People
Collection for person entities.
Pages
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- David Stapleton
- It would be hard to think about Aspen without also thinking about David E. and Sigrid Stapleton, so seamlessly have they woven their presence into the fabric of what Aspen has been and is over the years. Both come from pioneer families, but from wildly divergent backgrounds. The year 1880 was when David’s great-grandfather Timothy came to Aspen from Leadville, and with a splash at that. He sired the first baby boy born in Aspen and homesteaded the ranch now home to Sardy Field. Sigrid came to town a little later, in 1952, the daughter of famed mountaineer Fred Braun, who is the namesake of the Alfred A. Braun Hut System. David spent part of his youth working on local Stapleton ranches and riding rodeo bareback broncs while Sigrid spent many summer days as a young woman helping her father build high mountain cabins. David was a junior racer with the Aspen Ski Club from 1945 to 1957. Those were the early years of local racing success, and in 1950–51 Stapleton, Max Marolt, Ted Armstrong, Tony Deane and John Thorpe—all native sons, qualified for the Junior National Championships, eventually held in Stowe, Vermont, after being rained out of Massachusetts. These folks could tell some tales of the earlier days in Aspen. Ten kids in Sigrid’s graduating class, eleven in David’s. Both families were leaders in community volunteering and it seemed just natural that David’s and Sigrid’s paths would eventually converge as one. David and Sigrid have been very active in the Aspen Ski Club, David serving on the board for more than twenty years, three as president. Sigrid helped the club raise money all through those years and along with Ruth Whyte, organized the 50th anniversary celebration for the Aspen Skiing Company, and the 50th and 60th anniversaries of the Aspen Ski Club. Sigrid played the organ at the Catholic Church for more than 40 years, was part of the hospital Blue Ladies for over 23 years, and is a past president of the Colorado State Hospital Volunteers of Colorado. She also volunteered as a Pitkin County librarian for many years, starting when the library was in the Wheeler Opera House, in the corner now occupied by Bentley’s. As a teenager, she was Judge William Shaw’s personal chauffeur, driving him to his mining claims up Independence Pass. She served on the first board of Roaring Fork Hospice. David was named the first World Cup ski race official from Aspen, and served as Chief of Race, Chief of Course, Race Chairman, TV Coordinator, Starter, Timer, Finish and Start Referee on every race—either regional F.I.S., Can-Am, Nor-Am, or World Cup—from 1968 until 1991. He served on Aspen City Council for two terms, chaired the Red Cross, is a past president of the Rocky Mountain Division of the United States Ski Association (USSA), is a past national vice-president of USSA, and was a member of Mountain Rescue and the Aspen Valley Hospital board. The list goes on for David and for Sigrid. This is but a cursory look at their credentials. In the tradition of Aspen families, David and Sigrid picked up the reins where and whenever things needed to be done, and got a lot accomplished. In the meantime, they raised five children and helped keep the family-owned insurance business going. It takes a lot of people to make Aspen the great community it is, but one cannot think about Aspen without acknowledging David and Sigrid Stapleton, both of whom have spent a lifetime displaying and living the indomitable spirit that makes Aspen a place to be proud of. —Biography by Tony Vagneur
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- David Stonewall "Dave" Hinkle
- He was born in Ada, Oklahoma to George W. Hinkle and Kansas E. (Morris) Hinkle. His father was a farmer and his mother was a homemaker. Dawes census records show that his mother was a member of the Choctaw Tribe, but that she lived on the Chickasaw reservation. George Hinkle also lived on the Chickasaw reservation prior to their marriage. Census records indicate that Dave completed the 8th grade. He came to Colorado by the early 1920’s, when he worked the peach harvests in Palisade. He also rode the rails, looking for work. He married Charlotte Ruby Livergood on July 28, 1928 in Delta County. The 1930 US Census shows them living in Delta with their daughter, with Dave working as a laborer in an ice plant. By 1940, he was the foreman of the Holly Sugar Company plant in Delta. He enlisted and served in the US Navy during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. He and Charlotte moved to Mesa County in 1946, where he owned and operated Hinkle Electric. He also owned and operated a rock show at 415 Pitkin Avenue. At the time of his death, he was operating a rock shop in his backyard.
