that? My wife and I have been members at the rec center for over 10 years. My wife loves going to Zumba and kickboxing and I enjoy spinning. We’ve met some great people and have become friends with staff and instructors.

Jennifer Ferguson Age: 51 Occupation: Founder/ CEO Wonder Tours Years in the St. Vrain Valley: I moved to Allenspark at 3, lived in Boulder, then lived in Florida and Georgia. I went to DU after High School and have lived permanently back in Colorado for the past 15 years. What brought you here? What has kept you? School, family, the mountains. What keeps me here is the community. I have lived in other places but have never had the community I enjoy in Longmont. We have great music, business, food, arts and an amazing positive community. Since you’ve been involved with Wonder Tours, would you say you’ve seen significant growth in Longmont’s dining and art scenes? There has definitely been growth and increasing diversity of food and drink offerings that I think comes with the growing diverse community. Food is tough because it’s about volume not a high-profit margin, so I’ve seen too many wonderful places close as well and I see Wonder Tours as a way to get the word out faster about local alternatives to the big chains that spend so much on advertising. I imagine it’s super rewarding to connect with people and help showcase so many of the community’s awesome pockets. What’s your favorite part about your job? The most rewarding part of my job is that moment people are surprised by a location, food, the owner’s journey or story, other people they met randomly on the tour or whatever makes them say “I didn’t know!” with such delight. I also love seeing people I know everywhere, running into people who are excited to tell me about recent experiences after they go back to places they were introduced to on a tour. This is “community” to me. My daughter is graduating high school and is excited to help expand this iteration of “local tourism” to other communities and grow it right here in our own. It’s satisfying to know we are creating valuable experiences for people to connect around food and local businesses.

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 21

Jared Fiel

Age: 50 Occupation: Regional communications manager for Colorado Department of Transportation Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 1 (but I have lived in Greeley and Fort Collins for more than 25 years) What brought you here? What has kept you? When I was growing up, Longmont was where my family always came to visit my great uncle Bill Musselman, who still lives here, and my great aunt Mitzi. When I was looking for a new place to live after Fort Collins, Longmont called to me. And I am hooked! I feel like one of the biggest champions for Longmont now. I rave about it to everyone. The food. The music. The social scene (bar trivia with Big Mouth Bob!). The parks and trails are amazing (HUGE shout out to the city and county for those)! I am so excited for biking and patio season! I love the vibe, the people and the ease of getting around town (more railroad overpasses, please!). Pretty sure I’m here for good. It seems people always say drivers in whatever state they live “are the worst.” Why do you think this is? And, where are they really the worst? I’m a Colorado native but I have lived in California, and my parents currently reside in Texas. I think we often feel our drivers are bad because we see them do stupid stuff every day. But there is absolutely no way Colorado drivers will EVER be as bad as Texas and California folks. They are in the bad driver Hall of Fame. In your crystal ball, what do you see as the likely solution to weekend traffic gridlock on Interstate 70? Flying or, more likely, self-driving cars. Honestly, I think technology is going to advance much faster than anything our limited transportation funds could ever do to make a significant impact on the congestion up there. Since I work for CDOT, I probably shouldn’t say that, but I really think we are on the cusp of an exciting technology revolution in transportation that will change how we all get around that will decrease congestion and be better for the environment.

Ralph Ford

Age: 60 Occupation: Wholesale produce distributor (produce guy) for almost 30 years. Run produce stand at corner of Fourth and Broadway, which is also the informal visitors center. Years in the St. Vrain Valley: In Lyons since 2013, right after the flood, from Fort Collins What brought you here? What has kept you? My landlord wanted to put in a marijuana store. He said, “I’m tripling your rent after the end of the month.” That fall, I was invited to the first Lyons farmers market here by Garrison (Schulte) at The Farmette. They said were looking for someone to open a stand here and pointed at this place. What has kept me? The people. They’re just so nice. There are good people here. People try to help each other, have each other’s back. How did you get into the business of selling produce? I was in textiles coming out of Red China. The Chinese were sending their agents in, pushing us out. I went to Los Angeles. My uncle there said, “You should get into the business with us,” distributing produce that was coming from California and Mexico. I took a position with the company that allowed me to be close to my children’s school in Fort Collins. But the business failed, so I went local, to Tanaka and all the local farms. Things happen the way they do. How do you stay competitive when there are larger markets and farmers markets that sell what you do? I know where the local farms are. I’ve got a lot of buying power. Farmers markets are overpriced. They fail the cottage industries, because it’s hard to get into farmers markets. I bring customers to the cottage industries. Also, there are a lot of people buying bulk, a lot of preppers up here. We have so many talented people. I’m going to propose a farmers market at Sandstone Park. What makes Lyons attractive to people? It’s got an ambiance. It’s its own little world. It’s not touristy. It’s more recreational. People are just so nice here. Most of the people are independent business people, on the front end o their business. There’s nothing corporate around; even H&R Block left. These people care about their town, and they’re doers.

22 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

Steve Fisk

Age: 50 Occupation: Owner of GreenPro landscaping Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 35 What brought you here? What has kept you? The mountains brought my family here when I was in high school and mountains and the good people have kept me here. What’s your business philosophy at GreenPro? We love being able to work with the materials of creation, building and taking care of gardens that bring our customers joy and rest. And as for our customers, they’ve taught us that the ]world is full of good people. We simply give our best, and in return our customers have been gracious, appreciative and generous to our company and all my employees. Your company often hires people others avoid. Why? The Proverb says your reputation is worth more than gold. That goes for our company, me personally, and everyone that works with our company. Everyone at GreenPro tends reputation with the quality of their work and the integrity of their decisions. It’s hard to find people like that, but when we’ve compromised that standard we’ve only regretted it.

Bren Frisch Age: 57 Occupation: Co-owner and founder of Sunflower Farm, artist, mother Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 19 What brought you here? What has kept you? Disillusionment with the corporate world and a spiritual restlessness brought me to Colorado in 1990. I was one of 10 siblings who grew up on a farm in northern Ohio. My Midwest childhood included cicadas, thunderstorms and miles and miles of cornfields. Nature filled my senses, forever imprinting me. I obtained a degree in fine art at the Columbus College of Art and Design. I was recruited by Hallmark Cards and moved to Kansas City. After a wide array of experiences, which included more education, business and travel, I realized the traditional lifestyle and career as I had known it was not for me. There had to be something more. Moving to Colorado was both an end and a beginning in many ways. I spent much of the 10 years that followed solo. I experimented with self-employment, traveled, studied Eastern religion and practices and became a certified foster parent. In 2000, after purchasing the Swanson Farm, later to be renamed as Sunflower Farm, I, along with my partner, John, settled in Longmont. It was there at Sunflower that facets of my past magically came together — art, children, beauty and spirituality. Sunflower has been a true labor of love. Healing, consuming and rich. “What a blessed life — to not only walk this dirt, but also to be Sunflower’s gatekeeper for this tiny speck of time. Lucky life.” It is Sunflower that has kept me parked here in Longmont. What are your favorite offerings that are available to people who come to visit Sunflower Farm? Sunflower Farm has been referred to as “a paradise for one’s soul.” Children and adults alike gather at Sunflower to experience rural lifestyle. The serene and peaceful environment is such a nurturing resting place. I love introducing families to a whole new way of experiencing nature with their children. Vast sky, baby ducks, goats, cows, huge shade trees, free-roaming chicken stir the soul. On May 24, 2018, after 15 years of community significance, Sunflower was finally and officially designated as an educational demonstration farm, granting children and families access to the property not only today but hundreds of years to come. This was a huge success for Farmer John and I. I am so proud of what we offer. What is the future of “agri-tourism” in the area? I don’t know much about agri-tourism, although, I suppose on some level, Sunflower does fall into this category. Because we live on the property, I have always viewed it more as our “home” where we simply invite guests to visit. We are a working farm, hence the environment is authentic and non-commercial. People are constantly suggesting ways we could make more money: sell food, silkscreen hats, promote birthday parties. Yea, yea, yea — I think to myself. Still, I return to what I know is true: I’d rather just be who we are and do one thing really well, which is provide a wholesome, peaceful, nurturing, agricultural experience for families to enjoy. There are plenty of other farms that master “agri-tourism” much better than Sunflower.

Julie Williams Gallegos

Age: 40 Occupation: Director of Homeowner Services and International Development Years in the St. Vrain Valley: My whole life (minus a few years spent in California for college and a few years elsewhere) What brought you here? What has kept you? I was born in Boulder and grew up in this area. I can’t imagine living anywhere else in the U.S.; Colorado is just too beautiful. How are St. Vrain’s international programs different? The difference in our program can be seen in our intentionality. Our program really focuses on creating relationships with other Habitat offices around the world and introducing volunteers to a hand-up not hand-out model of international development. We go to support their work, really learn about what they are doing, share who we are as a community of St. Vrain and bring that back to this area to inspire others to get involved, whether it’s on one of our local build sites or coming with us on our next adventure. Each trip and international partner has something to teach us that helps us do our work locally better. What are the difficulties one typically faces abroad? Traveling abroad takes you far beyond your comfort zone and forces you to focus on what’s most important in life. It can be challenging to have things “not go your way” but that uncomfortableness is what is needed for great learning and creativity and it makes great stories. What’s the fun part of traveling abroad to help others? When you are so far out of your comfort zone, everything is new and exciting. It is easier to feel a connection to the local community when you are removed from all history and pretext of your own culture. Then you mix that with a sense of purpose in building a home and it takes no time at all to develop a deep connection even if you don’t speak the language. Volunteer trips with Habitat allow you to go beyond the typical tourist activities and interact as equals with the local community.

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Hours: Tuesday - Friday 9:30 - 5:30, Saturday 9:30 - 1:00 COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 23

Katie Goldsberry

Bianca Gordon

Age: 36 Occupation: Fifth-grade teacher, Longmont Estates Elementary School in Longmont Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 14 What brought you here? What has kept you? My love of learning and the desire to share this enthusiasm brought me here to teach. The relationships I have developed with students, families, and colleagues keep me here. As a finalist for Colorado’s 2019 Teacher of the Year award, how would you explain your teaching philosophy? I am certain that for a child to learn he or she must feel safe and loved first. Our schools should be places where positive relationships thrive because that shapes what happens in a classroom and steers our learners toward self-confidence, empowerment and efficacy. My hope is that we can build spaces where compassion and empathy are norms; where students use emotional intelligence to collaborate; where children connect with peers, mentors, and activities; and where civility and humanity are modeled daily. What called you into teaching and what keeps you there? School was always a magical place for me as a child. A place where doors opened, words sounded like music, and my teachers became part of my family. I loved to learn new things. So, I teach to encourage kids to be open-minded and inquisitive. What keeps me here, however, are the relationships I build with students — the high fives each morning and the conversations about their weekend soccer games. Their voices keep me in my classroom. What is your most memorable moment thus far? After my first year of teaching our class went outside to play kickball on the last day of school. I planned on bringing them back into our classroom one final time. But to my surprise most of their parents had already arrived to sign them out for the summer. And before I knew it I was in tears, saying “goodbye” to each one of them. Now, after 14 years of teaching, I know that I am not the only teacher who sheds last-day-of-school tears every year. Students make such an impact on us. They are unforgettable

Age: 41 Occupation: Night manager, ARC Thrift Store Years in the St. Vrain Valley: About three months, but I have lived as a close neighbor to the St. Vrain Valley my whole life. What brought you here? What has kept you? I came to Longmont in the spring to continue my career with ARC Thrift Store, and that work keeps me here. How many years have you worked for ARC Thrift Stores — a Colorado owned and operated non-profit — and what was the toughest part of managing the new Longmont store’s April grand opening? I have been with the company for three years now. The toughest part of managing a new store is not knowing the local people or how they are going to like our business. Of all the donations you have sorted, what stands out and why? What stands out most is how much brand new, tags-still-on stuff people get rid of and how that stuff benefits so many others on so many levels. These items benefit our customers and all of the ARC chapters we support on behalf of Coloradans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. ARC Thrift employs more than 1,400 people at 29 stores statewide. Some of those employees are challenged by intellectual/ developmental disabilities related to autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other conditions. What do you like best about being their boss? I enjoy working with all of our ARC employees — whatever their different backgrounds — because I better appreciate what other people face everyday, and I get to make a difference by helping them learn about this business. The best part of being the boss is that they give me a reason to smile every single day!

Molly and Matthew Gravatt

Elisabeth Harris

Ages: 46 and 47 Occupation: Business owners, Radiant Interactive, LLC (Molly is the chief operating officer, and Matthew is the chief executive officer and chief technology officer.) Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 13 What brought you here? What has kept you? We came to Erie for a fresh start and to find better school options for our children. Matthew was born in Colorado, and I had visited many times. Things we love include the beautiful mountains, sunshine, and many outdoor activities. Beyond that, the amazingly kind and educated people, the advanced technology companies, and the entrepreneurial spirit here is second to none. What were the push/pull factors in launching your own husband/wife company? We met and fell in love working together for a large corporation after I sold a project that Matthew directed as the lead architect/senior engineer. We had a great time and did some interesting work for the customer. It was there that we realized the power that two motivated and dedicated people could have together. The rest, as they say, is history! What are the greatest satisfactions and stressors of going into business together? We create custom websites and native mobile apps for companies, such as Pepsi Pass, Lifetime Fitness, and TriviaWow! So, one satisfaction comes from bringing the ideas and visions of our customers to life. That part is super cool! Controlling our destiny is another huge satisfaction. As for stressors, when you have all your earnings tied into one company and one goal that can be stressful at times. But we win and lose together. What is your most memorable moment from the first year in business together and why? The most rewarding moment was the first check that arrived — especially since we had begun to doubt that we would ever earn a dollar. When we opened the mailbox, it was just the affirmation we needed to keep going. The feeling of relief, excitement and joy was like nothing we had ever experienced. But the road to our sustainability was rocky and long — even with great teamwork and Matthew’s solid engineering background and digital marketing savvy. With three kids at home, we needed to be very mindful about keeping our marriage and our family whole on that road. But today, we can say that we’re proud of what we have accomplished together and excited for the many wins ahead!

24 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

Age: 36 Occupation: Certified Rolfer at Nordic Rolfing Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 9 What brought you here? What has kept you? I bought a house here in Longmont in 2008, and I chose Longmont because it was a really nice town with lots of good people. I moved here from Norway and I thought Longmont was the perfect size, and also it was more affordable and it was close to my then current job. I have a family that loves it here and a thriving business doing Rolfing at Circle of Health, with Suzan and Garth Reynolds and several other really amazing health practitioners. I have met a lot of great people and made a lot of wonderful friends here in Longmont, and I really love this town. How did you get involved in Rolfing? One of my friends with scoliosis told me about how much Rolfing had helped her, and when I first tried it, in 2011, it changed my life in a way I had not expected. For those of you that haven’t heard of Rolfing, it is a type of bodywork that helps align your body, and it helps eliminate pain and discomfort. I decided I wanted to share it with as many people as possible by becoming a Rolfer. What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job? I love my job, and the most rewarding part is getting to know so many wonderful people and helping people eliminate their pain and discomforts. It’s great to help others be more comfortable in their bodies.

Rachael Heinrich Age: 17 Occupation: Boulder Preparatory High School, 12th grade Years living in the St. Vrain Valley: 17 Were you born here? Yes What is your favorite part of living here? I love the environment of Longmont. We have amazing parks and social opportunities. I spent a great deal of my early childhood at the rec center playing volleyball or swimming, and if I wasn’t there I was at the library doing the summer reading challenges. We have such amazing community gatherings like parades and charity events. One of the best parts of Longmont, however, is the amazing view of the mountains we get here. Watching the city and community grow dramatically over the past few years has been incredible. What has your community taught you? If I had to say one thing that my community has taught me, it’s to not give up. Whether it’s academics or sports or life in general, I’ve always been taught to persevere and succeed despite challenges. I think that it’s going to follow me forever, especially as I’m heading off to college next year to discover what kind of person I’m going to be. What is your favorite part of having grown up in the St. Vrain Valley? My favorite part of growing up here would be all the clubs in the area. We have so many great places in town for activities and social groups. I was a part of a Girl Scout troop for a few years until I decided to pursue sports. I was a member of a lot of wonderfully different teams, and got to meet some of people who live in the area, I’m even still friends with a lot of them today. The community in St. Vrain Valley is truly amazing.

Maurice Henriques

Age: 46 Occupation: Boulder Valley School District Engagement Specialist and soon-to-be Truancy Advocate/Niwot High School track and field coach Years in the St. Vrain Valley: Since 2010 What brought you here? What has kept you? Over the years you build relationships and (former Niwot athletic director) Jim Butterfield was the AD at Niwot at the time. I knew him at Fairview because I used to be the (track) coach over there from 2003-2007. I also coached football over there with Coach Mac (Tom McCartney) because his dad was my coach at CU. That’s what originally brought me to Colorado. I came on a football scholarship; I’m from Texas. After that, “I really got the (coaching) bug back and then Butterfield called me and said, “We got this track position open. Would you be interested?” At first, I told him no. But then I looked at the history and was like, “This would be a cool place to go, they’ve never won before (in track and field).” That was the motivation of coming to Niwot. If they’d won the state championship, I don’t think I would have come. I just liked challenges, so I came and have been here ever since.” Describe the moment seeing both your boys and girls teams winning the state track and field titles this spring? That was a blast. It was kind of surreal. We’ve been pretty good on the girls side for a while. But a couple years ago I told the indoor coach that I’m not leaving until we win on the boys side. That was pretty exciting, just how we did it and just how the kids did it. It’s kids. When you look back at it and look at these kids who put in the four years of work — it was special. How does your background of being probation officer for 18 years help you in coaching? Or is it the other way around? I’m fortunate to be able to have a lot of training with helping kids improve their lives. To be honest with you, and there’s no offense to coaching, but track is pretty easy to deal with compared to (the other) issues I had to deal with. I consider myself not a coach, I consider myself a life coach who happens to be able to coach track and help kids.

