Published: Nov. 10, 2020

Shakespeare Festival

Shakespeare at CU

Your summer issue arrived at a most welcome time for those of us older Buffs who have been mostly staying at home. I loved the nostalgic photos and was especially moved by Sarah Kuta鈥檚 article on the Shakespeare festival.

Shortly after my family moved to Boulder in 1957, we started attending those outdoor productions, and the accompanying 16mm film presentations in the Forum auditorium. Although my brothers and I didn鈥檛 at first appreciate all the dialogue, we liked the sword fights.

I would also like to say hi to Sam Sandoe (BioChem, Thtr鈥80). Your father Jim was a remarkable man, who besides his work on the festival was responsible for making the acquisitions at Norlin Library. His class in comedy, which I took my senior year, is one of the two or three educational experiences I had at CU that I think back on the most often.

Lawrence Chadbourne (颁濒补蝉蝉鈥70)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Please pass along to Sam Sandoe (BioChem, Thtr鈥80) how much I treasured, and still treasure, my freshman year, five-day-a-week classes with his amazing father. Dressed in jeans and a jeans work shirt, he introduced us to a world outside the Hellems classroom. The buttoned-down world of high school was nothing like this. I can still remember some of the questions on his final exam, and the license his assignments gave us to see connections. He inspired us to travel through books 鈥 we read a lot of history 鈥 and planes. We saw many of the paintings we studied during our 11-week, 鈥淓urope-on-$5鈥 adventure 鈥 the first of about 20 times to cross the Pond.听

After my 32 years teaching English, my wife and I co-produced a PBS show on the Marshall Plan, and that took us to work for the State Department on the renovation of the Talleyrand in Paris. I鈥檝e had many bracing experiences; James Sandoe鈥檚 classes were first.听

Eric Christenson (Edu, Engl鈥60)
Southern Pines, North Carolina


Phi Kappa Tau, 1950s

In the summer issue of the Coloradan, I noticed a letter, 鈥淪pring of 1946,鈥 written by Ruth Duffy Hirsch (A&S鈥49). I am a Phi Kappa Tau member, having gone active in March 1953. I lived in the fraternity house for over three years. The house mother in the article was my house mother as well, and this letter serves to make a slight correction. The house mother鈥檚 name is Mrs. Rose 鈥淥wens,鈥 not Mrs. Rose, and she preferred to be called 鈥淢other Owens.鈥

She was a wonderful woman with whom I was very close, and who, during her term as house mother, ran a very tight ship and was highly respected. She grew up in Leadville in the late 1800s during some violent times, saw many bloody occurrences and had no appreciation for firearms.听

Thanks to Ms. Hirsch for the article.

James Berger (惭驳尘迟鈥56)
Colorado Springs


Picture Perfect听Coloradan cover

I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the cover art on the Summer 2020 issue. Two seconds after retrieving the issue from my mailbox, I was immediately transported back to my dorm room in Cockerell Hall. Cockerell Hall is located directly across the quad from Aden Hall, so the art depicted is exactly the view I feasted on for nearly two years from my dorm room. 听

Even today, 41 years after my graduation, this is the view in my mind鈥檚 eye when I think of the years I spent in Boulder. Great memories!听

Chris Glasow (滨苍迟濒础蹿鈥79)
Broadlands, Virginia

Oh how I appreciated the 鈥淭hinking of You鈥 postcards in the Summer Coloradan. The postcard picturing the bridge over Varsity Lake is special to me. What decades of student experience the bridge could tell us.

The bridge was the route to Norlin Library study hours, dances in the Glenn Miller Ballroom, Saturday football at Folsom Field. It was the place of Greek pledge sneaks. The meetings of Hysperia, the Junior Women鈥檚 Honor Society. The clandestine passing of class notes and exam questions. The snow and slush walks to January final exams. And many a late-night romantic kiss.

Students crossed the bridge to the world of ideas, challenges of thinking and learning, the opening of young minds. From the chrysalis of learning, students crossed the bridge into adult life. Decades of grads took with them fond memories of the bridge and gratitude for a CU education.

Judith Hannemann (础&补尘辫;厂鈥57)
Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Old Main postcardMy husband and I are both alumni and we always enjoy reading the Coloradan. We especially enjoyed this issue鈥檚 鈥淭hinking of You,鈥 when we noticed the picture of the Old Main postcard. Just a couple of years ago, we discovered this same postcard in some belongings of Ruth Platt, my husband鈥檚 paternal grandmother who resided in Wyoming and Boulder in the early 1900s. Ruth鈥檚 son Lester (A&S鈥53); her grandson, my husband Lester (EnvDes鈥83); and great-grandson Trevor (AeroEng鈥20) are all graduates of CU.听

This year when our daughter Cori (Mktg鈥23) began her college career, we gave her this postcard as a reminder of her family鈥檚 connection to Boulder and CU and she displayed it on her desk in her dorm room.听

Kim Willson (颁颈惫贰苍驳谤鈥96)
Lakewood, Colorado听


University Pride

Thank you for continuing to send the Coloradan. I read every one and have saved them as well. The photos and the articles are outstanding and make me proud to be an alum. I graduated in 1965, so I remember Paul Danish (Hist鈥65) well and always look for his column. Please keep the same format.

Sally Adams O鈥機onnor (贰诲耻鈥65)
East Hartland, Connecticut听


The Connection听

Connection bowling alley neon signI was the game room manager and assistant director [of The Connection] from 1974 to 1980. I succeeded long-time manager Larry Burkett. I was hired by Jim Schafer, the student union director, immediately upon my graduation in 1974.

Old connection bowling alley New connection bowling alley

The Connection, then and now

Before I became assistant director, we modernized it along with having a naming contest. Therein is how The Connection got its name. 鈥淭he Connection,鈥 said it all 鈥 a place to connect with friends and family.

We had a lot of fun remodeling and modernizing the area. We brought in graphics, colors and lights, which brightened up the area with life. We were able to get permission to add 3.2 beer. Needless to say 鈥 that was a big hit 鈥 it drew in beer drinkers and added to the atmosphere of fun.听

We also brought in nationally known pool trick shot artists as another way to promote the game room. It was a fun job, and a vital part of the student experience. We hosted the ACLU games on numerous occasions.

It appears from the Coloradan that The Connection has been taken to yet another level, all for the enjoyment of students and patrons.听

Mike Nunnery (笔辞濒厂肠颈鈥74)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

I was a member of the UMC Board during my time at CU. After dinner at the Alferd Packer Grill and our meetings on Tuesday evenings, the whole board would go bowing at The Connection. Both staff and student members participated. The prize for each member of the winning team was a 50-cent can of pop bought by the losing team members from a machine located on a landing of the main stairway. I live in Boulder and still bowl at The Connection sometimes!

Kate Carroll Schmid (Anth, Ger鈥92)
Boulder