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- David Sundal
- He grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado, where he attended Grand Junction High School and was a longtime town resident. He was a member and president of the Mesa County Historical Society, a presenter on Mesa County homes, buildings and architecture, and an interviewer for the Mesa County Oral History Project. He was a chemist by trade, but knew much about Mesa County's history and its people. *Photograph from the 1947 Grand Junction High School annual.
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- David Swersky
- David Swersky Following a degree in Biology from Lehigh University and a degree in Dental Medicine from University of Pennsylvania, David Swersky served in the Navy aboard the USS Enterprise. There his main jobs were providing dental care to the sailors and running a battle dressing station. Little did he know at the time that his training in mass casualty care and triage would become a major factor in his Aspen life. Shortly after arriving in Aspen in 1970, for what was to be one winter of skiing, David was made aware of a need for a volunteer science teacher at the newly formed alternative Community School, then located in the Physics Institute. He readily took that position and thereby started a pattern of volunteerism. In the mid-1970’s He served on the Citizen’s Advisory Board to evaluate transportation alternatives. From that group sprung what we now know as RFTA. In 2000, he served on the upper valley Citizen’s Task Force assessing more valley wide transportation issues. However, the thing that David said most enhanced his life in Aspen was, in 1980, joining Mountain Rescue Aspen at the urging of Richard Arnold. With his love of the backcountry, both summer and winter; and his military medical training, it was a perfect fit. He became one of the first group of Rescue Leaders under the tutelage of his friend Greg Mace and learned to organize and execute missions. When Greg tragically passed away, David realized that a lot of people would have to step up to fill that void. He served on the board and became president in the late 1980’s. Among his pet projects in MRA were teaching swift water rescue and being one of the founders and instructors of the Annual Avalanche Awareness Workshop, now in its 35 th year. Although his role in MRA has changed over the decades, David is still an active rescue leader. What is most important to him is the comradery and trust the MRA family displays. A while ago, an MRA friend invited David to help with the ropes course for Aspen Youth Experience which brought inner city kids to Aspen for mountaineering challenges; then used that experience as a metaphor for confronting their life challenges back home. He later was invited to join the Board. One day, at the base camp in Marble, a life enhancing event happened. David met his future wife, Geni King. Geni and her boys had been a host family for some of the AYE kids. Shortly thereafter, they joyfully blended their families of two girls, Alia and Toni, and two boys, Jonathan and Alex. They continued to host the kids until the program ended. David loves the ski huts. He has been on the Board of the Fred Braun Hut System for about 20 years. During this time, the original 6 huts have been upgraded and the spectacular Opa’s Hut has been built. David learned to be a silversmith in 1971 in a CMC class taught by master craftsman, Sandy Sanderson and soon taught the CMC class following Sandy’s passing. Then in 1973, he “hung his shingle” for the practice of dentistry. Several Aspen families are still patients that now span three generations, and some employees have lasted through the decades. The office motto has been “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” But David is often chided for his corny jokes and that the patients are not always in the best position to laugh. “I love small town living. I value the close friendships we develop here; walking into a restaurant in the offseason and knowing almost everyone; doing countless pro bono consultations on the Mall. The almost 50 years in the Roaring Fork Valley has been an incredible gift for me and my family and I am most thankful each and every day.”--Aspen Hall of Fame bio.
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- David Trumbo
- Born in Davenport Iowa, David Trumbo moved to Lafayette, CO in 1976 with his wife, Vicki Trumbo. David is a career-long pharmacist and has even owned two pharmacies that he later sold. He also served on the Lafayette City Council and Planning Commission from 1991 to 1997.