New businesses develop new and innovative goods and services that generate economic growth while delivering important benefits to society. We welcome the following new business location to Longmont!

RONALD G. PESTINE

Estate Planning and Real Estate Attorney

Ronald G. Pestine, received his Juris Doctorate from DePaul University Law School in 1973 and his B.A. Degree in accounting from Indiana University in 1968. He is licensed to practice in both Illinois and Colorado. Specializing in Estate Planning and Real Estate, Mr. Pestine is well known throughout the Chicago Metropolitan Area and is now establishing a presence in the Denver Metropolitan Area as well. He has personally created hundreds of Trusts and Estate Plans. Mr. Pestine has attempted to enhance public awareness regarding estate planning and related topics by conducting seminars on Living Trusts and Estate Planning for the Federal Government and in conjunction with various national brokerage companies, insurance companies, major corporations, park districts, school districts and retirement planning firms. He was the keynote speaker on WCIU-TV’s “Law Beat,” where thousands of viewers tuned in every week to participate in this fast paced live exchange of information. As President of Andros Development Corporation and partner in Libnor Properties, Mr. Pestine developed and managed over fifty real estate ventures. His expertise and years of hands-on success, brings a complete understanding of his clients’ needs.

RONALD G. PESTINE & ASSOCIATES (720) 708-5358

Longmont Broomfield 1729 Terry Street 390 Interlocken Crescent Suite 350 www.livingtrustsolution.com

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 25

Jacqueline Gonzales started as a weekend night shift cashier at the Conoco in 2012 and climbed the ladder to manager last July.

26 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

She gives back at ‘The Mall’

BY PAM MELLSKOG FOR THE TIMES-CALL er other childhood haunts, such as the grove that grew to 31 trees behind her old house in Erie, either fell to new home construction or changed under revised park management plans. But the Conoco station at 4200 N.E. County Line Road still stands. There, Jacqueline (Vigil) Gonzales as a kid bought snacks from cashiers she first knew as family friends. “We called it ‘The Mall,’ and we came here daily,” Gonzales, now the manager, said during a lull inside the convenience store as she glanced out the window at the pumps. “And when it was time to go home, we called our parents collect from the pay phones on the north side of the building to come pick us up. ... The Conoco was a place comfortable to everyone here then.” To deliver on that now, she considers the mid1990s when her family moved from Longmont, and Erie numbered 1,500 residents — a population that today tops 24,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

H

Jacqueline Gonzales

Age: 31 Occupation: Manager of Erie Conoco station Years in the St. Vrain Valley: Entire life,except for a time in Loveland.

Gonzales lives with her husband and two children in Dacono these days. Still, she remembers how Audrey Audley welcomed her to second grade at Erie Elementary School — how the now retired teacher modeled helping others fit in. “I love to teach them and then see what they do with it,” Audley said. Sure, Gonzales and her staff still shoo chickens out of the car wash and chase the occasional rogue calf around the parking lot. In 2015, they spotted a black bear. “But we’ve got 52 houses coming in behind us,” Gonzales said. “It’s busier and different here now.” So, Gonzales counts on old-fashioned neighborliness to build her business. That means learning first names and finding ways to give back — something the Conoco regulars inspire, Dawn Bennett, Gonzales’ assistant manager, said.

“When it snows, some of them just go right out and shovel for us,” she said. Helping hands often come from The Breakfast Club, the name Gonzales gave to about a dozen retired regulars who gather intermittently at the store’s two booths for coffee and a donut or a hot dog and fountain drink. During the holidays, they give her a bonus — their “thank you” for creating space for locals to talk politics, encourage each other, and solve the world’s problems, retiree Fred Boocks, a longtime Erie resident and Breakfast Club regular, said. “We see her and the staff do really good things for others here all the time,” he said. “... And the people working with her are the same way.” Gonzales appreciates their support and shows it by occasionally sharing homemade cookies or green chili and tamales, she said. That good vibe trickles down to her kiddie customers. Some put candy on the counter and come up short. Not always, but often Gonzales fishes for

change to cover the difference. “I’ve been that age,” Gonzales said. “I’ve been that kid who was walking in here wanting something, but didn’t have any money.” Now, after starting as a weekend night shift cashier in 2012 and climbing the ladder to manager last July, Gonzales counts money. And takes heat, too. Under her management, disgruntled customers have posted complaints about Conoco’s car wash closures and expired milk on Yelp, an online directory and forum to review and rate businesses. Others, meanwhile, share positive feedback in person and online. For instance, one Yelp reviewer self-identified as a “longtime customer,” in March described the Erie Conoco as a “delightful local hangout ... just missing the potbelly stove. ... (But) there are a half dozen or so lowdown, dirty skunk customers who think yelling or gimme-right-now-or-else who will never be pleased with anything. ... Anyone who doesn’t love this place and this staff must have

been a jerk to others to begin with!” Gonzales credits her loyal customers and unified staff for reaching sales goals in spite of glitches — something that deepens staff buy-in, Conoco cashier Melanie Wind, 47, said. Bennett, the assistant manager, for this reason backs changes Gonzales introduced. They include fresh doughnuts from Donut Haus in Loveland and seven burrito varieties from Ajuua Mexican Restaurant in Aurora. Just reintroducing the popcorn machine as a natural snack with a scent that sells has boosted sales of other novelties that make coming into the store a treat, not a chore, Gonzales said. Where else in Erie can you find 25 varieties of El Chavito brand Mexican candies? The rack includes classic chuchara tamarind (sour fruit) flavored chewy candy on a spoon to jabalinas, candy sticks made of bittersweet hawthorn fruit pulp rolled in chili powder. She hopes all of it helps customers catch some community spirit. “I want it to be ‘The Mall’ again,” Gonzales said.

Story by Pam Mellskog • Photo by Jeremy Papasso • Longmont Times-Call

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 27

YEARS

1879 100 Martin Street Longmont, CO

www.westernfoundries.com

A Legacy of Business and 1879 to 1965

Community

303-485-7866

1904

1937 Longmont Chorale Singing From Our Hearts to Yours

www.goldenvanlines.com

303-651-7664 www.longmontchorale.org

1948

1957

303-776-3882 • 800-525-3290

IN BUSINESS

1946

Fitting Longmont at the same location for 73 years! 373 Main St., Longmont • 303.776.2920 Monday-Friday 9:30-6 • Saturday 10-5 • Sunday closed

1958 Celebrating 61 years 1958-2018

Entertaining Longmont for over 62 years!

Ahlberg

Funeral Chapel & Crematory Full-service mortuary • On site crematory

Funerals • Cremations • Pre-Planning • Celebrations of Life

Custom Design our speCialty, Fine Quality anD serviCe our traDition. 303-776-2992 2201 Ken Pratt Blvd.

303.772-5200 www.longmonttheatre.org

326 Terry Street • 303-776-2313

1960

1961

1965

1637 N. Main St. • Longmont, CO 80501

Celebrating 54 Years!

www.bassettcarpets.com

452 Main St. • 303-651-1125

14780 N. 107th, Longmont, CO 80504 303-776-6841 • www.msch.org Serving Wounded Children With a Balanced Life; Faith Based, Family Model, Education and Counseling.

28 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

Bassett Carpets 303-776-5711

www.ahlbergfuneralchapel.com

YEARS

A Legacy of Business and Community 1966

1968

1965 to 1984 IN BUSINESS

1974

1971

A Boulder County Tradition TOP PRICES •••• 51 YEARS!

TEBO COIN BUYS Rare coins/currency gold & silver jewelry & diamonds

303-776-7024

328 Coffman St., Longmont www.gktravel.net

2863 28th St. • Boulder, CO 303-444-2646

1978

Proudly Serving Downtown Longmont for 41 Years!

www.briggscarpet.com

420 Main St. • 303-772-2510

1983

48 Years in Business! Nelson Rd & Sunset Longmont, CO

303-772-3454

1610 Pace St. #1000 · Longmont, CO

303-834-8981 www.longmontjewelers.com

1979

1982

(303) 929-5068

Beatrice Hover Assisted Living 1380 Charles Drive, Longmont, CO 80503 303.772.9292 hovercommunity.org

1984

of Longmont

Po BoX 1511 Longmont, Co 80502

303-772-2827

Keeping Lawns Healthy for Life.

Leader in Decking, Doors, Windows and Kitchens. 303-678-8800 Boston Ave • Longmont

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 29

YEARS

A Legacy of Business and Community 1987

1986

1986 to 1994

1987 Steve’s Plumbing

IN BUSINESS

1987

Repair • Remodel

19th & Terry

303-651-0719

2919 W W.. 17th Avenue Avenue Longmont, CO 80503 303-772-0300

1989

1989

Hot Water Heaters • Service Work Maintenance • Gas Log Installation Steve Moskel, Master Plumber 303-651-1898

1991

Dinner Theatre 224 Main St. • 303-682-9980 www.JestersTheatre.com

1993

Where We Take Better Care of Your Car

Wes Parker, Agent

FLEA MARKET 1201 S. Sunset St., Longmont 303-776-6605

2451 Pratt Street Longmont, CO 80501

www.frontrangefleamarket.com

303-776-5000

LifeCareCenterofLongmont.com

1533 N. Main Longmont 303-776-3666

1993

1994

STEVE’S AUTO Celebrating 26 25 Years! 510 2nd Ave. • Longmont 303-682-9015

www.stevesautorepairlongmont.com

30 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

1831 Boston Ave, Longmont, CO

303-678-5576 www.welzig.com

603 Kimbark Street Longmont, CO 80501

Bus: 303-772-6467 www.agentwesparker.com

YEARS

A Legacy of Business and Community 1995

1996

We Buy Gold & Silver!

1995-2018 IN BUSINESS

1996

1998

Used Book Emporium USED - NEW - SPECIAL ORDERS

Paperbacks • Hardbounds • Audio Books Gift Items • Children’s Books Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Friday 10am-8pm

1151 Delaware & Ken Pratt Blvd

303-651-0650

1999

Come r get you ! rib fix

2001

346 Main St. • Longmont • 303-776-6561 www.usedbookemporium.net

2004 Stonum Automotive

THE SHOP YOU WOULD RECOMMEND TO A FRIEND!

Honest Car Care & Repair ld e

co es.

110 S Bowen Circle, Longmont, CO 720-366-1512 l www.mandmhvac.com

2005 Just point and junk disappears.

m

Go

385 Main Street • Longmont, CO ChamberlainCoins.com • 303-774-9661

s

Go

n Archive lde

Parking & rear entrance off Kimbark, across from library

n A rc h iv

303-776-3882 • 800-525-3290 www.goldenarchives.com

1812 Sunset Place (corner Ken Pratt & Sunset)

303-485-6988

www.stonumautomotive.com 303-485-9303

2008

2018

1920 South Coffman Street, Longmont

1-800-468-5865 | 1800gotjunk.com

RONALD G. PESTINE & ASSOCIATES

Attorneys and Counselors at Law

600 South Airport Road, Suite 200A Longmont, CO

303-532-4382 dental-horizons.com

1729 Terry Street, Longmont, CO

720-708-5358 390 Interlocken Crescent Suite 350, Broomfield, CO

www.livingtrustsolution.com

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 31

Inspiring Women

ANNE WOODS-TINKUM Owner, Inspiration Point Acupuncture and Wellness

Anne loves serving this community. She is a Boulder County native living in Longmont for the last 13 years. With 19 years experience in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, she knows what works. Years of experience helped her to open her latest clinic: Inspiration Point is a peaceful oasis where one can rest easy and heal in a safe, judgement-free place. Anne enjoys working closely with individuals who want to uncover the root cause of their ailments and restart the body’s natural healing process. With a deep understanding of the processes underlying physical and mental health, her passion lies in compassionately guiding individuals along their path of well-being. She meets people where they are without judgement of their current state of health. This allows one to explore healing in their own way, whether it is physical, mental, emotional or something more specific (P.S. It’s all connected). Anne uses many tools including Acupuncture, Medicinal Herbs, Functional Medicine, and Emotional Freedom Technique to help individuals resolve a wide variety of health issues. Whether you are struggling with acute or chronic pain, neurological issues, digestion, sleep or hormonal issues, Anne has the answers you are looking for.

VANESSA SLATTERY

Owner Vanessa Slattery brings more than twenty years of experience in the Healing Arts and Spa industry. Her experience in the industry has brought quality to her life and work which she shares with each and every client. Microspa focuses on Personalized Experiences for the individual. Each session is designed specifically for you. The goal is to have you walk away feeling that your individual needs were met as well as both body and spirit were revitalized. Microspa’s variety of spa services gives you the opportunity to design your ideal treatment whether it is a standalone service or add-on tailored to your specific needs. If you want to experience multiple services ask about our Deluxe Combo packages.

720-526-0545

www.inspirationpointacu.com

As the Owner of TLC Gardens, Cheri sTrinGer brings a passion for outdoor environments. As the Owner of TLC Gardens, Cheri Stringer brings a passion for outdoor environments. Her designs are integrative, design-driven spaces that create a unique environment for the client to live outside. Layers of plant material are wrapped around the spaces to return her clients outside and reconnect them to nature. Cheri is a professionally certified landscape designer and fellow, and her designs have won six international design build awards. Her background, experience, and drive translate into TLC Garden’s mission to create outdoor environments of lasting meaning, value, and joy by connecting their clients to nature. Under Cheri’s lead, TLC Gardens operates as a values-based design build firm. As a team they are committed to the use of repurposed and recycled materials, proper site drainage to protect our watershed, and responsible use of our natural resources. Sustainability is integrated into the design build process through use of plant material suited to our region, low water irrigation systems with integrated technology, and a donation for every contract to one of the National Parks. The TLC Gardens team was built with skillsets for building outdoor spaces that are in harmony with the site’s topography and the home’s architecture. The team consistently exhibits a unique expertise to deliver a product that takes the client through a build experience not offered by other companies in the area.

32 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

Business

Owner, Microspa Skincare • Facial • Massage

2919 17th Ave. #104, Longmont, CO

TLC Gardens LLC tlcgardens.com 303-648-6229

in

703 3rd Avenue, Longmont, CO

720-930-6166

www.yourmicrospa.com

Clarissa, EdElEn,

Owner Fabulous Finds, Full Figure Boutique & Outlet Clarissa Edelen says “Fabulous finds upscale consignment - where looking fabulous doesn’t have to cost a lot, is one the best places to shop in Longmont!” We have the finest selections from all your favorite stores; Anthropologie White House Black Market, Ann Taylor, Nordstrom‘s as well as many fabulous boutique labels and designer brands. We have been consigning fabulous fashions and home decor from all along the front range and beyond for the past 8 years. Stop in and see why we were chosen best consignment store again this year! Our motto-Repurpose, Reuse and Refuse to pay retail ever! Fabulous Finds, 600 S. Airport Rd., 720 340-4152, Full Figure Boutique: 600 S. Airport Road. 720 340-4152, Home Furnishings, 600 S. Airport Rd. 720 684-6146.

DORI SPENCE , Psychic / Medium ____________________________________________________ _ Consultant, Psychic Channel, Dori Spence works as a Life Management and Inspirational Speaker. She works with personal clients, corporations, private investigators, and law enforcement agencies providing valuable and sometimes crucial information. Dori’s 40+ year career has led to interviews on the Today Show and various talk shows, as well as major newspapers including the Denver Post and New York Times. Dori gives Haunting History & Mystery Tours in area towns and has been an instructor for the Longmont Recreation Center for 7 years. Dori founded Kindred Spirit Society in 2003, a paranormal educational nonprofit organization with numerous ‘Kindred Spirits’ members and followers throughout Colorado and neighboring states.

____________________________________________________ Psychic Readings - Classes Paranormal Consultant - Site Inspections

Lifeworks Consultants, Inc. (720) 453-4733 DoriSpence.com Talks & Tours - KindredSpiritSociety.org

Inspiring Women

in

Business

DIANNA ARRINGTON

LiLLy WaLLace

Franchise Partner of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Boulder – Fort Collins

FMS Bank, Mortgage Loan Originator

Meet Dianna Arrington the FMS Bank home loan expert, who has been assisting Northern Colorado borrowers since 2012, and has 20 years of real estate experience to build on.

Lilly bought her 1-800-GOT-JUNK? franchise in 2005 and over the past 13 ½ years her business has operated as the largest full-service junk removal and recycling hauler on the Front Range. Three years ago she moved her Boulder and Fort Collins offices into 1 unified office in Longmont. Her 20+ employees are trained in providing exceptional customer

Dianna specializes in a full spectrum of financing options for residential mortgages including purchase, refinance, reverse mortgage, construction, lot loans, bridge loans, home equity lines of credit and more.

service while also having an eye for sorting everything they haul away for proper recycling and landfill diversion. Over 60% of everything they pick-up is kept out of the landfills! Her staff is fully insured to come into your home or business and carefully remove anything

You can reach Dianna for any questions or issues that arise 7 days a week!

you no longer want or need. They do all the loading and labor too. While running a business with such a large staff and being open 7 days

FMS Bank makes banking simple.

a week is challenging to keep up, Lilly enjoys traveling to other parts of the world to gain perspective and much needed R&R.

