A KOTO Radio Show, called Grape Moments, in which Lynn Rae Lowe interviews Lucy Boody. Lucy came to Telluride in 1972--the first year that the ski are opened, from Staten Island, New York. Lucy was looking for a smaller community and she loved to ski. Lynn and Lucy then discuss Lucy's teen years as a cheerleader, ice skater, etc.. Boody wanted to leave Staten Island and go west, but she didn't know exactly where. She saw Telluride's canyon and loved it, so she decided to move to Telluride. In 1972, Telluride was only a town of about 600 people. Lucy's first job was as a janitor at Bay Lodge. She then became a lift operator. She has also been a dog catcher and has held many different jobs trying to survive in Telluride. She mentions that there was a housing problem in 1972. Most of the homes were boarded up, and Lucy and her friends went to the accessor's office to get address of about 18 boarded up homes to write to the owners, requesting that they be allowed to rent their homes. Of the 18 letters that she wrote, she got three responses. One of the responses was a yes and that's how she came to rent a home in Telluride.
Lucy then describes her ski curtesy job. She would ski around and assist people with first aid, races, ski instruction and any complaints. Next, Boody describes her job as a dog catcher. She mentions it was challenging because the van that the dog catchers drove had a hole in it that would whistle when the engine was reved. So, all of the dogs would hear the dog catchers before they were in their area, and take off!
Lucy's next career was in real estate. She applied as a secretary and realized this would be a good fit for her after she bought a home. This was in 1978 or 1979.
Real estate prices were sky rocketing and if one was lucky enough to be able to afford a home, their home values would double the following year. Lucy discusses the bad reputation that real estate agents have in Telluride.
Lucy is now the Chamber of Commerce president. Lynn and Lucy discuss how the chamber has helped to increase tourism in Telluride through advertising/marketing.
Can Telluride survive without a ski resort? Lucy believes probably, to an extent. But she believes Telluride needs a variety of activities to attract tourists with different interests.
What's next for Lucy? She was recently married and would like to focus on her home life and family.
At the end of this recording, for about 15 minutes, is an unknown show.
Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration
