When Greenwood Village resident David Van Wagener was paralyzed from the chest down after a ski accident four years ago, he became an inspiration to others by concentrating instead on what he was able to do.
As quickly as he could, he resumed his chemical-engineering studies at Bucknell University, graduating with high honors and serving as one of the commencement speakers.
He’s now working on his Ph.D. at the University of Texas in Austin but will return home Aug. 18 for the fifth annual David Van Wagener Spinal Cord Fund Scotch & Cigar Evening at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen.
Tickets are $150 and include dinner; samples of premium scotch; the chance to bid in silent and live auctions and remarks from Dr. Stephen Davies of the University of Colorado at Denver. Fine cigars will be provided to those who choose to smoke them outside the dinner area.
Dr. Stephanie Clements is the emcee, and notes that proceeds go toward the work of several of the world’s leading spinal cord injury researchers.
For details, call Vandy Van Wagener, 303-694-6351 or e-mail DavidSCI
Some yummy news
Epicurean Catering is now the exclusive caterer and concessionnaire for the Helen G. Bonfils Theatre Complex.
Owner Larry DiPasquale is thrilled. “This allows us to continue to employ the brightest special event professionals and the best chefs the industry has to offer,” he says.
Epicurean had already been signed to cater the dinner that is part of the Aug. 24 “Little Mermaid” gala chaired by Breckenridge Mayor Ernie Blake and his wife, Sharon Magness Blake. Guests that night will include 18 Children’s Hospital Ambassadors, whose tickets are being paid for by gala sponsor Cadillac.
You should also know
Metro Volunteers is in the process of lining up 1,000 folks willing to lend a hand on Aug. 4, 8 and 9 as Manual High School prepares to reopen. Tasks will include painting, landscaping and graffiti removal; volunteers must be at least 14 years old and will receive a T-shirt and refreshments for their efforts. Sign up at metrovolun
… Tattered Cover owner Joyce Meskis is the speaker for an Aug. 16 brunch benefiting the University of Denver Women’s Library Association and Friends of Penrose Library. It begins at 9:30 a.m. at Glenmoor Country Club and the $30 tickets can be purchased from Barbara Powers, 303-871-3405 … 150 participants in the I Have a Dream Foundation were in Denver this weekend for a national conference that gave many their first exposure to things like airplane rides and life outside the inner city. The conference was held on the Auraria campus, and activities included a wilderness hike led by members of the Colorado I Have a Dream student-mentoring program.
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Even more memorable
For only the second time in 39 years, rain prevented the Summer Debutante Ball from taking place under a starlit sky. The downpour came as quite a surprise – Fox-31 meteorologist Chris Dunn, the ball’s master of ceremonies, couldn’t find even a hint of rain when he examined the computer models the day before – and after waiting an hour for the storm to pass, a decision was made to move the presentation from the original al fresco setting into the gigantic tent that had been set up for the dinner-and-dancing segment of the evening. Read more about the ball at .