1729 Terry St., Longmont, CO

303-808-8286

www.darringtonloans.com

Marj Sater and Vicky andrew co-owners, Front Range Mercantile

Marj and Vicky met when their sons played baseball together in Hygiene. For over 30 years, they have been a family-owned and operated business. What started as a hobby, became Front Range Indoor Flea Market. They operate on traditional values: customer service, satisfaction and hard work and they attribute their success to their great customers. Many feel they are a part of the Front Range Flea Market family. The store and the 90+ vendors repurpose, re-use and recycle. You’ll find an incredible high quality selection of antiques, vintage, retro, mid-century, gift items as well as new products and a great line of chocolates and candy. As co-owners, Marj and Vicky thank you for voting them winners in the Readers’ Choice Best local business contest for 13 years! Quality, variety, excellent service and value for your dollar are just a few of the reasons for this accolade and why Marj and Vicky will celebrate 30 years in business this year.

1201 S. Sunset, Longmont 303-776-6605

www.frontrangefleamarket.com

The Little green Cleaners is a green cleaning company, established by Kristine Simpson. She wanted a business she could do while her kids were at school and could be home when they returned. She started the company on the premise that women or men could drop their children off at school and then go work for a few hours and be off in time to pick them up. Employees’ hours are set to what work for their families. Wee use green cleaning; which is safe for our customers, their children, pets and our team. We pride ourselves in our Senior program and how we tailor our services to the needs of every “Our success is due to dedication and customer. hardwork of the people that I am proud to work alongside.”

NMLS#: 1023849 FMS Bank NMLS# 409493

1-800-468-5865 4009 S. Valley Dr. Longmont, CO 80504 www.1800GOTJUNK.com

KRISTINE SIMPSON

Owner, Little Green Cleaners

2330 N. Main St. Ste. G Longmont, Colorado (303) 856-4845

ROBIN WATERBURY, DC Doctor of Chiropractic

Robin Waterbury, Doctor of Chiropractic is a Colorado native serving Longmont and the surrounding communities. Dr. Waterbury attended Logan College of Chiropractic, as did her father and 4 other members of her family. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in life sciences, is certified in acupuncture and has studied internal and functional medicine. Dr. Waterbury wants a visit to the doctor to be one of empowerment. She wants to be a partner in your health care. She uses chiropractic care to improve the health and wellness in all area’s of her patient’s lives, whether they are having problems with back or neck pain, or just want to start feeling better when they wake up in the morning. In her practice she takes a “whole person” approach in chiropractic care, which means looking for the underlying causes of disease, discomfort, and pain, as opposed to just treating the symptoms. Many seemingly unrelated symptoms often arise from imbalances in the spine, nervous system and musculature, Dr. Waterbury wants to help alleviate pain, she also wants to inspire and educate her patients on the importance of health and wellness. She will look for the root cause of the pain and create a personalized chiropractic and/or wellness plan to suit each patient’s individual needs. Under the supervision and care of Dr. Waterbury, patients report higher functioning in all areas of their lives. Her practice includes the use of low force techniques, class IV low level laser, decompression, massage, physical therapy, ultrasound therapy, prescribing and reading of blood work and hormone testing, along with instructing on diet and nutrition.

1332 Linden St., Ste. 1 Longmont, CO 80501

Waterbury Chiropractic 303-485-7117 Wellness waterburychiropracticwellness.com

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 33

Noah Hess

Chandler Holt

Age: 33 Occupation: Licensed massage therapist Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 5 What brought you here? What has kept you? Previously I lived in Kailua, Hawai`i, where I became an LMT. I moved here to attend the Rolf Institute for structural integration and improve my hands-on skills. I had planned on moving back to the Islands when I graduated, but I love it here so much I decided to stay. The mountains are gorgeous, the people are friendly, and the economy is healthy. I feel accepted and “at home” here more than anywhere else I’ve lived. You withdrew your candidacy for a Longmont City Council seat earlier this year but said you’d still be working toward making and keeping Longmont a great place to live. What are your plans in that regard? I am still interested in politics, but I feel I need to give the city a reason to trust me before I ask them to vote for me. Currently I’m volunteering at OUR Center, washing dishes and helping out in the kitchen. I’m also helping Longmont Art Walk and Out Boulder County by staffing booths and working security. I hope to find more and more ways to facilitate community and learn about our city. What are some of the community’s and its residents’ current needs? Everyone complains about traffic, and legitimately so because it’s very frustrating. However the solution to traffic is not “more roads,” it’s “less cars.” Our communities would benefit from anything that gives people a reason to leave their cars at home. Our public transport system is helpful, but missing a link before it is truly viable to most people. Somewhere between Über and RTD, there is room for a service that moves people efficiently and effectively from transportation depot to front door. Also consider: Modern America was designed around the automobile. We live over here, we work over there, and we have fun way over there, with miles of road in between. Opening residential neighborhoods to small businesses would give people the opportunity to walk or bike to fulfill their social and practical needs without needing to jump in a car and go across town.

Age: 42 Occupation: Musician/songwriter — most known as the banjo player in Chatham County Line. Putting out a solo record this year. Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 3 What brought you here? What has kept you? My wife grew up in Boulder but moved to North Carolina for college. I travel quite a lot to perform and we wanted to be near her family since we have a young son. We also love the area and have fallen in love with Longmont. There’s a lot happening here and people seem to really care about this city’s future. Your North Carolina-based bluegrass band, Chatham County Line, has recently covered surprising artists, such as John Lennon and the Rolling Stones. Can a bluegrass spin be put on just about anything? Definitely! My personal criteria for covering a tune is simply that it has to sound good. Different bands do it many different ways. Ours is to first identify songs that we can sing really well and add in the other stuff to round it out. Bluegrass has deep roots in American musical culture. In an age where hip-hop and beat-heavy music seems to dominate, are you confident bluegrass has a future in our musical culture? I would say that bluegrass/Americana music is bigger than ever. Rap and hip-hop are certainly very popular, but I personally don’t feel like that is taking anything away from what bands like us do. Colorado is probably one of the biggest homes for bluegrass across the country. The sheer amount of bands and festivals that focus on the genre is pretty amazing.

Barbara Howe Age: 77 Occupation: Classroom volunteer storyteller for Spellbinders and retired Jefferson County middle school teacher. What brought you here? What has kept you? What brought me to Longmont was my grandchildren. What keeps me here is my lovely flower garden and the wonderful children in the schools where I tell stories. Why did you become a storyteller? I became a storyteller after completing my master’s degree in creative arts in education. I found the ease of teaching social studies in context made the concepts easier for students to retain and comprehend the whole picture of the lesson. My grandmother was the greatest storyteller in the world. Sitting on her lap and listening to her words created pictures in my mind that were bigger than life. What’s the best question you’ve heard from a student? The best and silliest question from a student of any age is: Is that a true story? The answer is simple: Every story has a particle of truth and a particle of magic that each of us wishes for every day.

34 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

Dr. Heather Isaacson, MD, FAAP Age: 49 Occupation: Pediatrician at UCHealth Pediatric Care Clinic in Longmont Years working in the St. Vrain Valley: 17 What brought you here? What has kept you? The open space and mountains were calling me. I wanted to raise my family in a place that was down to earth and grounded. Colorado fits that picture perfectly! The clean air, outdoor play opportunities and beautiful landscapes have kept me here as well as the great people I work with. My staff, nurses, medical assistants, colleagues and patients are incredible, and it is a blessing to be a part of this community. What’s the best part of being a doctor? The relationships with my patients and their families over time is the best part of my job. I feel they are like part of my extended family, and I love when I see them in the community.

Jeff James

Douglas Jamison

Age: 53 Occupation: President of the Lalmba Association, a Longmontbased nonprofit organization to help impoverished communities in East Africa Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 6 What brought you here? What has kept you? My work brought me here, and my church and community have kept me here. How did East Africa capture your heart? I traveled to Kenya to teach at a boarding school for disadvantaged boys from Baltimore. Growing up in Baltimore, I thought I understood poverty. Yet, when I arrived with these students from one of America’s poorest neighborhoods, the relativity of poverty was jarring. Our students wore fashionable clothes and Nike shoes. The local children never owned a pair of shoes. They wore rags, and scabies covered their bodies. I knew this was where I needed to work. My wife, Hillary, and I discovered Lalmba, with its focus on orphans and rural health care. We moved to Ethiopia. Today, 13 years later, we know remarkable good can be done with relatively little in Africa. What African trek will you be doing this July? Tembea Na Mimi means “walk with me” in Swahili. This semi-annual charity walk covers 180 miles over 10 days. Ten Lalmba supporters will walk and camp through the Rift Valley of Kenya to Lake Victoria where Lalmba runs a health center and programs for 1,000 AIDS orphans. The pilgrimage bonds us with the poor as we walk through their communities. Walkers fundraise for Lalmba this way: www.lalmba.org/tembea-namimi/ What most confirms your mission? A woman who walked all day holding her limp daughter — a girl laboring to breathe, her eyes rolling back in her head — to reach our rural Ethiopian clinic. The doctor suspected meningitis. As she lay in the hospital bed, her mother caressed her face. I prayed silently for a quick recovery. But the girl’s eyes clouded over, and the mother gasped and wailed. This girl might have survived if health care was available in her village. This haunts me and affirms why Lalmba chooses to work here at the end of the road.

Age: 42 Occupation: Manager at Longmont Liquor Depot Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 8. Moved here from Boulder. What brought you here? What has kept you? I had a spinal injury and I couldn’t afford my place in Boulder anymore, so I met a girl and we got a place up here. I was in construction for a long time and I was lifting boxes of tile and I had a massive disc herniation. Had to have a couple surgeries. I moved to Colorado in 1992 from California. I’ve been in the Broomfield and Boulder County area for 27 years. I love it here, it’s beautiful, the people, the mountains, space. It’s not Los Angeles yet, but it’s getting there, though. Why do you say it’s becoming like LA? I remember what it was like here in the early ’90s. Over the past 10 years especially, Denver and Boulder County rents have just gone through the roof, and the cost of living here has gotten really ridiculous. The open space is getting encroached on and traffic and all that. I’ve had a lot of relationships with people over the years that had original mom-and-pop stores in Boulder and Boulder County, and so many of their businesses have just gone under. Do you have a summertime beer recommendation? Yes. We’ve evolved to the fruity sour beers. The Sippin’ Pretty is really good from Odell Brewing. It’s got a low alcohol content and a really good raspberry taste to it, kind of a raspberry light, sour beer. My girlfriend likes it a lot, I like it too and I’m not really a fruity beer kind of guy. This American Pale Ale from Finkel and Garf is really good. And the Upslope Citra Pale Ale would be my top three for summertime.

Vijay Kailasam

Age: 34 Occupation: Police officer Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 1 What brought you here? What has kept you? I grew up on the Front Range, so working here gave me a sense of giving back to a part of the community I was raised in. What attracted you to law enforcement as a career? Since the age of 11 I have wanted to be a police officer. I had a positive experience with two police officers at a young age, since then it has been my goal to become a cop. What did you learn about the community while going through police training? I’ve learned a lot about Longmont in the short time I’ve been working here. Mainly, it is very similar to where I grew up. There is a very diverse group of people in this town; I think that makes for an incredible community. It’s a great feeling to have people in the community support us and support what we do. I had the opportunity to live in a number of cities around the country in my early adult life and the Front Range is, by far, my favorite place to be. I am very lucky to have been selected to work for the city of Longmont and its people.

Kathy Kerr Age: 56 Occupation: Certified Pilates instructor, teaching both the classical and contemporary styles of the method. Years in the St. Vrain Valley: I moved to Longmont in October of 2001 and have resided here the past 18 years. I was born in Boulder and have lived my entire life in Boulder County. What brought you here? What has kept you? Right after 9/11, during my Pilates teacher training apprenticeship, I was laid off from my full time job of 11 years. I knew the economy would tank, so I accepted an invitation to share a less expensive house, which placed me in Longmont at the perfect time. I completed my 800 hour apprenticeship and built my Pilates business here. I operate my own private studio space, in addition to the group classes I teach in the Longmont community. I’m so grateful for all of it and this wonderful valley of friends. What are the benefits of Pilates that might surprise some people? Joseph Pilates created a method that works its way into all realms of life, mind/body/ spirit. In addition to the expected benefits, practitioners have shared feeling more confident, courageous, self loving, hopeful and equipped for life’s demands and creative endeavors. Many experience the joy of movement for the first time. For me personally, Pilates brings me “home.” It is my paradigm for living a centered and balanced life. What is a particular skill, or interest, that even many people who know you might be completely surprised about? It might be surprising, yet explain much that I have been blessed with the gifts of clairvoyance, claircognizance, clairsentience, clairaudience. I now offer my intuitions and insights in a coaching/reading style. For the visual benefit, I add the guidance of cards like Tarot, Lenormand, Sibilla and Oracle. Self-development and illumination of the subconscious are the goals. It’s all spiritually considered and co-created with the purest of emotions and intentions. Love is the highest good. I infuse everything I do with it.

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 35

John Kotson

Michael Laurenz

Age: 85 Occupation: Retired IBM system engineering manager for Advanced Missile and Airplane Defense Systems. Years in the St. Vrain Valley: In Colorado 32 years; 11 years in the St. Vrain Valley and 21 years in Fort Collins. What brought you here? What has kept you? I came to the IBM Boulder Plant in 1987 when the IBM Federal Systems Division moved their missile defense programs to Boulder. I liked Colorado so much that I decided to retire here. What was the best part of your job helping protect the U.S. from enemy missiles? The best part of my job was managing a large group of system engineers in defining the ground processing architecture for a space satellite system that detected enemy missile launches and determined where they were headed. A significant part of this job was defining algorithms that could pick out missile launches from a background of millions of stars and ground points of light. Are we better equipped technologically to defend ourselves than we were 50 years ago? Fifty years ago we depended on the concept of mutually defined destruction for defense. In other words, we could destroy any country that attacked us with Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM’s). Submarine launched ICBM’s made this concept questionable due to their shorter flight times. With today’s technology we can detect ballistic missile launches and determine where they are headed early in flight. The problem of shooting them down is like hitting a bullet with a bullet. The U.S. Army THAADS (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) System and the Navy’s AEGIS (Advanced Electronic Guided Intercept System) have had some success in tests against ICBM’s but are only deployed in small numbers.

Age: 36 Occupation: Chef and kitchen manager at Longmont’s Meals on Wheels Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 8 What brought you here? What has kept you? I came to Longmont from Fargo, N.D. I wanted to see the mountains and get to a place with a better climate. Fargo has notoriously cold, dry winters and wet, hot summers. I ended up getting a job at Longmont Meals on Wheels within my first month of moving here, and I absolutely love it. Amazing hikes and an amazing job have kept me in Colorado. How many menu options do you have on file, and which would you serve Longmont Mayor Brian Bagley if he took a kitchen tour and asked for a taste test? I have about 90 entree recipes on file — enough to go about three months without repeating. I most likely would serve Mayor Bagley my meatloaf with green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. Meatloaf is by far our clients’ favorite meal, and we serve the classic Midwestern-style meatloaf my mom made when I was younger. What is your big daily deadline, and how do you know your kitchen staff has found their groove to meet it? My deadlines fall into three categories: packing cold sides; sealing and serving hot meals; and serving a community lunch at the Longmont Senior Center. My kitchen volunteers work from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to pack the sealed trays and sides in a lunch bag by 10:45 a.m. for our volunteer drivers to deliver. My last deadline involves serving the community lunch at 11:30 a.m. I honestly think we know we’ve found our groove by the time we are sealing meals. If we are listening to good music, and the volunteers look like they are having a good time, I know everything will fall into place. What makes food good beyond recipes and ingredients? The Longmont Meals on Wheels staff and volunteers care about what they do, and that makes the food amazing here. I could have every recipe in the world and top ingredients, but nothing would come together without dedicated volunteers coming in and caring about what they do. The kitchen volunteers make sure we have meals ready to go, and the volunteer drivers make sure that meals get to the client hot and delicious.

Bethy Leonardi Age: 46 Occupation: Assistant research professor and co-founder/ director of A Queer Endeavor at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education What brought you to Longmont? The realness of Longmont is what brought us here, the sense of community and history, and the work that folks are doing to work together for positive change. And the Longmont YMCA because it’s the coolest place

in Longmont. What prompted you to start A Queer Endeavor? We started AQE after some deep reflection on our role as a School of Education committed to justice and equity. We realized that we weren’t doing enough to prepare our teacher candidates to go out into the field ready to support LGBTQ students, who continue to be vulnerable in the spaces of our schools. We also recognized that there were many teachers in the field who needed support. The goal is to support educators and school communities to create schools that are safe, affirming and humanizing for all students, with a particular emphasis on LGBTQ youth. What’s one thing schools can do to create a more welcoming, supportive environment for LGBTQ students? First, and most important, is to recognize that the work of creating inclusive environments is about students and their lives. It’s not political, controversial or otherwise “inappropriate,” and it’s not about belief systems. As public schools, it is our responsibility to honor and affirm the identities of all students. Little things that educators can do: include LGBTQ people and families throughout the curriculum — educate all students about gender, family, and sexual diversity; give all students access to all-gender restrooms; honor students’ names and pronouns; use language that disrupts binary assumptions around gender, masculinity and femininity; and engage parents and families in these conversations.

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Kelly Mahoney

Age: 35 Occupation: Executive director, Longmont Food Rescue Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 8 What brought you here? What has kept you? My engineering career brought me to the St. Vrain Valley in 2011. Upon landing in Longmont, I wanted to integrated into the community, and there’s no better way than volunteering. What has kept me here is that of all the places I’ve lived, Longmont has the most passionate people. The community is so well engaged in all aspects. What prompted you to start Longmont Food Rescue, and what was it like getting it up and running? Leading up to 2017, I volunteered hundreds of hours as a kitchen lead at the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless. It was there that I learned more about food insecurity and the local food systems at play. I was also introduced to Boulder Food Rescue and their brilliant concept of delivering people healthy, nutritious food “waste” collected from grocery stores. In January 2017, after a year of research, I put my engineering career on hold (thanks to my family!), and jumped all in because Longmont grocery stores also had hundreds of pounds of food waste every day and there were people who could benefit from that nutritious food. It was a no-brainer to create Longmont Food Rescue when there were gaps in food security and food access barriers to break down. As with any new project, it was tedious getting the nonprofit up and running. With a newborn at home, I made it a goal to do at least one thing for the nonprofit each day, whether that was reaching out to a possible recipient or introducing LFR to another store manager. However, the nonprofit quickly grew. Within four months, LFR started collecting food and delivering free, healthy food to folks in Longmont. What do you like doing in your free time? Ha! What is “free time”? We’ve been busy raising a toddler, building our new home and family farm, doing wildfire mitigation, and beekeeping. I love being on the trails — mountain biking, running, and giving back through trail maintenance.

