Friends and colleagues from different stages of Lakewood City Manager Mike Rock‘s life gathered Thursday at the Gold Crown Fieldhouse to send him off into retirement.
Rock, 60, led Lakewood for 17 years, an unheard-of tenure for city managers. He is credited with transforming decaying Villa Italia into Belmar, opening up the Denver Federal Center for development, attracting the city’s first hospital — St. Anthony, which will relocate from Denver — and paving the way for the Colorado Mills mall.
“I think we’ve done a pretty good job,” he told the crowd.
Rock and his wife, Trish, have a home in Crested Butte, and their horses will be just down the road. Rock said he will spend his time hunting, skiing and being “the perfect grandfather.”
Greg Stevinson, chief executive of Denver West Realty, praised Rock for bringing economic development to Lakewood. Among those on hand were Jeffco Schools Superintendent Cindy Stevenson; Jeff co clerk Pam Anderson; Anderson’s mom, Norma, the former state senator; former Mayor Steve Burkholder; current Mayor Bob Murphy; Jeffco Commissioner Kevin McCasky; and Preston Gibson, head of the Jefferson Economic Council.
Succeeding Rock is Kathy Hodgson, who has worked for the city for 29 years, including the last nine years as community-resources director.
Rock said he wants his legacy to be that of a “a good dad, a good person and a good grandpa.”
Taylor’s turn.
Terri Taylor, business-programs and events manager for the Denver law firm Holme Roberts & Owen, traded her button-down work garb for glad rags Sunday night when she attended the Emmy Awards at Phil An schutz‘s LA Live in Los Angeles.
“Here’s one thing that struck me as funny,” she said in an e-mail. “It is just as hard to get celebs in their seats as it is at the (Denver Metro) Chamber lunch or the (Downtown Denver) Partnership dinner. Celebs are apparently just as eager to network and visit as community and business leaders.”
Taylor took her turn on the red carpet, where she nearly rubbed elbows with Jon Hamm, Adrian Grenier, Jack McBrayer, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Amy Poehler.
Meadery man.
Redstone Meadery is featured in the CNN segment “Small Business Success,” airing on Headline News’ “Morning Express With Robin Meade” at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday.
The brief piece takes a look at the Boulder business that ferments honey into an alcoholic beverage. It was started by David Myers in 2000.
Double dipping.
Frank Schuchat, a Denver lawyer and stand-up comedian, sent me his latest thoughts on the economy: “Some economists now say we might have a double-dip recession. Since when did the economy become an ice-cream parlor? I’ll have a double-dip recession with chocolate sprinkles. And my friend will have some of that low-fat frozen credit.”
Eavesdropping.
A woman at Elway’s Cherry Creek: “I like a woman who wears St. John and swears.”
Penny Parker’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Listen to her on the Caplis and Silverman radio show between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-630 AM. Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.
