Looking Back Remembering Friends
Christmas cards from friends and relatives always make me happy. I’ve lost many friends over the past few years, one of the best was my pal Mort Marks who I spoke with almost every day. We hashed over politics, football, the stock market and our kids. Recently I’ve heard from two of my Craig high school classmates. Bill Conway was my best friend who I shared my high school days with. He graduated from BYU, joined the LDS Church, and became a college professor in Rexburg, Idaho. My class valedictorian Jerry Stamps graduated from CU and became a United Airline pilot. He recently fell and broke his neck but is recovering at his home in Phoenix. He recently sent me his father’s car key chain with the inscription “Watson Motor Company.” Seems his father purchased a new Ford car from Mildred Watson who ran the local Ford dealership. He wanted me to have the memento from his days in Craig. I escorted his high school girlfriend B.J. Trouth to Colorado A&M in my car to start our freshman year. During our sophomore year the school became Colorado State University in 1956. B.J. and Jerry drifted apart and she married a university professor and now resides in Florida. We all keep in touch.
One of the finest past Christmas cards ever received was from U.S. Senator Bill Armstrong with a photo of his entire family. Bill never forgot his friends and his son Wil and wife Kristy still carry on Bill’s legends as a great leader and savior of Colorado Christian University, now ultra successful. Wil is chairman of the CCU board. I missed Wil’s recent office party but hope to see him in 2026.
IN LOOKING BACK from newspaper clippings and The Denver Post I’ve saved some clippings of acquaintances and memories of friendships made with Gerri and I and The Villager newspaper…we’ve met a lot of wonderful people during our career with this newspaper. Here are a few memories of departed friends: “Chet” Tarrant who was a wonderful neighbor who I would breakfast with and share an occasional beverage. We cherished our good neighbor who was a delight with his many jokes. Another friend to be admired was fellow “Aggie” Eddie Robinson. He was a legendary “milkman” with his brother Dick who owned and operated Robinson Dairy for decades. At one time The Jewish News related Robinson Dairy delivered 180,000 half-pints of milk to schools every day. Both of these men were honored last February receiving the coveted “Citizens of The West” Award. Eddie was an avid Villiager newspaper reader, and I would often meet and greet him at social events. He was named “The Villager Man of The Year” in 1997. Another notable was “Robby” Norwood, a local Republican who served as a Regent at The University of Colorado. He was a DU graduate and always had a smile on his face. His obituary from his family quotes Abrahan Lincoln, “And in the end, it’s not the years in a life, it is the life in the years.” Robby’s life is a testament to resilience, dedication and love. And we have very fond memories of DTC titans, John Madden Jr. and Buz Koelbel who were major developers and great citizens. They had great life in their years!
It is a pleasure and honor to meet many interesting citizens with so many different interests and occupations. America is a great land of opportunity, and many successful people start at the bottom and rise to the top with perseverance and very hard work known as “Sweat Equity.”
Happy New Year!