Larrissa Mangione, M.Ed

Donovan Mann

Age: 35 Occupation: Special education elementary teacher, Affective Need Program at Soaring Heights PK-8 in Erie Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 11 What brought you here? What has kept you? I graduated from Erie High School and am proud to be a product of this amazing community we call home. It’s powerful to work in the same feeder system alongside the teachers that guided and inspired me as an impressionable student. These same teachers continue to be guiding beacons and sources of strength as I walk down the path of education as an adult. In a nutshell, what is affective education’s role in special education? Affective education helps students who struggle to access education in the traditional way due to social and emotional regulation challenges, which can escalate to aggressive and even violent behaviors. The key to understanding these students comes from believing that there is no such thing as a “bad” child and recognizing that undesirable behaviors stem from unmet needs. So, the affective education program now in full swing throughout the St. Vrain Valley School District gives teachers a way to help these students stay on track through intensive interventions, mental health support, and an education program tailored to each child’s challenges and strengths. What are some of your “eureka!” moments teaching in affective education? First, students must feel accepted among their peers and teachers and feel deserving of this acceptance. To nurture that, our affective education students will lead a schoolwide service project called “Mural Project: Kids with a Cause.” Second, success with these students begins with love. Students need to know they are safe, especially emotionally, before they can begin to grow and to make gains in the school setting. Finally, a community approach to education — not the traditional teacher authority model– is another key to success. Students have the strongest influence over the values, attitudes and behaviors of their peers. So, strong community often comes from positive peer pressure. How do you practice what you preach in terms of fresh starts? I remember the best Willie Nelson quote of all time: “Live life not only one day at a time, but one moment at a time, and keep it at that pace. If you can be happy right now, then you’ll always be happy.”

Age: 12 Occupation: Eighth-grade student, Erie Middle School Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 12 What brought you here? What has kept you? I was born in Thornton, but I live with my mom in Mead and my dad in Erie. So, my family keeps me here. You are so interested in military history. What sparked that interest, and why is learning more important? Well, I’ve wanted to join the military since I was about 4 years old. But I initially got interested in studying the subject more seriously when my dad and I did a project together about World War II history when I was in fifth grade. The project allowed me to pick my own topic, and I picked that era because both my dad and papa (grandfather) have served in the U.S. military, and I wanted to understand their experience in that role and what people — military personnel and civilians — went through at that time. When you visited World War II historic sites in Germany with your dad last August, did anything surprise you? Because I already had read so much about World War II by then what I saw didn’t really surprise me. However, seeing the sites in real life helped me understand more about what went on in Germany beyond what the history books record. I learned that not everything is written down. And visiting historic places helped me consider ordinary Germans differently and understand how the fuhrer could sweet talk them. Some students consider history a dull subject. Why is that not true for you? Everybody has different interests, and history just happens to fascinate me. I know lots of kids my age consider it a dull subject. I hope my enthusiasm and curiosity for it helps my generation take a second look. Through relentless study every day, you can learn that it is cool — at least I did. So, studying military history has not only refined my interest in it, but also given me something to do when I’m bored.

Patrick McFarlane

Age: 60 Occupation: Woodworker Years in the St. Vrain Valley: Lived here except for three-year quest to donate kidney ... when I lived in a Ford Explorer with two weenie dogs, and moved around the country. What has brought you here? What has kept you? The mountains, skiing, hiking, and “Mork and Mindy” brought me here. What sorts of things do you like to do in your free time? I like to build wood crafts in my spare time. What inspired you to donate a kidney? The reason I donated my kidney is because I was created to serve others and to glorify God ... period! And because 15,000 people die each year from lack of kidneys. I have been blessed a lot, being born dead, brought back to life, but legally blind until 10, sitting in a science class my eyesight went from 20/200 to 20/30 in a blink of an eye and I had scarlet fever twice as a child, so when I realized we all have two kidneys and only use one, I wanted to pay it forward.

Madeline Anne Meier Age: 9 Occupation: Third grade student at Soaring Heights PK-8 in Erie Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 9 What brought you here? What has kept you? My parents moved here from Broomfield before I was born. So, I have lived here all my life. I like living in Erie because of all of the good friends I have made. I like the schools here, and there are so many activities like Girl Scouts to enjoy. To which Girl Scout troop do you belong, and what was your 2019 cookie sales goal? I belong to Troop 77930, and my 2019 cookie sales goal was 1,000 boxes. This was almost double what I actually sold the year before. You exceeded that goal by selling 1,359 boxes. How would you describe the secret to your success? The secret to my success was determination, persistence, patience, 17 hours of standing at cookie booths, and walking miles going door to door. Every weekend during the sale my Mom and I walked our entire neighborhood–Phase 2 of Vista Pointe — and a friend’s entire neighborhood nearby to go to every house we could. We went out for hours, whatever the weather, which was often cold and windy. Some days I didn’t feel motivated to go out at first. But I remembered my goal and went out anyway. Once I got going, I loved being outside and selling. A storm kept me home one weekend. But I worked harder the next weekend and didn’t stop selling until the very end of the sale. What was the most memorable moment during your sales campaign and why? I had a lot of fun moments. One happened on my first day of selling. Just before my lunch break, an elderly woman opened the door of one of the houses we visited. And she bought an entire case — 12 boxes — of Do-si-Dos from me. Every year she likes to buy a whole case of cookies to freeze. Then, she enjoys one box each month throughout the year. This was my first large sale, and it was very exciting to sell that many boxes at one time. It got me pumped up for the rest of the day and kept me going all cookie season.

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Pastor Tracy Welker is in transition to becoming Life House Covenant Church’s chief pastor, a post she said she’ll assume when co-pastor Win Jackson-Houwen retires in the summer of 2020

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‘I’m a teacher at heart’ BY JOHN FRYAR STAFF WRITER

ministry over full-time school teaching. Age: 39 She said she interned at racy Nelson Welker, Occupation: Pastor, Life House Life House Covenant one of the pastors at Covenant Church, Church while attending Longmont Longmont’s Life the seminary, and after livYears in the St. Vrain Valley: 2 House Covenant Church, ing in North Carolina from said she first felt a desire 2012 to 2017, she returned to fill such a role more “I fell in love with this to Colorado and the Longthan 30 years ago. state,” she said. mont church two years “I knew God had called Welker said she decided ago. me to the ministry when I to pursue her childhood Welker, her husband was 7 or 8 years old” and dream of being in the min- Andrew, and their four sitting with her grandpar- istry by attending a nonde- daughters — 18 months, ents in their church in nominational graduate-lev- 6, 8 and 9 years old — live New Ulm, Minn., said el theology school, Denver in Firestone, where Welker. Seminary, getting her mas- Andrew, an audio-video She is in transition to ter’s degree there in 2009. engineer and programmer, becoming Life House CovShe said the seminary works from home. enant Church’s chief pastraining “helped me with Someday, she said, “we tor, a post she said she’ll preaching, for sure,” would like to buy a home assume when co-pastor because that’s a form of in Longmont.” Win Jackson-Houwen teaching — and “I’m a Tracy Welker said she retires in the summer of teacher at heart.” substitute taught in St. The ministry can some- Vrain Valley schools while 2020. times be something of “a Welker, who began colattending UNC, and the lege in Mankato, Minn., as hard calling,” Welker said, couple’s three older girls “because you’re dealing an art therapy major, said are now students at Longwith people all the time. she came from the Midmont’s Central Elementawest to Greeley in 2000 to And people are people.” ry. But that’s also much of get an elementary educaShe continues to substition degree at the Univer- the reward she said she tute teach in Longmont sity of Northern Colorado. gets after choosing the schools, from time to time.

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Tracy Nelson Welker

In her capacity as a minister, Welker said she actually has spent much of her time away from Life House Covenant’s 917 S. Main St. church, in volunteer work and other activities elsewhere in the Longmont community. “When we first moved back here I just felt like my job was meeting people,” she said. That has resulted, for example, in participating in the Longmont Community Justice Partnership, a restorative-justice program in which, she said, she talks with accused lawbreakers about “the impact of what they did, on the community.” She said she also is a member of Longmont Helping Hands, a community group that assists the homeless with food and other services. Welker also has been credited with playing a huge role in Life House Covenant Church’s Cele-

brate Recovery program, one the church describes on its website as providing “a safe place for people struggling with hurts, habits, and hangups.” That’s the favorite part of her ministry, she said, and it can be “a doorknob to your higher power.” Welker said her goals as a pastor are “to love God and love people.” She said she tries “to help people heal so they can grow closer to God,” adding about that healing: “You can’t do that through isolation.” Life House Covenant currently has 45-50 people in its congregation. “I appreciate having a small church community because I can know them well,” she said. “We’ve been pretty blessed as a congregation to have pretty consistent members.” Welker said of Longmont in general: “This community just feels like home.”

Story by John Fryar • Photo by Cliff Grasswick • Longmont Times-Call

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 39

Terrell S. Minton

Age: 64 Occupation: Artist, Teacher Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 4 What brought you here? What has kept you? We purchased a house in Longmont for a rental property and while we were in the process of fixing it up, we decided that we really liked it here. We were living in Boulder at the time and had lived in Salida prior to moving back to Boulder. Longmont reminded us of Salida in that people are so friendly here and strangers will just start up conversations with you. When we were making the transition, so many people walking by would stop and ask how the remodeling was going. People here are down to earth. They care about others and about quality of life. Living in the Historic East Side neighborhood gives us the opportunity to have a walking lifestyle where we can enjoy the eateries and interests on Main Street. Would you say residing in Colorado, specifically Longmont, has influenced your art style? Living in Longmont has definitely influenced my art in general, if not my particular style. I have recently met or reconnected with other women artists who are open, supportive, curious and approachable. They have included me by introducing me to their friends, taking me to nearby art shows, inviting me to participate in a pop-up art show and Katy Diver allows me to teach ongoing painting classes in her clay studio. I have been fortunate enough to connect with wonderful students. Nature is very important to me for my work. Weekly walks by McIntosh Lake keep me inspired. View my work at terrellsminton.com. I understand you used to volunteer at the Longmont Humane Society. What was your experience like there? The Longmont Humane Society is a wonderful place, very high quality facility, staff and a caring army of volunteers. It was my solace after losing our last doggie and the perfect place for me to feel like I was giving back. I have been trained in dog massage and the volunteer coordinator was very supportive of me giving massages to dogs that were really in need.

Bill Musselman

Age: 91 Occupation: Retired. Was owner and co-founder of R.A. Waffensmith of Longmont, installed power and telephone poles all over Colorado and seven other western states. Years in St. Vrain Valley: More than 60 What brought you here? What has kept you? I was living in Larned, Kan., when this company came in that was installing power poles. They thought I did good work and Rusty Waffensmith asked me to come on full time. He lived in Longmont and so I moved here and lived in my trailer in his yard. I bought five acres next to him on the Ute Highway. The company built me a house and the rest is history. What has kept me here was family and friends. I met my wife, Mitzi, in Longmont and her son, Bill. She and I went on a two or three dates and then I had to go do a job on the Western Slope and I told her I would be back in three days. But I wasn’t back for about a month and a half. She thought she lost me. I always came back and we were married in 1958. And Longmont was always home. Mitzi died in 2007 and she is buried here. And when I get shot by a jealous husband some day, I’ll be buried right next to her. What are some things about the community that visitors and people thinking about moving to the area might not know? Longmont is such a nice area, but it’s the people that make it so good. They are just common people who help each other out. When I was younger, my neighbor asked if I would be Santa for her son. I said I would if she would make me a Santa suit. She did and then word got out that I was Santa and the fire department heard about it and they asked me to be Santa at their annual Christmas party. They would drive the fire truck to my house and pick me up and I was Santa every year. I really enjoyed it. I loved listening to the kids talking about their parents and what they wanted. What do you think the future holds for Longmont and its residents? I think the future of Longmont is going to be great as long as they don’t let one group take over and run things. Longmont is a good place because nobody here is trying to out-do anybody. Everyone wants to help out each other, and I think if we stay focused on that, we will be in good shape. Longmont is a lot bigger than it was when I moved here 60 years ago, but it still has the same personality. I’m not trying to be political. I was never political and I don’t really follow politics, but Longmont has always been a nice place to live because the personality of the community hasn’t changed much. Like I said, we are just common people who want to help each other out.

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Marilyn Miyazima Age: 68 Occupation: Retired Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 44 What brought you here? What kept you? I was raised in Longmont as my dad was working in Denver but didn’t want to raise his children in a large city so moved to Longmont when it was smaller and it was a nice town. I came back after I got out of the Navy to be closer to my parents. What sorts of things do you like to do in your free time? I like to take pictures, crochet, read, and I like to volunteer at the American Legion. I like to travel and see different areas of the United States and different countries. What led you to enlist in the Navy? My dad and uncles were in the Navy, so I wanted to follow in their steps. I was going to college, and some Air Force guys told me that I should join the military so I could get my education and travel, so I joined the Navy. I did get to go to Japan and England as my stations and learned about their countries.

Tanja Nelson Age: 48 Occupation: Realtor Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 12 What brought you here? What has kept you? My family and I settled down in Longmont after my husband retired from the United States Air Force. I’ve stayed because of the incredibly friendly people of the Longmont community, the small town feel that Longmont provides and, of course, the views. What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of helping folks find their ideal home? Getting to discover people’s dreams, desires and goals and knowing that I am a part of helping them attain those. It’s fun to be a part of the journey. I tell all my clients that they will know as soon as we walk in if they are home or not, and I love watching the reactions when we have walked into their “just right” home. You certainly have a reputation for putting your clients’ needs above all else. How do you define success? Success is in building, cultivating and continuing the relationships I create with my clients. Success is the random calls and texts we exchange during the process and after their closing. Success is being able to celebrate life events with them and share in their story well past the real estate process.

Jeff Noonan

Age: 53 Occupation: Dispatcher Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 6 What brought you here? What has kept you? When our daughter left for college, my wife and I moved to Longmont to be close to her family. This is were my wife grew up so we moved to Colorado. How can anyone leave once you have been here? The beauty of this state is unmatched anywhere. The snow-capped mountains,, the beautiful valleys make this the best place I have ever lived. Add to that no humidity, and it’s perfect. There is so much to do here, how can anyone want to leave? Longmont is a beautiful city. The people, the businesses the views are just amazing. I love it here and plan to be here for a long time. How do you manage to procure information and take care of updating the Facebook page of Longmont weather and incidents? I was involved in emergency services since I was 15 years old. I was a 911 dispatcher and 911 call center manager. I decided to retire from the field, but I still wanted to help my community. When Longmont decided to terminate their weather sirens, I decided to create a weather and information page on Facebook to help keep the community informed. Information is the key to preparedness. I use all the resources from when I ran a 911 center to help formulate the forecasts. I look at weather models and forecasts from various weather sources and put together the information specific as possible for Longmont. I also only post weather alerts that directly affect the Longmont area. I monitor traffic cams and reports from our members for road conditions during bad weather as well. Most days I spend 1-2 hours putting things together. During active weather I can be watching updates for 6-8 hours depending on what is happening. What does your family think of you providing a service to the community? My family encourages what I do with the page. We come from a family of emergency responders, firefighters, and my wife was a nurse. My wife is actually one of the three admins on the group. We are a service oriented family, and they love that I can still make an impact even though i’m not answering the 911 call anymore. I feel we all need to give back to our communities and this is how I can do it and still feel like I am helping.

Pamela Lee Patrick

Age: 60 Occupation: Cosmetologist Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 51 What brought you here? What has kept you? I came to Longmont with my parents from Boulder, started fourth grade at Spangler Elementary. Then continued in the St. Vrain District. My successful career has kept me here. How did you get involved in the art of hairdressing and what’s the best part about helping people feel beautiful? I started beauty school the summer before senior year, got my licence at age 16. I then got my first job in a salon and became a State Board Examiner. The best part of my job is, God works through my hands and when I turn my client to face the mirror, the smile and joy on their face says it all. This year is 43 years of service. I am so thankful for my valued clients. I understand in 2013 you lost everything in the flood. Did this experience change your perspective on gratitude? You can’t understand what this truly feels like until it happens to you. I lost everything except my horses, dog, Chinchilla, cat and car. Yes, there is a huge change in my perspective on gratitude. Dallas and Marge Schneider immediately invited me to their property and gave me a wonderful place for my horses, and Dick and Judy Fritz gave Cheyenne, Milo, Andy and me a beautiful place to call home. I never had to experience the feeling of being homeless or finding new homes for my horses. Both huge acts of kindness. There are no words to describe the happiness in my heart for all the people, even strangers, that came and lifted me up in one of the darkest times of my life.

Enoc Olivas Age: 17 Occupation: Work with the family business, Las Cazuelas Carniceria Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 7 or 8 What brought you here? What has kept you? It’s a very calm town. I like to go to Denver. We go golfing at Top Golf, or we go ride go-karts. Or we go to Boulder, we just like to walk around Pearl Street or do something like that. We have Segways, so we usually go cruise around. What are your plans heading forward? I’ve been working here for a while, seven or eight years. Well, maybe I will make some changes, maybe later on. We’ll have to see. I want to be a mechanic or something, probably here on the Front Range. What’s cool about working for a family business? It’s just pretty calm. No one bosses you around. They’re just bossing everyone around.

