Mary Louise Starkey runs a business based on the “standards of professionalism.”
She calls herself the “First Lady of Service” and founded the Starkey International Institute for Household Management.
The school trains butlers, private chefs, household assistants and estate managers in the Starkey Mansion, which the web site says is “a gracious one-hundred-year-old Georgian Mansion in the heart of Denver near the Colorado State Capitol building and the Governor’s Mansion.”
But a student says Starkey lost her cool, and now the 58-year-old businesswoman is being investigated for second-degree assault.
Starkey, 58, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly injuring a student’s neck in February at the mansion at 1350 N. Logan St. She was released on a $35,000 bond.
“It’s so wrong,” Starkey said Thursday. “I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing for 27 years. This is a business-related thing.”
When asked specifically about the facts of the case she said she was unable to comment.
Her web site says Starkey’s “personal contributions to the industry have been hailed on the front page of the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and ABC’s Life of Luxury, and featured in notable publications such as Town and Country Magazine and Forbes Magazine as setting the standard for the profession. She has also been seen on CNN and MSNBC, 2-0/20, the BBC, and German, French and Dutch television, as well as being hailed in the London Times, and in the Italian Republica.”
But the student, Lisa Kirkpatrick, told police not-so-glowing tale.
She said that on Feb. 7 at 11:30 a.m. Starkey passed her in the hallway of the mansion as Kirkpatrick was changing from her chef coat into “business attire” in preparation for a formal picture.
She said Starkey said in a loud voice: “I already told you 20 times not to have your picture taken until you have had your hair done.”
The suspect allegedly slapped Kirkpatrick on the arm and said, “Now do you understand me?”
Telling her she wanted Kirkpatrick to look gorgeous for the picture, Starkey allegedly grabbed her by the neck and “dragged” her to a mirror, screaming at her about her unacceptable appearance. According to the court record, Starkey continued to shake Kirkpatrick and “growled: Now do you get it.”
Dr. David McCord of Denver Health Medical Center reported that Kirkpatrick suffered a cervical disc injury and was at risk of permanent disfigurement, the court report says.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
