People
Collection for person entities.
Pages
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- Ken Williams
- A surveyor who worked for the U.S. General Land Office under the supervision of Charles "Frank" Merrill.
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- Kenneth Allen "Ken" Binam
- He was born in Grand Junction, Colorado to Wilson Kenneth Binam and Geraldine Pearl (Wells) Binam. His father was a World War II veteran who died in 1967, when Ken was thirteen years old. He grew up in Fruita and attended Fruita Elementary School and Fruita Junior High School. He attended Fruita Monument High School from 1969 to 1970, where he played football. His grandfather owned land on the Colorado River, and he grew up playing outside near the river. When he was sixteen, his family moved to Arvada and he attended Arvada Junior Senior High School and then Arvada Senior High, graduating in 1972. During high school he worked as a gas station attendant, a stock boy at Kmart, and as a plumber’s helper. Due to relationship problem’s with his stepfather, he enlisted in the United States Navy on April 13, 1973. His uncle, an important influence in Ken’s life after his father’s death, was a factor in his decision to join the Navy. He attended basic training in San Diego, Damage Control Training on Treasure Island, and Ship Fitting School in San Diego. He was stationed on board the U.S.S. Durham. His ship went on a WestPac mission to the Phillippines, where they engaged in training exercises with the Phillippine Navy. In March 1975, his ship was sent to Vietnam to pick up refugees that were fleeing the North Vietnamese Army. In early April, he played an active part in assisting refugees as they boarded the ship at Phan Rang, and in helping them with basic necessities once on the ship. After these operations, his ship left Vietnam. It returned to San Diego for fifteen months before again cruising to the Phillippines. He was discharged from the Navy in April 1977. After his service, he lived in Denver for 2 years. He had married Cinthia Gibbons. They divorced in 1977. He married Connie Rae Kendall in Mesa County in 1981. They had children. At the time of his interview in 1984, he had been laid off from his position as a maintenance mechanic at the Pabco plant near Fruita. He was a member of the North American Hunting Club and a secretary for the local American Legion. *Photograph from the 1972 Arvada High School yearbook