Lee R. Phillips Age: 85 Occupation(s): I have had many occupations in my life: high school teacher; manager of two chambers of commerce in Illinois; systems analyst programmer, for the longest time; plus many volunteer positions. Served in the U.S. Army. Summers while in college I drove tours up Pikes Peak. Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 23 What brought you here? What has kept you? I knew for several years I would move to Colorado as my family moved here in early 1950s. I had worked in Colorado and really fell in love with Colorado. So, my wife and I moved to Longmont in 1996. I have remained here because of the mountains and all my family is living here. Which of your jobs left you with the best memories, and why? I have had many interesting jobs. Interesting ones were several short-term mission trips beginning in 2003 when I was 69. I served in Venezuela, the Philippines, and China, to name a few. The best memories are the mission trips. Even though they were not money-makings jobs, they have been the most interesting. I have been able to remain in contact with many of the people I met. You have traveled the world, well into your retirement years. What’s one place would you return to, and why? I am told I am a people person, and I agree. That is why I have enjoyed working with people all over the world. I would return to taking mission trips even at my age. I have enjoyed travel to the Philippines and the people there. I am called Lolo, meaning grandpa in Cebuano a language of the Philippines. What is the secret to aging well? I feel it has to do with family life, diet, a little exercise and be able to remain healthy with the Lord’s help. My wife and I celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary June 20.

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 41

Michael Payne’s path led him to become worship pastor at White Fields Community Church in Longmont.

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He found his passion and his place BY MITCHELL BYARS STAFF WRITER

ed in San Diego, Saddam Hussein attacked Kuwait,” Age: 47 Payne said. “It changes hen Michael Occupation: Worship pastor your view on life. I ended Payne moved to Years in St. Vrain Valley: 2 up being a lightning rod, Colorado as a because they say there is child, he wound up in friends were going to Colo- no such thing as an atheist Aurora and had never real- rado State University, in a fox hole. A lot of guys ly heard of Longmont. Payne decided college were talking to me about “I had been to Estes wasn’t for him. But he also religion, and it was somePark, and I knew of Fort wanted to get out and see thing that helped me grow Collins. I heard of Boulder, the world. in my faith.” but I had never really “I grew up in a Christian Payne never wound up heard of Longmont,” Payne home,” Payne said. “There serving in Desert Storm, said. was a sense for me that I and after six years in the But now 47, Payne is a needed to find out if what I Marines he decided he proud and happy Longbelieved was true and needed a change of pace. mont resident. real.” “I came back from my “I love it,” Payne said. So Payne enlisted in the last year, and I enjoyed the “Coming from a big city, Marine Corps. But while discipline and the structhe lifestyle change has he signed up in a time of been really, really nice. I peace, he arrived at Camp ture, but I kind of felt like God was calling on me to was just ready for that.” Pendleton in 1990 under do other things,” he said. But Payne’s move from much different circumPayne knew a friend runAurora to Longmont took stances. ning a church in Hungary, many years and many “We weren’t at war with detours. While some of his anybody, but the day I land- and it was looking for a

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Michael Payne

worship leader. “I was discharged in August 1996, and I was in Hungary by October with my backpack and my guitar,” Payne said. Music and religion had always been a big part of Payne’s life, and in Hungary he combined the two and worked in a studio helping to produce Christian music. “There was no Christian radio, no distribution in the early ’90s, and not a lot of support from churches for new music,” Payne said. “I worked my way into it. Like, one day we had to do a harp recording. I knew nothing about recording harps, so I read everything I could about it.” Payne would spend 21 years in Hungary, and met

his wife there. But eventually, he wanted something a little smaller. The same friend who brought him to Hungary was now at White Fields Community Church in Longmont and Payne again followed him, this time back to the states. “The church has been amazing, and the people are nice and friendly,” Payne said. “I came from a megachurch with a gazillion services and people. This is more low key.” In addition to enjoying his new role in the church, Payne and his family have enjoyed their time in the community. “Being right at the foot of Longs Peak, with McIntosh Lake, and heavy traffic is three people at a stop light,” Payne said. “I enjoy it.”

Story by Michael Byars • Photo by Cliff Grasswick • Longmont Times-Call

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 43

Tim Rakow

Sofia Raygoza

Age: 49 Occupation: Executive director of The Inn Between of Longmont Years living/working in the St. Vrain Valley: 10 What brought you here? What has kept you here? In 2009, I sold my home in New Mexico and was looking for a fresh start. Together with my soon-to-be wife who emigrated from Guatemala, we focused our search within the Front Range. It quickly became apparent that Longmont was the superior choice for us to call home. We were drawn to the diversity of people, multitude of recreational and entertainment opportunities, and took to heart the motto “You Belong in Longmont.” Now with our two young girls, my wife and I are very pleased and humbled to have landed in Longmont. What’s not to like? The city has so much to offer, and I am continuously impressed with the thoughtful and forward-thinking leadership that provides a growing community with tremendous potential. What’s the most gratifying thing about running The Inn Between? The Inn Between has a long history of advocacy for low income families and individuals, and I’m honored to continue that work. Though there is still work to be done, it’s gratifying to see and hear the level of commitment from businesses, city government, non-profit entities, and community members regarding the need to expand affordable housing for those left behind. The guiding principles held within Envision Longmont recognizes our responsibility to create opportunities and pathways for the City to prosper and all citizens to succeed. What do you like to do in your spare time? I should respond with “what spare time?” With two little girls, rental properties, etc. there isn’t much. For the most part, I enjoy playing with my two little girls and being Daddy. I also squeeze in time for playing tennis, handyman projects, the outdoors, and traveling.

Age: 21 Occupation: Assistant manager at High Society smoke shop Years in the St. Vrain Valley: My entire life What brought you here? What has kept you? I was born here. My job has kept me here. I would like to move out of Longmont sometime soon. Where do you hope to move to? Sedalia. It’s by Castle Rock in a canyon up in the mountains. It’s really nice, pretty cool. What’s different about working in a smoke shop than other jobs you might have? It’s really relaxed. The environment is a lot friendlier I would say. People love our locally blown glass, because we blow our own glass here. We have a bunch of local artists from Fort Collins and the Longmont-Boulder area. It’s really fun because sometimes even know who our artists are, they see this as an art gallery. It’s super chill. What would you miss if you do move away? Honestly, the community, the people I surround myself here with are amazing, and really understanding and helpful. We throw parties in the back, sometimes on 4/20 and for Halloween. I’ll miss that.

Troy Renck

Age: 48 Occupation: Denver7 Sports Anchor/Broncos insider Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 23. Moved to Longmont in September of 1996. What brought you here? What has kept you? My wife Leahann and I moved to Longmont when I was hired as a sports reporter at the Daily Times-Call. My wife began working at Hopp & Associates then, and loved it. Even after I changed jobs from the Times-Call to Broadband Sports to MLB.com to The Denver Post and now Denver7, we never thought of leaving. Once we had two kids — Dagin, 20; Brady, 18 — we wanted to raise them in Longmont. It was one of best decisions we’ve ever made. What do you think will be the most visible changes in the NFL by the year 2030? There will be a continued emphasis on player safety. It remains impossible to legislate out the violence in the sports, but rules will bend in that direction, changing the complexion of the game. Also, gambling before and during games will be bigger than ever. Hopefully, the Broncos ownership situation will be resolved by then as well. You have sons who are athletic. Have you encouraged or discouraged them from playing football, and why? My boys both played tackle football when they were young. They decided on their own to pursue basketball and baseball. I would never prevent them from pursuing their dream, but had they continued playing football it would have been with eyes wide open regarding the dangers of the sport.

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John Reuer Age: 17 Occupation: Incoming senior at Niwot High School What brought your family to Longmont? We have lived in Longmont for four years now. We moved here from West Lafayette, Indiana, because of my dad’s job. I chose to go to Niwot High School because of the International Baccalaureate program. Why did you bring the Stop the Bleed program to your school for the Columbine High School anniversary? Fire drills and other types of drills that schools have nowadays are important. But if someone can die in less than five minutes from blood loss, I think that educating students should become a national, if not global, priority. I wanted to organize this event so that students would be able to handle emergency situations and react to them and possibly save lives. Even if a couple of more people know how to prevent life-threatening bleeding, that’s a couple more people that can save lives. I was moved by the story of Dave Sanders, a teacher who died from blood loss in the Columbine shooting while he was surrounded by his students. Since that tragedy, we have a better police presence and security, and they are all trained professionals. More frequently, however, professionals can’t arrive at the scene fast enough, and it’s bystanders who have the opportunity to save lives. What do you like most about Niwot High? The best part about Niwot is that the teachers are invested in you. They are there to help. Niwot has a great learning atmosphere, which is challenging but also rewarding, and it also has a diverse population of students.

Blaine Robinson

Jennifer Rossman

Age: 28 Occupation: Video production Years in the St. Vrain Valley: I moved from Oklahoma City with my family in 2005 during my freshman year of high school. What has brought you here or kept you here? I graduated from CU-Boulder with a degree in broadcast news / broadcast journalism, and was able to land a great job at Longmont Channel 8, which hired me right out of college in 2013. What sorts of things do you like to do in your free time? In my “free” time, I coach competitive youth basketball year-round because I love teaching the game and experiencing the thrill of success with my players. It’s a great outlet for me to express my competitive spirit. Beyond that, I love to travel, check out great food spots around the country, watch sports nonstop, bet on sports, and spend time with my family, because they are the most important piece of my life. But regardless of what I’m doing, it’s always my mission to positively impact people, whether it be directly, or by example. What made you want to work with high school sports? Although my passion is sports, doing a little bit of everything here has been great. Getting behind the scenes access with the best people, places and events in town, and learning things that the average Longmont resident may not know about the city they live in has been rewarding. That being said, I’ve wanted to work in sports media since my youngest days, and never wavered from that. I love covering high school athletics because it keeps me around sports, and allows me to experience them from a different perspective. I’ve witnessed some of the most spectacular feats that I’ve ever seen at any level, and although they won’t be talked about or magnified beyond the scope of the local area, they are moments I will never forget, and for most of the kids, are the pinnacle of their athletic careers, and that’s special.

Age: 71 Occupation: Retired teacher Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 50 What brought you here? What has kept you? I got a job teaching in Erie, Colorado and loved the weather and the wideopen spaces. My children grew up on a small farm in Hygiene and came back to live in Longmont after spreading their wings. What would you say was one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching in Colorado? Being a teacher and staying in the area has been so rewarding. I often see former students, and it is such fun to visit with them and learn what they are doing and what they have accomplished in their lives. You’re quite the world traveler. Any recent memorable trips and any bucket-list spots you’d like to visit in the near future? All trips are memorable because of meeting different people, seeing new places and learning about new cultures. I especially loved a bike trip riding the Camino Trail in Spain. Wonderful to see all the pilgrims making this journey. A future adventure I will go on this summer is a trip to Alaska. I have a great concern about global warming and want to see it firsthand. Hope to see lots of animals too.

Scott Salzman

Age: 46 Occupation: Inventor Years living/working in the St. Vrain Valley:12 What brought you here? What has kept you here? I initially moved to Colorado to earn my master’s in counseling psychology. At the same time that I started my degree program, I began my invention business. I immediately fell in love with the area for the clean air, sunshine, perfect summers, open space, mountain views and community. Longmont has everything that I need to maintain my lifestyle, and still preserves a small-town feel. Why do you like inventing things? I enjoy bringing products to market that people have never seen before, and more importantly, inventions that serve a purpose. Hearing from people who have used and appreciate my products makes for a fulfilling career. Because of my experience in the field, I now teach others how to make their ideas a reality. What’s your favorite thing you’ve created to date? That’s like asking someone to pick a favorite child! But if forced to choose, my favorite invention is my first, the six-fingered Spotless Paw® dog paw cleaning glove. I cut my teeth in the invention business with Spotless Paw. The glove wipes paws clean before your dog tracks dirt mud and water into your home and car. And the six fingers allow Spotless Paw to be worn on either hand or either side. It took me about a year to get it to market once I started actively working on the project. With zero experience, I had to learn everything from scratch: prototypes, manufacturing, importing, sales, marketing, website building, public relations, fundraising, etc. Interestingly, is that even though I now have quite a bit of experience, it still takes me nearly a year to introduce an invention to the market. And a shout out to my other “kids”: Mobile Meditator, Spotless Swing and Purrfect Cat Box.

Mark Sample Age: 41 Occupation: Owner, Samples Restaurant, Martini’s Bistro, My Smother From Another Mother Food Truck Years in the St. Vrain Valley: Worked in Longmont since 2003, moved here in 2008 What brought you here? What has kept you? I was a brewer for a long time and was working in Paris, France. I missed Colorado and the mountains and the skiing and wanted to come back. I took a job at Left Hand Brewing Company and that was my first experience of Longmont. I love Longmont. It’s its own town. It’s got its own feel and is its own community and doesn’t feel like a suburb. What would you tell residents and potential visitors about the dining and drinking opportunities in the city? What do you see for the future? I think, for the most part, it’s come a long way since I moved to Longmont. When I first moved here, a lot of people were driving to Boulder to eat and drink. I’m thankful a lot of residents have made this their destination, and they don’t have to drive to Boulder. Quite of people from Boulder now travel to Longmont. For the future, I’m hoping to see downtown Longmont become known as a dining, arts and entertainment destination. Samples Restaurant is known for its hiring of intellectually and physically disabled employees. Would you recommend that other businesses do the same? I think that’s been one of our key practices. In a tough employment market, we have been able to keep people for a long time. Would you recommend Longmont as a tourist destination? Definitely. We have quite a few people from elsewhere coming through our restaurants. A lot of people like our small-town feeling. It is a great place to lay your head when exploring the mountains nearby and wanting a community feeling.

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Emily Sanchez

Age: 17 Occupation: Graduated from Longmont High School in May What brought your family to Longmont? My family came to Colorado in the early 2000s in search of a place to progress and prosper from Mexico and Texas. My mom’s side of the family all live in Longmont, including her eight siblings and their families. We have all lived in the same town for 17 years, and I will be the first to move away. Tell me about your college application experience. In total, I applied to 23 colleges. I was accepted to 21 of those colleges, including Northwestern, Georgetown, Duke, Columbia, Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard and Brown’s Program in Liberal Medical Education, which guarantees admission to medical school. In the fall, I plan to attend Harvard College on the pre-med track to meet the requirements to apply to medical school. However, I want to concentrate in a social science. I am interested in the intersection between culture, society and medicine. What’s your advice on managing the college application process? There are many variables in the college admission process that are essential to crafting an application. First, it is important to determine what you’re looking for in your future school and make a tentative list. After talking to the admission officers at Harvard and Yale, who were very big factors of my acceptance, I learned that they are really sweet people who just want to get to know an applicant as much as possible. So, the most important part of the process is understanding how you want to present yourself to the admission officers. Separate your different values and characteristics into different parts of the application in order to form a full picture of you. Plan a different theme or value to convey through each of the essays and take advantage of any opportunity to write. Finally, start early because asking for feedback from people who know you well is very important.

Robert Sears Age: 50 Occupation: Middle school dean of students Years in the St. Vrain Valley: I have lived in the St. Vrain Valley since 1996. What brought you here? What has kept you? In the mid1990s the St. Vrain Valley was the most affordable place on the Front Range where a new family could get a start in owning a new home. I have stayed here because we still have that small town feel, even with all the growth. My neighborhood in Firestone is filled with young families, and it has that old time feel where everyone knows everyone’s name and neighbors still help out each other and stop to talk with each other. What sorts of things do you like to do in your free time? In my free time I race the No. 43 Legend at Colorado National Speedway in Erie. I also enjoy traveling to tropical islands. I am a big baseball fan. Even though the Cubs are my team, I love going to Coors Field and watching the Rockies. I love our mountains, and during the summer I love to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. I am a member of First Lutheran in Longmont. My church family is a big reason why I call St. Vrain my home. I serve on the board of the Nicaragua Project, which is one of our church’s missions. What got you into swimming? I am the president of the Longmont Redtails Swim Club. I have been a swim dad for almost 15 years. Both my children are competitive swimmers. Swimming is not only a great sport but also one of the purest forms of exercise. I’ve enjoyed my role as president, and I am hoping the residents of Longmont will support a proposed measure that we hope will be on the November ballot for a new aquatic/ice center. The city of Longmont deserves a world-class facility like this.

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Billy Sawyer

Age: 37 Occupation: K-9 officer with the Longmont Department of Public Safety. Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 6½ What brought you here? What has kept you? We moved here from Jacksonville, Fla., in 2013 in search of a better family environment. We found it. The state of Colorado has so much to offer like outdoor recreation (snowboarding, hunting, hiking and camping) and the community is amazing. There are definitely no plans to leave this area. What led you to become a police officer? After getting out of the U.S. Navy in 2004, I felt an urge to continue serving but on a more personal level. Being a police officer affords me the opportunity to be the line that protects my community, to be in harm’s way in order to keep everyone else safe. I get to meet a lot of good people and help people when they are experiencing their worst. What is it like working with a K9 partner? Hard to describe, but imagine your best friend going absolutely everywhere with you. Not just a best friend but one that would truly put himself in harm’s way to protect you. One that sits in the car and stares at you all night while you work and knows you better than your family does. Being a K-9 handler is the most rewarding and frustrating job a police officer can have. If things don’t go as planned, you can’t blame anyone but yourself. We train weekly to improve and hope to be considered one of the best K-9 teams the state has ever seen. This role takes its toll on home life too as everything has to be planned around your furry partner. This includes vacation, most of which are planned so that Rudi can go. There are no such things as impromptu trips out of town. He’s been a bit needy since his almost deadly injury last year. I wouldn’t trade this job for anything though.

