Notes from the Class of 1950

Reaching a milestone, Littleton, Colo., residents Morley Robinson (CivEngr’50) and wife Dolores celebrated 65 years of marriage. Morley was an aerospace engineer for 38 years, working on several space projects, including the shuttle. His most vivid CU memory was in 1947 when his professor, Roland Rautenstraus, was nearly struck by lightning while teaching his class about transit scopes. Morley’s grandfather hauled freight by a mule-pulled wagon to CU in the 1890s. His CU pride has continued as his three children and three grandchildren attended the university.

Recalling his days on campus, Dixon, N.M., resident Doug Nelson (Geog’50) mailed a copy of a photo of the CU football team boarding one of their first flights to an away game. The team posed in front of the United Airlines plane on Oct. 2, 1947, before they flew to New York to play Army at West Point. Doug estimates that about half of the team were returning GIs. While the team’s wins that year were not as high as desired, Doug notes that the team’s camaraderie was strong, especially under players like Stan Hendrickson (Econ’47) and Bob Spicer (Jour’50).

In 1948 David Bolen (Mktg’50, MS’50) competed in the Olympics in London and was the first CU student to compete in the games. He received fourth place in the 400-meters. “It made me feel good to be the first CU student as an Olympian,” he told the Daily Camera in July. David resides in Scottsdale, Ariz. Read about him on pages 26-27 in this issue.

CU couple Oluf Nielsen (ArchEngr’50) and Barbara Rauch Nielsen (ArchEngr’50) appeared in The Denver Post in September showcasing their home in Denver’s Harvey Park. Oluf and Barbara have lived in the home for 56 years where they raised five kids.

World War II veteran Norman Jaramillo (IntlAf’50) and his wife Florence Jaramillo write that their two grandchildren are avid chess players who played in national chess tournaments in Nashville, Tenn., in April. Norman and Florence look forward to celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on Oct. 6, 2013. The couple lives in Valley Stream, N.Y.

Art collector Henry Roath (Mktg’50, Law’53) gave 50 of his prized possessions of Western art to the Denver Art Museum. His gifts include “Sunset, Green River Butte” by Thomas Moran and “Landscape with Indian Camp” by Ernest Blumenschein. His donation added nearly 10 percent to the museum’s Western art collection, increasing its importance. Henry is a retired lawyer and banker and lives in Greenwood Village, Colo.

The Pacific Northwest section of the Society for Range Management honored environmental scientist William H. Rickard (Btny; MS’53) for his dedication to the study and preservation of Washington’s shrubsteppe ecosystem. In 1967, William worked with the Department of Energy to set aside a portion of land in southeastern Washington as space for shrub-steppe vegetation research, and in 1971 he was instrumental in the designation of the 77,000-acre Arid Lands Ecology Reserve, now known as the Rattlesnake Hills Resource Natural Area. William serves as a senior research scientist with Environmental Assessment Services, a company based in Washington. He specializes in vegetation restoration. A prolific writer, he has published more than 80 scientific articles and papers.

The Board of Directors of the Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society has awarded Bill Rickard Jr. (Btny; MA’53) and his wife Barbara Rickard (Zool’52; MA’57) lifetime memberships in recognition of their contributions to the establishment of the society. The couple lives in Richland, Wash.