Melanie Sidwell Age: 39 Occupation: Senior communications manager for the University of Colorado System Office of Advancement Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 15 What brought you here? What has kept you? After weathering four hurricanes in 13 months as a southwest Florida newspaper reporter, I wanted to move to a four-season place — preferably one without hurricanes. I grew up on the East Coast and had never visited Colorado. But when I found a Longmont Times-Call community reporter job posting online, I took a chance. Rather, the paper took a chance on me. I worked there from 2004 to 2008. I still live in Longmont and this month finish volunteering with the city’s Art in Public Places Commission. Of all the volunteer opportunities in Boulder County, why did you pick that one? I wanted to get more involved in my community a few years ago and thought AIPP would be a good place to start. I was an artistic kid growing up. Paint and pencil markings usually covered my school uniform. In college, I often visited the local theater or art museum. This volunteer role helped me boost awareness around AIPP’s mission. Can you put your finger on that mission — on why art in public places is worth both your tax dollars and your volunteered time? Regardless of whether you think an artwork is “good” or “bad,” it makes you think and it makes you feel. And that’s inherently a good thing. Public art is a conversation starter, for better or for worse! And it helps to shape our identity as individuals and as a community. I appreciate that Longmont citizens value the role of public art in society, and that the city empowers our citizens to choose the public art in our community. Which piece of public art in Longmont captures your imagination most? Why? We’re always adding new pieces every year. My most favorite piece is still the one I saw when I first drove into Longmont in 2004 for my TC job interview — the Spirit of Longmont. The juxtaposition of the kinetic leaves with the sphere against the backdrop of the majestic Front Range charms me to this day.

State Rep. Jonathan Singer Age: 39 Occupation: Social worker and state legislator for Colorado House District 11. Years living/working in the St. Vrain Valley: 16 years in St. Vrain Valley, 20 years in Boulder County What brought you here? What has kept you here? I went to Fairview High School in Boulder and I fell in love with the community in Boulder County. My wife Allison and I first moved to Longmont because I was working in Boulder, she was going to grad school in Fort Collins, so we picked a spot halfway in between. We grew to love it. Longmont is full of people who care about this community and share our values. Also the beer at Left Hand is pretty good. Longmont has been a great community to start a family. My daughter is 3 years old, and my son just celebrated his first birthday. We have great access to public parks and open spaces, and a diverse community where our kids will grow up around lots of people from different backgrounds. What drives you to be involved in the community as a leader? As a social worker and a volunteer, I saw firsthand the impact that public policy has to change people’s lives. At Boulder County Human Services I worked to protect the safety of children and elders. I’ve also volunteered to prevent dating violence, and helped working families facing homelessness get back on their feet. As a child protection worker I realized I wanted to do more. I wanted to change the system to help everyone. Since I’ve been at the Capitol, we revolutionized our child protection system, made substantial investments in substance abuse recovery, and made huge steps forward to protect the rights of working families and immigrants. This year we passed bills to keep foster siblings together, help protect our immigrant community and expand our immigrant drivers licenses program, improved our adoption system, protected workers from wage theft, increased addiction recovery and prevention resources, and most importantly prioritized our health and safety to protect our environment and address climate change so future generations can live here. It’s been an honor to be on the front lines making sure that everyone in our community is taken care of and has a chance to succeed.

Natalie Sonora

Age: 26 Occupation: Owner of Eleven Eleven Bridal Boutique Years in the St. Vrain Valley: Born and raised What brought you here? What has kept you? I was born here. I’ve been kept by the small-town feel, but at the same time it’s getting bigger every day. And family. My whole family is here. Like hundreds of members. How long have you been running this wedding boutique? What made you want to get started with this? We just opened in March. I went to school for fashion design in Denver at the Art Institute. I was always attracted to it, and I worked at a boutique in Denver and just loved it. Since I was in the design field, I decided I needed to go more into design, so I started working in Boulder at Truman Boot, and it was all good and I really liked it. But the whole fashion and bridal industry was still something I loved, so I decided to go back into it and here I am. What’s been challenging about getting a business started in Longmont? Being younger and not knowing how to even start. Luckily, though, I have my mom, she has her own business, too. She has a hair salon. So she’s helped me so much. But it’s been a lot of navigating.

Andrea Smith

Age: 37 Occupation: Principal at Lyons Middle/Senior High School What brought you here? What has kept you? Ten years ago, I was finishing up a year of teaching science at an international school in Taiwan, and my husband and I had a choice to move to anywhere in the United States as our next step. We were drawn to the mountains and sunshine, and then fell in love with the Longmont area and began to put down roots. We love how much Longmont has grown and developed as a community over the past 10 years that we’ve lived here, and I am grateful to work in St. Vrain Valley School District. What skills or attributes do you hope your students have when they graduate? Student achievement and success is one of the strategic priorities in St. Vrain Valley schools, and I want our graduates to have the skills and attributes to follow whatever pathway they choose after they graduate. I think this means that we need to help students learn how to take initiative, be curious, collaborate with others, think critically and solve complex problems. And beyond that, I want our students to graduate as kind, caring and thoughtful citizens in our society. How did you become a unicycle rider and do you ever ride at school? I learned when I was 8 years old because I wanted to prove I could do everything my older brothers did. I hadn’t ridden a unicycle in 15 years, and then we had a middle school assembly this year as part of our social and emotional curriculum. We talked about passions, and I wanted to share with students the passions I had in middle school to get them thinking and learning. So, I reenacted my middle school unicycling talent show act, complete with the “Indiana Jones” theme song and Hula Hoops. It was a great way to connect with students and help them learn about the importance of passions in life.

Sara Staley Age: 38 Occupation: Assistant research professor and co-founder/ director of A Queer Endeavor at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education What brought you to Longmont? Longmont is rich with diversity and history, and I love that. Our house was built in 1936, and there’s something that feels so special about that. I also appreciate the down-to-earth vibe of Longmont. It’s the kind of place where people say hello to each other. And, there are so many cool family-friendly events that happen all over town. What’s one thing schools can do to create a more welcoming, supportive environment for LGBTQ students? Invest in teachers. Create opportunities for educators to learn about topics of gender, sexual and family diversity and what’s involved in the work of making their classrooms and schools safe and humanizing for LGBTQ youth. Schools can also make their commitments to safe, affirming learning environments explicit. Share with your community that your school is about helping all students and families in their community to feel welcome, and share what actions teachers, administrators and staff take to make good on that commitment. What do you wish people knew about LGBTQ kids? I wish that people more readily recognized that LGBTQ kids are kids. They are young people who need love, affirmation and support, just like all kids do. They have genders and sexualities, just like all kids do. They deserve to have schools that make them feel safe and affirmed, just like all kids do. They need to see their identities and experiences affirmed in the curriculum and not erased because of politics or belief systems. An elementary-school principal once told us, “Kids and families aren’t controversial.” I wish more people knew that.

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O Stecina

Ian Tinney

Age: 18 Occupation: Graduated from Erie High School in May, enrolling at Columbia College Chicago in the fall to study filmmaking. Out Boulder County intern. Co-owner of LiviFilm Videography. What brought you here? I live in Frederick but attended Erie High because that’s where my dad works. We moved here to be closer to his job. Why intern at Out Boulder County? I applied on a whim. I thought it would be a good fit. I was the president of my school’s Gay Straight Alliance. I did a lot of work in student government in high school. I was assigned to work on a dance for LGBTQ students. The main motivation was just making it a more welcoming place for every type of person. It’s been an incredible learning experience. I love this place and being with these people. What are you looking forward to about college? I’m really excited to go out into the real world and meet a lot of different people. I want to hear people’s stories and learn how different people think. I want to make documentaries. I want to combine education and activism and filmmaking.

Age: 71 Occupation: Retired Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 40 What brought you here? What has kept you? We moved here from Florida in 1978 to get away from the heat, humidity, bugs and too many people. As fast as Colorado seems to be growing, Florida was worse. State is half the size in square miles but has over 20 million people. I’ve stayed because of the natural beauty, the weather and the people. You recently had a medical issue. What has the recovery journey been like? May 9, 2009, was a major medical milestone in my life. I had a brain stem aneurysm that nearly killed me. After being comatose for two weeks, I then spent nearly three months at Longmont United Hospital. When discharged I went to a rehab hospital for another six months. While in the two hospitals I contracted infectious diseases that also seemed to want me dead. Pneumonia, twice. C-Diff, twice. I had to learn how to do everything again. I couldn’t walk, sit up or roll over in bed. Now I’m blessed that I have very few minor aftereffects from my stroke. I lost a slight bit of vision and a small amount of balance. For eight years, I did volunteer work for LUH, showing people that therapy can work. While in rehab I also lost my voice. I could not speak. One thing that the speech therapist that I had did was to sing with me. It got me remembering how much I enjoyed singing when I was younger. I started singing with the Longmont Chorale about seven years ago. Music has been very cathartic in my recovery. It has allowed me to do something that very few would ever have the chance to do. I was able to sing on stage at Red Rocks for the 2019 Easter Sunrise Service before 10,000 people. What do you like to do for fun? The other things that enjoy doing are hiking, camping and playing vintage baseball.

Mary Alice Tonkinson

Age: 82 Occupation: Volunteer Accompanist and Director, Longmont Senor Center Singers; Retired choral accompanist from the St. Vrain Valley School District. Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 72. Born in Longmont. Lived in Longmont, except for about 10 years of my life. What has brought you here? What has kept you? My family moved into the home I am living in now when I was 6 years old, so I have no plans of moving. I feel that Longmont has a lot to offer the community in the way of music and arts for the population. What sorts of things do you like to do in your free time? In my free time, I enjoy word puzzles, crossword puzzles and the Game Show Channel on television. Why has music always been such a big part of your life? I have served on the Longmont Symphony Board as well as the Callahan House Board, and have participated in performances with local theater groups. Music has always been a big part of my life. I started taking piano lessons when I was in the second grade at Central School. At one time, I thought I wanted to be a concert pianist, but that did not materialize. I had two years of music piano pedagogy at the University of Colorado Boulder. I married my high school sweetheart in 1957 and did not finish my degree. At the same time I was going to CU in the winter, I was attending Barnes Business College in the summer. I worked in the Dean’s Office at the College of Music in Boulder for four years to help my husband finish his degrees in Boulder. I have had the privilege of accompanying many choral groups in the St. Vrain Valley District over many years, including groups from grade school, junior high and high school. I have accompanied students for District Solo Contest and Longmont Symphony’s Young Artist Competition. I have been the director and accompanist for the Senior Center Singers since 2001. We have sung for many nursing homes and organizations in town. I thoroughly enjoy working with others and find accompanying rewarding.

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Jillian Vickland Age: 34 Occupation: Special education paraprofessional at Longmont’s Rocky Mountain Elementary School What brought you to Longmont? What has kept you? I was born and raised in Longmont, and I like being close to my family who still live in the area. In addition, Longmont/Firestone is a great place for my husband Mark and I to raise our family. What benefits have you seen for students participating in the unified sports program that you started at your school? The students with special needs have something to look forward to and get excited about. I see more smiles on their faces when they are joining in the games. General education kids who have participated have learned to treat their peers with kindness and respect. Many have told me they would rather help the kids than be at recess. They ask me all the time, “Are we practicing today?” What’s the best part of your job? The connection I have with the kids. I have developed such a bond with them. I love seeing them accomplish something they have been working on for so long and the joy on their faces when they finally do it. A smile from them can turn a bad day into a good one. Last but not least is the pleasure I get from working with a dedicated group of teammates. I love my job. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Quincy Vork

Savannah Vrooman

Age: 15 Occupation: Student at Longmont High and cleaning houses part-time Years in the St. Vrain Valley: About 6 What brought you here? What has kept you? I was born and raised in Colorado, born in Denver, lived in Aurora for a little bit and then raised in Longmont since about fifth grade. There’s not too much specific that has kept me here, I just like living here, I guess. I love this state. I guess just pride. What was hard or easy about moving here when you were younger? Not much really. I was really small when we first moved here and I can’t really remember living in Aurora. I remember bits and pieces of the apartments and stuff we lived in, but it wasn’t really too difficult. How much do you feel like you’ve seen Longmont change? Currently, I live on the border of Firestone and Longmont, still considered Longmont, and just in that area alone, I’ve seen a lot of change. There is a lot of houses being built, a lot more fast food chains and whatnot. There’s just a lot changing here and I guess I’m happy about it but at the same time, I miss how it used to be a smaller, more secluded area.

Age: 18 Occupation: High school graduate What brought you here? What has kept you? When we moved to Colorado, I wanted a place that was permanent because I didn’t want to change schools again. Longmont Christian School was a good fit. My parents were missionaries, so we’ve been all over. What was your favorite memory of playing sports at Longmont Christian? My favorite memories would definitely have to come from basketball, and I really loved our end-of-the-year banquet. It was very emotional, but a good recap of the four years of basketball I played. What is a special memory you have living with your parents while they were missionaries? My favorite memory would be when we were in Kazakhstan. We just got so close to the people over there and developed relationships that will last no matter how long we are apart.

Robin Waterbury

Age: 57 Occupation: Chiropractor Years in St. Vrain Valley: 30 (41, off and on; I traveled a bit) What brought you here? What has kept you? I was born in Colorado Springs. My father moved to Longmont between 1976 and 1977, and I moved here in 1978 to finish my senior year of high school. After I graduated chiropractic school in 2005, I decided that Colorado was where my heart called home. I love snowshoeing, hiking and skiing. Nowhere else offers what Colorado does as far as nature, weather and activities. What led you to be a chiropractor? My father is a chiropractor, and he was a huge influence on my life. I have dreamed of being a chiropractor since I was 8 years old. What’s the most common problem you see in patients? The biggest problem I see today is with technology and how more and more people have become too sedentary. They have neck pain from forward head posture due to looking at their devices all day. Thumb problems from texting, gaming, computers, etc. Back pain from sitting for long periods of time at a desk and computer. Children are even having more problems because of heavy back packs and starting at very young ages on electronic devices. What one simple thing can a person do every day to improve or maintain their health? Move! Life has become structured in such a way that it is easier to not move. We travel by car. At work, we sit at our desks for most of the day and then we come home and sit to relax. This is not what we were built for. “My back hurts,” “my knees pop and crackle,” “I can’t keep up” have become our mantras. Ultimately, how well we move and how much we move determines the quality of our life and how much we will be able to enjoy it.

Amanda Setlik Wilson Age: 36 Occupation: Professional Pianist and Private Piano Instructor Years in the St. Vrain Valley: Just over one year — my husband and I moved to Longmont in February 2018. Before that, I lived all over the Boulder/Denver area. I’ve lived in Boulder, Gunbarrel, Lafayette and Northglenn. What brought you here? What has kept you? I moved to Colorado in 2005 to pursue graduate degrees in Piano Performance at CU Boulder. Last year, my husband and I moved to Longmont because we wanted to buy a house and found more affordable options here. It also seemed to be an up and coming area, which was exciting. I have been working to build my piano teaching studio here in Longmont, and plan to continue doing so. As a pianist who has performed publicly in everything from an ’80s cover band to classical venues, what is your favorite style in which to play, and why? I enjoy stepping outside of the typical classical gigs I have been used to playing over the years, so it’s been a lot of fun to play in a tango orchestra with which I’ve performed several times in Denver. I have always enjoyed collaborating with other musicians in all different situations. Where solo piano music is concerned, I love playing contemporary music that is a bit more unusual and captures listeners’ attention. I have performed some contemporary music that includes extended techniques — non-traditional ways of playing the instrument — such as strumming or striking the strings. My students especially love hearing these pieces, and are often inspired to go home and experiment with playing their pianos in a similar way to create these different and interesting sounds. You teach young people, and you teach adults as well. As an instructor, what is your favorite type of student to work with, and why? I love working with different ages of students for different reasons. I love teaching children because they are energetic and always full of surprises, and they often say unexpected and hilarious things. Adults are so enjoyable to work with because they are invested in learning and ask great questions, so we can have interesting dialogues about the music and the learning process. I am lucky that I have the opportunity to work with many different students with different personalities and goals for their music-making. It keeps my job interesting, challenging, and fun.

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Tisha Balesi Wood Age: 62 Occupation: Painter Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 17 What brought you to Longmont? What has kept you? I was a Pan Am flight attendant during the last of the heyday of Pan Am, and I went down with the ship. On one of the last few flights, I run across a gentleman sitting on my row as I’m coming back in uniform for a quick layover in Denver to find a job. That gentleman is named Locket Wood, and he’s been my husband for 30 years now. At the time he was living in the Boulder with four almost grown children. I moved in with my two kids, and were able to build this amazing life together. What inspired you to become an artist? I grew up in Nice, France, during the salon atmosphere that took place after the war in Europe. At any given time, we would have artists, writers, musicians, political people in my living room and kitchen, and as a child, we were expected to be a part of that and maneuver within it. I benefit from a lot of that upbringing, All those people gave me a gift. They taught me how to see beauty or something of intellectual value within a space, any space, and how to share that. How would you define your style? I’ve always been a neo-impressionist. It was always how I lived. If I was in the garden with my grandparents, it was about telling me to close my eyes and them slowly and squint them and really feel the space. I think an impression of any kind is born through really feeling the whole person that’s in front of them and the whole space around them. As a neo-impressionist, all you thought is about helping the viewer awaken all of their senses. We want you to smell, to feel and to taste and to hear every part of it.

Owen Wroe

Age: 15 Occupation: Student at Longmont High, work at Laughing Grizzly Fly Shop and help move grain at my dad’s business, Dry Land Distillers. Years in the St. Vrain Valley: Born and raised What brought you here? What has kept you? Mainly my dad. He used to work at a big corporation, but he quit that and is starting Dry Land Distillers in Longmont. I help out with that a lot, and it’s been a big, big change for my family. What kind of liquor do you guys distill? Hard spirits, we do a prickly pear cactus spirit, we do rum and whisky. For the prickly pear cactus, we put it in this giant tub, mash it down, make it into alcohol and sell it to people for $2 a sip. We’re doing really well. Last May was when we started, and we’ve already won a bunch of awards. What’s your favorite thing to do around Longmont in the winter? I don’t do a ton downtown, mainly because I fish a ton, I fly fish a lot down at the St. Vrain. But in the wintertime I like to eat at The Roost and the Pumphouse and things like that.

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Philip Woods Age: 38 Occupation: Pastor of The Well Church Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 2 What brought you here? What has kept you? I moved here to be a part of a start-up church. Longmont is a great community with many fun activities. It’s a great place to raise a family, have fun, and to call “home.” What prompted you to select the historic former St. Stephen’s Church in downtown Longmont for The Well? We pursued the Historic St. Stephen’s Church building as our meeting location because it sits in the heart of Longmont. This fits our vision as a church. We want to be a community of people that are for our community. What kinds of things do you spend time on when you’re not performing your pastoral duties? In my spare time, I love coaching my kids’ sports teams, hiking in the mountains, and fishing with my children.

Jeff Wurtz Age: 62 Occupation: Producer, director and editor Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 4 What brought you here? What has kept you? Our twin grandchildren, Ruby and Miles who are now 5. As soon as my wife laid eyes on them, she knew we had to be nearby. I love living here as compared to New York, where it was often manic and my commute was 2 hours door to door. Now, I can ride my bike on trails that stay off road for 25 miles, and I enjoy the beauty of the mountains. What would you say was the most rewarding aspect of producing the award-winning show “Inside the Actors Studio”? Out of all of my rolesproducer, director and editor of the show, I most enjoyed directing because the energy inside the theater during the live event, where the actor is being interviewed by the host James Lipton, was truly exciting. I got to meet all of the actors and spend some time with them backstage. Post production involved three days of editing, where I had to whittle 4 hours of recorded interview down to 40 minutes — very challenging! How did it feel to win multiple Emmys? It felt great to win those awards, but ironically the shows that I was most proud of didn’t win, so who was I to judge? Going to the Emmys, was a spectacle to behold just sitting in the audience all dressed up and awaiting your category to be called. My most recent Emmy, our show tied with Anthony Bourdain so it was cool to meet him backstage. I worked on IAS for 24 years, 260 episodes and was nominated 20 times for that show, so I was invited to 20 Emmy shows and usually my wife wanted to attend even more than I did. I also won for editing sports for major networks, doing Super Bowls, World Series and the Olympics. Every day was different and I feel truly fortunate to have had such an exciting career.

Dennis Yanchunas

Joseph Zanovitch

Age: 73 Occupation: Retired security sales; president, St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District Board; Northern Water board member; president, Northern Water Municipal Subdistrict board; former member, Longmont Water Board Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 47 What brought you here? What has kept you? While in college, my wife, Pat, worked two summers in 1966 and ’67 at the YMCA Camp in Estes Park, and had a friend who lived in Longmont. From college I went right to Navy (Officer Candidate School). After four years service, there was no particular place to return “home” to, and we made the decision to make our home in Colorado. So in October 1972 we made the move Longmont. What has kept us here: It is home. We raised our two children here, we made very close lifelong friends here, and we became part of the community. There are strong social bonds. I started my career and business here and retired after holding my general securities license for 43 years. Along the way, we have been involved with many of the institutions that make a community. What changes and challenges have you seen in water issues in the years you’ve worked in those areas? In a word, demand. The increasing demand, and the changing nature of that demand. As our population grows, water demand increases. Increased storage is essential to meet increased demand, and increased storage is always controversial. With regard to the changing nature of that demand, I would split that into two parts. Society has environment values that must be considered when designing new projects to meet water demand. That is a good thing, but it comes with a price tag. It means even longer time frames to develop any project. It means working with more stakeholders, and it means bringing any project to completion can take not years, but decades. On the changing nature of demand, we have shifted from agricultural to municipal demands, which have very different patterns of demand, and add new challenges in areas like water quality. These are enormous shifts for water Conservancy Districts to incorporate into their structures.

Age: 40 Occupation: Executive director of HOPE-Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 1½ What brought you here? What has kept you? I moved to Longmont from Los Angeles with my wife and daughter. Raising our daughter without any immediate family really made us want to be closer to them. My wife’s entire family lives in the area. For us, the ability for our daughter to grow up in smaller city, and with extended family was really important. Although I miss the surf and some great friends back in LA., the culture and positive vibe of the Longmont community has exceeded my expectations! What do many Longmont residents not know about the homeless population in their midst? The homeless population of Longmont is composed of many people who have called this area home for many years. I think it may be easy to judge the person you see on the corner, but as I get to know our most vulnerable residents, one thing is absolutely constant. None of them ever wanted to be homeless. Many stories about their journey to homelessness are heartbreaking. They struggle every day for things we take for granted. I consider it a blessing to be part of the effort to care for and improve the resources available to ensure our homeless population is taken care of with dignity and respect. What can Longmont residents do to help you and other non profit and government agencies transition out of homelessness? Here are a few possibilities. Be open-minded to considering the many reasons for homelessness. Acknowledge and treat the homeless as human beings. Say hello, ask them how they are doing. You don’t always have to give money. Second, come volunteer with HOPE and serve the homeless. We have many opportunities to be a part of helping our most vulnerable get back on their feet. Third, you can always donate to HOPE. Our programs, shelters and extensive daily operations require financial resources. Our mission is to support our homeless residents in becoming stable and self-sufficient. With the Longmont community coming together to take action by investing in the lives of our homeless residents we will continue to offer hope to those that need it most.

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 51

Tom and Connie Zweck farm about 30 acres of the land that Tom’s great-grandfather bought in the mid-1860s.

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Farming is ‘second nature to us’ BY MADELINE ST. AMOUR STAFF WRITER

options on the farm property for housing. Ages: Connie, 68; Tom, 71 “It was a lot of work and onnie Zweck looked Occupation: Farmers a lot of decisions,” she said. with some despair at Years in the St. Vrain Valley: Instead of buying things the surprise lateTom Zweck is a lifelong new, they would save monresident. Connie Zweck has May snow laying across ey by buying doors, floorbeen here for 58 years. the fields in view from her boards and other things front porch. that had to be stripped “We just hope that it acres, but Connie and Tom down or fixed up. doesn’t freeze tonight,” Zweck only use about 30 “We did crazy stuff,” she said Zweck, 68. She had acres. Tom Zweck’s broth- said, including incorporatcovered the tomatoes and er uses the rest for dairy ing a high ceiling into the flowers to protect them cows. living room, which “no one from the cold, but said othConnie Zweck was born was doing” in the 1970s. erwise, “there’s nothing in Kansas and moved to The wood house, which you can do.” Colorado when she was 10 features a blue tile backOverall, though, business years old. The couple lived splash in the kitchen and a has been fairly good for in Boulder for five years large stone fireplace, still Zweck’s Fresh Farm over before deciding to move stands proudly overlooking the years. It went from back to Longmont to work green fields with grazing growing a couple things to on the farm. cows. It sits at the far end now growing more than 90 She loves the state and of the driveway, past the varieties of vegetables, the area, she said. colorful Zweck’s farmstand herbs and flowers. “Colorado’s the most and rows of green growing Connie Zweck’s husbeautiful place I’ve been vegetables. It’s bordered band, Tom Zweck, grew up to,” Connie Zweck said. on one side by a greenon the Longmont farm, They’ve met nice people house, which is where they which sits off of Airport and have appreciative cus- start their plants. Road near Vance Brand tomers, she said. The Zwecks have been Municipal Airport. His In 1974, the pair built the running the farm for a long great-grandfather bought house they’ve lived in ever time, Connie Zweck said. the property in the midsince. It took two years and “It’s just second nature to 1860s and ran a dairy and “was a lot,” Connie Zweck us,” she said, as she pasture farm. emphasized, but there explained that they just kept adding more and The total farm is 350 were no other suitable

C

Connie and Tom Zweck

more plants and varieties to their annual growing list. “Diversification is the way to go if you’re growing organically.” The fruits and vegetables they grow are organic, and they pick them fresh every day for the stand at the end of the drive. Connie Zweck said they used to participate in the farmers market, but they had to pick the fruit and vegetables the day before because the set-up times are so early. They stopped because they prefer to “pick it fresh and sell it fresh.” While the Zwecks enjoy the work, that doesn’t mean it isn’t tough. In the summer, Connie Zweck said she works about 10 hours per day. Her husband works even more, she said, attending to the irrigation system that sits above the farm and moving the water “all day and night.” And, while vegetable prices haven’t really increased, the Zwecks costs “just keep going up

and up and up,” from equipment to labor to seeds. “You have to buy what you have to buy,” she said. Connie Zweck said she doesn’t know how much longer they’ll continue to farm, though they don’t have any plans to quit now. One of their daughters lives in Denver and helps out, and their other daughter lives in Virginia. Right now, they don’t have anyone looking to take over the long-standing family farm. “Because there’s so little profit and the work is so hard, most people don’t think it looks fun,” she said. While she thinks people assume anyone can become a farmer, she said it is one of the most complicated jobs someone can have, and it comes with no guarantees. They wouldn’t still do it if they didn’t love it, she said. “We both love growing things, we love eating fresh vegetables, we love selling fresh vegetables,” she said.

Story by Madeline St. Amour • Photo by Matthew Jonas • Longmont Times-Call

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 53

The ‘100,’ through the years

Here’s a list of every person who has appeared in the Times-Call “100,” from our first edition in 2007 through 2018. We did not publish the “100” in 2009-2010 and 2012-2013. Is there someone you think would be a good subject in a “100” but don’t see on this list? If so, let us know. Send your nominee to tcnews@times-call.com and put “100” in the subject line. Please provide that person’s name, where he or she lives and a little something about what makes that person interesting. And if anyone out there still has a 2015 edition, we’d love to make a copy of the cover. We’ll give it back to you. See you next year. Robin Abb ................. 2015 Amy Abbott...............2016 Theo Abkes...............2016 Hazel Achor..............2016 Carrie Adams............2016 Debbie Adams..........2016 Lauren Adams .......... 2015 Pete Adeney..............2017 Aaron Ades................2008 Pam Adler ................. 2017 Randy Ahlberg..........2011 Alan Ahlgrim.............2011 Ismael Aldana...........2016 Janene Alford............2016 Emmy Alipit..............2017 Linda Allour.............. 2016 Bruno Ammann........2015 Paul Anderson..........2016 Trudee Anderson.....2016 Jill Andreozzi ............ 2014 Nick Angelo..............2008 Don Angstead...........2017 John E. Archibold.....2016 Mawiem Arik............2008 Peggy Arnold............2018 Matt Arrants ............. 2017

Chad Auer.................2011 Robin Autorino ......... 2015 Brian Bagley.............2015 David Bailey..............2018 Ingrid Bakke.............2008 Cathy Balan...............2014 Elizabeth Bałczac.....2007 Jim Baldwin...............2007 Bob Ball.....................2011 Rachel Bardach........ 2008 George Baskos.........2008 John Beck..................2014 Greg Beery...............2011 Clark Bell.................. 2011 Michael Bell..............2014 Wyatt Bell..................2008 Michael Belmont......2011 Marian Bennett.........2008 Maggie Benton.........2017 Angel Berdiales........2014 Olga Bermudez ........ 2017 Sylvia Bernstein ....... 2015 Brian Berry...............2018 Jim Berthold.............2007 Jim Bertolin .............. 2007 Jose D. Beteta...........2017 Karen Bianco............2014 Jasmine Biesanz.......2016 Leif Bilen...................2007 Pat Billson-Houston. 2011 Sierra Bindsell..........2017 Linda Bitner..............2018 Lexie Birren..............2011 Aaron Bitterman.......2018 Dan Blake..................2015 Hank Blazon ............. 2014 Mariah Bledsoe........2011 Jim Boggess..............2008 Vicky Boone..............2016 Yakov Borenstein.....2008 Edward Bowen.........2018 Jackie Boyer..............2018 Jerry Boyle ............... 2007 Leslie Boynton..........2007 Gerri Bradford..........2008 Mark Bradford..........2011 Carl Brady.................2018 Sandy Brady..............2015 Rod Brandenburg.....2007 Kimberly Brayman...2014 Cole Brenner ............ 2016 Tony Brewer.............2007 Michelle Brietzke.....2016 Heather Britton ........ 2014

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Greg Brock...............2016 Pamela Brogdon.......2018 Matt Brooks-Miller .. 2007 Kaylene Brown.........2016 Laura Brown.............2011 Michael Brownlee....2008 Erin Brueggeman .... 2008 Barb Brunk...............2011 Robin Bryant.............2014 Matt Buchler.............2015 Joshua Buck..............2011 Clint Buckner ........... 2017 Larry Burkhardt.......2011 Bill Butler..................2007 Nick Cady..................2015 Candy Campbell.......2015

Kalin Capra ............... 2018 Adrian Card...............2008 Jose Cardenes...........2016 Julie Cardinal............2015 Jodi Carlson.............. 2018 Dale Carr...................2011 Carol Carroll.............2016 Kevin Carroll ............ 2016 Alexis Carroll............2017 Mitch Carson............2007 Leah Carter...............2008 Semsija Cass.............2018 Steve Carver.............2011 Tim Chaffin...............2014 Karen Charles...........2017 Alessandra Chavez...2015

Rebecca Chavez........2018 Luis Chavez...............2018 Morgan Chen............2015 Tom Chenault...........2011 Ron Cheyney ............ 2016 Gabriel Chou.............2007 Chris Chou................2017 Stephen Christopher2017 Jade Clem..................2007 Eddie Cloke .............. 2008 Kevin Clowers .......... 2011 Jim Cochran..............2011 Kelsey Colclasure.....2007 Giselle Collazo..........2014 Scott Conlin...............2018 Please see 100, 55

Beth Conrey..............2015 Scott Converse..........2015 Tyler Cooey .............. 2007 Scott Cook.................2011 Allison Cole...............2018 Lynda Coonrod.........2015 Horace Copeland......2007 Olga Cordero............2018 Karl Cordova.............2008 Laura L. Cotter..........2017 Bob Cotton................2016 Mary Cowdin............2016 Kelly Cowling ........... 2015 Brent Craig ............... 2007 Ann Cram..................2018 Darby Crandall.........2018 Wilma Crofford........2014 Al Croissant...............2015 Ewell Culbertson......2008 Brian Curran.............2016 Kyra Czerwinski.......2017 Bob Dacey.................2011 Tanya Daschofsky....2018 Tanya Daty................2018 Dan Dean.................. 2008 Dwight Debroux.......2008 Bill Decker................2018 Jim Deeming.............2007 Kelsey Deems...........2014 Cliff DeJong..............2014 Meca Delgado .......... 2014 Matt Delumpa...........2007 Zeb Dennis................2011 Jerry Denovellis.......2018 Susan DeNovellis.....2007 Drew Depler.............2011 Gabriel DeRoo..........2015 Carlos Descalzo........2017 Steve Desmond ........ 2011 Rachel Desmormes..2008 JoLynn DiGiallonardo ....................................2017 Mike DiGiallonardo.2017 Dennis Dinsmore.....2016 Joe Docheff...............2015 James Dohm.............2018 Liz Donaghey............2014 Elijah Donovan.........2017 Andrew Doran..........2007 Clay Douglas.............2007 Barbara Douglass.....2008 Angie Doyle.............. 2016 Margie Drake...........2017 Murry Drescher.......2014 Donald Dreyer ..........................2008, 2014 Sabrina Duey............2014 Louise Duggan......... 2008 Jeffrey DuMont........2017 Beryl Durazo............2016

Liz Durfee.................2014 Bret Duston .............. 2008 Florence Dvirnak.....2017 George Dvirnak........2017 Phyllis Dwyer ........... 2017 Marvin Dyer.............2011 Mario Miguel............2018 Echevarria.................2011 Svein Edland.............2008 Rob Edward.............. 2008 Jennifer Eisenlau......2011 Bill Ellis.....................2011 Artie Elmquist..........2008 Gary Elmquist..........2014 Ron Elms...................2015 Dave Emerson..........2015 Craig Engelhorn.......2014 Robin Ericson...........2016 Andrew Ernst ........... 2015 Judith Ernst .............. 2015 Vanessa Escarcega...2017 John Espinosa...........2017 Sandra Esters............2014 Kim Evans.................2007 Marc Evans...............2016 Tracy Evans..............2011 Wes Everett...............2014 Bob Fairow................2015 Joycelyn Fankhouser...............2014 Sue Farwell...............2017 David Feely...............2017 Dr. Ian Feinhandler..2016 Buzz Feldman...........2011 Gabrielle Feneide.....2017 Pastor Dawnmarie Fiechtner...................2015 Patty Fiest ................. 2014 Kaye Fissinger..........2015 Mickey Flaska .......... 2008 Emily Flemming.......2014 Hope Fletcher...........2015 Sean Flynn ................ 2007 Reed Foehl................2007 Megan Forrest..........2014 Sam Forsyth..............2008 Amy French-Troy.....2015 Michael Freyta ......... 2017 Jenny Friesmer.........2011 Christy Friesner.......2011 Charlie Frye..............2017 Norma Fuentes.........2017 Valeria Fugate...........2018 John Gaddis..............2018 Francisco Galarza.....2015 Destiny Gallegos......2015 Charlie Garcia...........2014 Payton Garcia ........... 2018 Martha Garcia-Lara..2016 Tessie Gardetto........2017

Deb Gardner.............2014 Alejandra “Allie” Garduno .................... 2017 Reed Gattmann.........2011 Mary Gavin...............2007 Opal Gee....................2018 Lewis Geyer..............2017 Sadaf Ghiasy.............2016 Dr. Patricia Gill.........2015 Allen Ginsborg..........2016 Chris Gischel............2014 Tim Glenn.................2018 Riley Glynn................2017 Bob Goff....................2011 Josh Goldberg .......... 2011 Jessica Goldberg......2017 Diane Goldenstein....2017 Fabiola Gomez..........2007

Elicia Goodsoldier....2018 Justelle Grandsaert..2015 Wayne D. Granger ... 2017 Cliff Grassmick.........2016 Dianne Green ........... 2008 Larry Green..............2011 Gary Greene.............2018 Karen Gregg.............2007 Will Gregorak...........2011 Joan Gregorson........2015 Mary Ann Grim........2014 Diane Groff...............2018 K.C. Groves...............2008 Kara Guggenmos.....2007 Mark Guitridge.........2018 Don Haddad..............2008 Lacey Haddock.........2011 Lindey Haddock.......2011

Ralph Hardesty.........2018 Pat Hains...................2018 Bob Hajek ................. 2007 Justin Hall..................2015 Scott Hamlin.............2011 Cheryl Hammond....2015 Darrell Hammond....2015 Helen Hanna.............2016 Richard Hansen........2007 Eylsia Hardinand......2007 Schriee Harding.......2016 Carol Hardy .............. 2007 Greg Harris...............2018 Jennifer Harris..........2018 Kris Harris................2018 Terri Harroun...........2018 Clark Harshbarger...2017 Please see 100, 56

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 55

Jalali Hartman...........2015 David G. Hartman....2017 Liberta Hattel............2007 Mike Hattel...............2007 Barbara Hau..............2015 David Hauger............2007 Carrie Haverfield ..... 2008 David G. Hawkins .... 2014 David Hayes..............2007 Betty Heath...............2011 Kathy Hedderman....2008 Matt Heidenfeld ....... 2007 Jacob Heilveil............2017 Lisa Helser................2018 Amy Heneghan.........2017 Bill Herring...............2007 Katie Herrmann ....... 2016 Megan Herron..........2015 Cynthia Hess.............2014 Bunk Hess.................2017 Jane Hill.....................2015 Ellen Hine ................. 2014 John Hix....................2018 Jesse Hodgson..........2007 Riley Holcomb..........2016 Margaret Hollander.2007 Danielle Holmes.......2018 Tom Honn.................2008 Dennis Hopper......... 2008 Kristi D. Hornick......2017 Eric Hozempa...........2011 Marilyn Hughes ....... 2016 Virginia Huppe.........2014 Becca Hyde...............2018 Gilliam Hyde.............2011 James Insogna..........2014 Greg Jackson............2007 Jeanne Jackson.........2007 Kayla Jackson...........2008 Doug Jackson........... 2017 Jay Jakosky ............... 2014 Georgia Jallo.............2018 Vivienne Jannatpour 2015 Gary L. Jefferson......2007 Robbin Jeri................2015 Reilly Jernigan..........2016 Amy Johnson............2018 Brian Johnson...........2008 Bridget Johnson.......2008 Brigitte Johnson.......2007 Bruce Johnson..........2015 Dave Johnson ........... 2011 Kelly Johnson........... 2007 LaVern Johnson........2007 Roberta Johnston.....2014 Brad Jolly .................. 2011 Amanda Jonas...........2016 Analiese Jones..........2017 Sandie Jones ............. 2017 Lisa Jordan................2008

Steven Joseph...........2018 Oscar Juarez-Luna....2018 Richard Juday...........2016 Riley Juenemann......2017 Jeffrey Justice...........2014 Leslie Kaczeus..........2014 Lucia Salomone........2018 Kaczeus.....................2011 Steve Kaczeus...........2014 Margaret Kamigaki..2007 Keith Kanemoto ....... 2008 Jacki Kapushion ....... 2018 Ann Kaven.................2016 George Keeler..........2008 Meagan Keen............2016 Andy Keller...............2008 Mackenzie Keller.....2017 Faye Kelley ............... 2015 Lucy Kelly.................2015 Gordon Kennedy......2007 Konni Keuter............ 2014 Aditya Khune............2018 Brian Kimball............2008 Bobby King...............2014 Kaleb Kircher...........2015 John Kirkpatrick.......2007 Deb Kitt.....................2014 Emily Knapp ............. 2018 Brandon Knudsen....2007 Julie Kocjancic..........2011 John Koehler.............2015 Jason Kokenzie.........2014 Stacy Kokenzie.........2014 Rob Kolanda..............2008 Linda Kopecky..........2017 Walker Korel.............2016 Linda Kozloff-Turner ....................................2015 Richard Kpogoh-Nark ....................................2016 Patrick Kramer.........2015 Terry Kroenung.......2011 Gay Kuhlman............2014 Christopher Kukich.2014 Chad Kupper.............2014 Ron Lamb..................2018 Josie Lamp ................ 2014 JoAnne Lamun..........2008 Gordon Laurens.......2016 Lee Lawson...............2015 Genaro Laynes..........2011 Thad Lear..................2011 Matt LeCerf .............. 2018 William Ledesma......2011 Elvira Lee..................2007 LoriLe Gault..............2017 Kathleem Leiding.....2011 Louise Leise..............2016 Dick Lentz.................2011 Maciel Leon..............2014

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Sarah Levison ........... 2011 Hal Levison...............2017 Diane Levy................2015 Gary Lewis................2008 Jan Lewis...................2015 Tim Lewis..................2008 Linda Liang...............2014 Qian Liang.................2007 Sue Linroth ............... 2017 Teresa Litman...........2017 Rita Liu ...................... 2017 Kay Lloyd..................2014 Marta Loachamin.....2018 Eric Lombardi...........2008 Nate Lord..................2015 Michael Loukonen...2015 Tonni Loutzenhiser..2017 Morgan Lu................2011 Lindy Lubbers .......... 2008 Tina Ludutsky-Taylor ....................................2008

Loan Maas.................2007 Nathan Maciejewski 2017 Casey Mackenzie.....2017 Mary Macomber......2014 Richard Macomber..2014 Keith MacPhail.........2017 Teresa MacPhail.......2017 Greg Macy................2016 Kathryn Mallot.........2008 Kim Manajek ............ 2018 Mark Mann...............2008 Shelley Mann............2008 Sophia Manning.......2015 Craig Mansanares....2007 Jane Marcus..............2017 Gary Markowitz....... 2014 Sonia Marquez..........2018 Alan Marschke......... 2016 Stephanie Martin......2007 Debbie Martinez......2016 Sharmaine Martinez 2015

Shauntina Martinez . 2016 Erik Mason ............... 2011 Rachel Mau...............2016 Gordon Mauck ......... 2008 Scott Mayfield...........2011 Jimmie McCaffree....2016 Pat McCarthy........... 2014 Frances McCarty ..... 2018 Laura McConnell......2011 Angie McCreavey.....2016 Emily McLean .......... 2007 Wendy McMillan......2017 Dr. Joe Meckle..........2015 Miguel Medina.........2014 Vijay Mehra .............. 2007 Eric Meiers...............2016 Joe Mejia...................2017 Olimpia Mejia ........... 2018 Joaquin Melendez....2011 Eliberto Mendoza .... 2014 Please see 100, 57

David Merrill............2015 Sue Mesch ................ 2011 Molly Metz................2007 Jesse Michaels..........2016 Mark Michels...........2008 John Mieras..............2017 Chris Miller...............2008 Ken Miller.................2008 Neil Miller.................2007 Sean Miller................2018 Seth Miller ................ 2016 Skip Miller.................2015 Esther Mills .............. 2016 Mark Mills ................ 2011 Holly Milne...............2016 David Minaya............2016 Jay Minaya................ 2016 Carmen Mireles ....... 2016 Jim Mitchell..............2008 Iria Isabel .................. 2018 Montanes Paz...........2015 David Montgomery . 2007 Mike Monticello.......2015 Annie Moore.............2011 Jenna Moore.............2018 Joanie Moore............2014 Linda Moore.............2008 Mary Lou Moore......2007 Scott Moore.............. 2007 Marta Moreno..........2015 Ashlyn Morganfield.2018 Sadao Mori................2018 Chuck Morris...........2014 Ron Morrow Jr..........2011 Warren Morrow.......2018 Dianne Moses...........2007 Steve Moskal ............ 2015 Felipe Mosqueda......2016 Victoria Moul............2018 Bronwyn Muldoon...2015 Deanne Mulvihill......2016 Kurt Munding...........2016 December Murillo....2016 Mike Murphy............2011 Isabella Musser........2011 Wendi Nafziger.........2015 Aaron Nagell.............2016 Clinton Nash.............2007 Bill Nelson.................2011 Tim Nelson............... 2008 Betty Ann Newby.....2014 Jewel Ng....................2016 Parker Nicholas........2018 Cary Nickolls............2015 Geoffrey Nicosia ...... 2016 Ann Noble.................2017 Bobbie Jo Noblin......2008 Michele Noel-King...2018 Jim Nordhougen ...... 2015 John Norling.............2015

Jef Norton ................. 2016 Bill Nugent................2015 Nick O’Connor..........2015 Stephanie O’Connor.2015 The Rev. Carol GanSho O’Dowd.......2011 Carol O’Meara..........2007 David Obvchowski...2016 Chris Olberding ....... 2017 Silvia Olivas...............2008 Jason Olson...............2007 Michael O’Neil..........2017 Tony Onorato............2007 Valerie Otero.............2008 Allen Overton........... 2007 Stan Owens...............2014 Chris Parr..................2008 Bruce Partain ........... 2016 Audrey Partipilo.......2017 Darcy Pasko..............2016 Rashmita Patel..........2018 Bray Patrick-Lake.....2008 Gina Patterson..........2016 Paula Peacock...........2008 Clay Peck .................. 2014 Gordon Pedrow........2007 Joe Pelle .................... 2011 Adam Pena................2018 Marci Perrotto..........2007 Lea Peshock..............2015 Payton Peterson ....... 2011 Brad Phelps...............2007 Olivia Phillips............2011 Sam Piper..................2018 Julia Pirnack ............. 2018 Tom Plant..................2008 Steve Podel................2008 Norm Poll..................2007 Jack Pommer............2008 Dr. Mary Poole.........2016 Debi Pope..................2008 Anne Postle...............2014 Ray Potter..................2011 Steve Powers.............2017 John Poynton............2007 OJ. Pratt.....................2007 Kevin Puckett ........... 2016 Kerry Leigh Pugh....2008 Simon Quince...........2014 Jennifer Quinn..........2018 Dawn Quintana.........2015 Vern Raben................2017 Doug Rademacher...2007 Carmen Ramirez ..........................2008, 2014 Ray Ramirez..............2014 Ricky Ramos.............2018 Ellen Ranson ..........................2007, 2018 Helen Rayl.................2007

Ben Ready.................2011 Darrin Reese.............2018 Rick Reiten................2008 Dawn Reiter..............2015 Regina Renaldi..........2011 Heather E. Reszka....2008 Mary Reynolds.........2011 Brian Rezac...............2014 Nancy Rezac ............. 2007 Larissa Rhodes......... 2018 Nancy Rich................2016 Dick Richards...........2008 Wendy Richards ....... 2008 Loretta Richter..........2011 Stacie Richter............2007 Alma Rico..................2014 Dudley Rider.............2007 Janet Rider ................ 2007 Brenda Ridgley.........2016 Bobby Ridnour ......... 2015

Ted Risk .................... 2016 Karlo Rivera..............2018 Michael Roberts.......2014 Glenda S. Robinson..2014 Jose Rodriguez-Lopez ....................................2016 John Rogers..............2015 Robyn Rogers........... 2007 Patty Rollberg...........2017 Benny Romero..........2014 Joshua Romero.........2017 Karen Roney.............2008 Stephen Ross............ 2014 Mary Rose.................2018 D’Anne Rudden........2015 Kandis Rulle..............2016 Phoenix Sagen..........2014 Edwina Salazar ......... 2011 Adalberto Salcido Silva..............2007

Carol Salter...............2011 Lorynda Sampson....2015 Rick Samson ............. 2017 Tony Santelli.............2018 Gabe Santos..............2011 Bob Sargent..............2007 Jeff Satur ................... 2011 Anna Sauer................2014 Sameer Sawant.........2007 Monique Sawyer-Lang..............2015 Jennifer Scheidies....2011 Mark W. Schell.........2017 Traude Schneider.....2015 Ralph Schnelvar........2016 Pete Schones ............ 2014 Terry Schueller........2011 Clayton Schultz.........2007 Katie Schultz.............2015 Please see 100, 58

COMMUNITY REVIEW • JUNE 30, 2019 • 57

Janice Schumacher..2008 Steve Schwartzenberger....2007 Joe Scott....................2008 Sean Scott..................2015 Susan Scruggs..........2016 Sandra Seader...........2016 Melissa Seipelt..........2014 Brandon Shaffer.......2011 Nirav Shah ................ 2017 Susan Shaheen......... 2017 Mike Shea.................2011 Jeff Sherman.............2008 Dale Sherrod ............ 2018 Vince Shryack..........2015 Dan Siddal.................2014 Lenny Sigwarth........2014 Ralph Silkonson........2015 Dan Simmons........... 2017 Deborah Simmons...2017 Bonnie Sims..............2011 Bobbi Sindelar..........2018 Daman Singh............2016 Josh Sipfle.................2014 Annie Sirotniak.........2011 Matthew B. Skaggs..2015 Todd Skaw.................2018 Gretchen Skony........2015 Donna Smith.............2015 Ladon Smith..............2007 Logan Smith..............2016 Sonny Smith..............2007 The Rev. Felicia SmithGraybeal..........2017 Richard Socash.........2016 Sharon Socher..........2007 Paul Sorensen...........2011 Tyler Sorensen.........2014 Jesus Soto..................2017 Stacie Speirs..............2017 Amulya Srivastava....2014 Johnnie St. Vrain.......2007 Tommy Stager..........2017 Brandon Staple.........2018 Chris Steele...............2007 Josh Stegmeier.........2016 Sherri Stephens-Carter ....... 2008 Archie Stevenson ..... 2015 Una Stevenson..........2015 Jason Stillman...........2014 Carolyn Storz............2011 Anthony Stout...........2008 Dave Stout.................2018 Diane Stow................2017 Juanita Straight.........2008 Garrett Struessel......2017 Claire Studholme......2018 Tom Stumpf .............. 2008 Wes Sugden..............2015

Cindy Sullivan...........2015 Bridget Sutton .......... 2011 Jul Swan.....................2011 Whitney Swander.....2014 Sean Swarner............2007 Connie Syferd...........2011 Shirley Borrego........2018 Tackett.......................2017 John Taft....................2014 SaToro Tafura...........2018 Nancy Tanaka...........2018 John “Jaytee” Tanguma ................... 2011 Gale Taylor................2018 Teresa Taylor Tate...2016 Ana Temu..................2014 Troy Terry................2011 Rachael Teufel..........2014 Sophanna Thann ...... 2016 Jackson Theis...........2018 Byron Thomas..........2017 Ed Thompson...........2008 Eric Thorin................2008 Frank Tiff..................2014 Paul Tiger..................2017 Derek Todd...............2008 Ejay Toledo...............2017 Michelle Tran...........2018 Robert Trujillo..........2007 Delaney Tureson......2018 Linda Tyler................2007 Marijke Unger..........2018 Donna Valentine.......2008 Jay E. Valusek...........2018 Sally Van Meter........ 2014 Diana VanDeHey......2016 Nate Vanderschaaf...2008 Ezequiel Vasquez ..... 2008 Meinte Veldhuis ....... 2015 Rebekah Vicknair.....2016 Garian Vigil...............2014 Maria Villagran.........2014 Rebecca Vincent.......2014 Ron Vogel..................2014 Eugene Waara...........2011 Dave Wagner............ 2011 Francine Wahlgren .. 2015 Hannah Waldron ...... 2016 Nelson Walker..........2017 Kiki Wallace..............2007 Jennifer Love Walter 2017 Gail Ward .................. 2008 David Edwin Ward...2017 Pam Ware..................2011 Katherine Weadley...2015 Wendy Weathers ...... 2017 Kenzie Webb.............2018 Michelle Webb..........2017 Ashley Weber............2016 Patti Weber................2007

58 • JUNE 30, 2019 • COMMUNITY REVIEW

Amy Weed.................2011 Jim Weglarz...............2018 Aidan Wegner...........2015 Shawn Wentz ............ 2017 Patti West.................. 2016 Sydney Wetterstrom 2016 Valerie Whatley ........ 2016 Myron Whisman ...... 2008 Mike Whiteley..........2008 Michelle Whitmore..2017 Ryan Wibby .............. 2018 Ken Wicklund...........2008 Eric Wiggs................2018

Jeff Wilkes ................ 2011 John Williams...........2008 Serena Williams ....... 2011 Fred Wilson..............2016 Gemma Wilson.........2018 Ruth Wilson..............2015 Greg Winger.............2015 Ernie Wintergerst....2016 Sarah Wise................2014 Ariel Wishkovsky.....2018 Cheryl Witt...............2015 Terry Witty...............2007 Dan Wolford..............2008

Dr. Jane Wolford.......2011 Richard Wolniewicz..2014 Connor Wood............2018 Diane Wood ..........................2008, 2014 Peter Wood ............... 2018 PiperAnne Worcester..................2018 Jose Quiroz Yanez....2017 Jude Yedidovich........2017 Skye Yedidovich.......2017 Kyle Zimmer.............2014 Susan Zimmerman...2008

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