Phil Anschutz is as well-known for his desire to stay out of the public eye as he is for as an energy baron, real estate developer, railroad tycoon, art collector, sports team owner, film producer and philanthropist, but that’s not to say he isn’t a likeable guy.
He is, as evidenced on Monday night when a record 1,000 people gathered at the National Western Event Center for a dinner where Anschutz was honored as the 2015 Citizen of the West.
Master of ceremonies Hank Brown, a former U.S. Senator and Citizen of the West in 2008, described Anschutz as “The most generous person in history for all of Colorado and Wyoming. He has truly changed the world.”
“You don’t get a citizen grander or greater than Phil Anschutz,” observed Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. “Thank you for showing us what real humility is all about.”
For all his financial success — he’s currently No. 40 on the “Forbes 400” list of richest Americans — Anschutz isn’t one to trumpet his wealth.
He wears a Timex watch and carries the same briefcase as he did when he moved to Denver in the early 1960s to help run the energy business that his father, then in failing health, had started. His family and his faith are what he values most, says his daughter Sarah Hunt.
In a biography she wrote for the occasion, Hunt said her father “Loves to spend time at Hemingway, his beloved ranch; favors cowboy boots and LA Kings T-shirts; and believes that the best time of day is the hours before dawn. He has taught all of us the value of hard work, but also that a sense of humor is a great accessory.”
“All of us are so proud of him,” added his son, Christian. “Our mom, my sisters and especially his grandchildren.”
Given his aversion to the limelight, those organizing the dinner — arrangements committee chair Maggie Morrissey and steering committee leaders Tom Petrie and Court Wold — weren’t sure if Anschutz would choose to say anything beyond “thank you” after accepting the commemorative Stetson hat and branding iron from his sister, 2006 Citizen of the West Sue Anschutz-Rodgers.
But speak he did, delivering remarks that reflected his keen sense of humor.
He said he agreed to accept the award after his sister, who “Has been bossing me around since we were kids, came into my office, closed the door and said ‘You will do this.’ ” He also announced that the award gave him good reason to complete , “Out Where the West Begins.” Each table had a wrapped copy of the book as part of the decor; sales began Tuesday at the Tattered Cover.
Prior to sitting down to a sauerbraten and bundt cake dinner that was a tribute to Anschutz’s German heritage, guests enjoyed cocktails and fellowship in the event center’s paddock area.
Terrance Carroll, the first African-American to serve as speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives who is now assistant general counsel for the SCL Health System, was receiving congratulations on his appointment to the National Western Stock Show’s board of directors.
A cowboy at heart, Carroll, who turns 46 on Friday, said he has enjoyed the stock show for as long as he can remember. “I’ve always seen it as a two-week celebration of my birthday.”
Stock show president Paul Andrews joined board chair Ron Williams in welcoming a crowd that included such former honorees as Dan Ritchie, Bill Hybl, Dick and Eddie Robinson, Pete Coors, Dr. John K. Matsushima and Fred Hamilton.
Other well-wishers were University of Colorado president Bruce Benson and his wife, Marcy, with Bruce’s daughter and son-in-law, Ann and Kevin Reidy, who are going to chair the 2015 Children’s Hospital Gala; Don Elliman, chancellor of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; former Colorado State University Chancellor Joe Blake; Ajay Menon, dean of CSU’s College of Business; Greeley lawyer Stow Witwer and his wife, Maggie; Steve Leigh, dean of arts and sciences at CU Boulder, and his wife, Jill Bullington, whose cousin, Marne Davis Kellogg, is a longtime member of the dinner’s arrangements committee; construction giant Bob Tointon and his wife, Betty; Nancy Petry, widow of 1986 Citizen of the West Nick Petry; former stock show chief Pat Grant and his wife, two-time arrangements committee chair Carla Grant; developer Larry Mizel; Sharon Magness Blake and Ernie Blake; Bea Taplin; Doug Jones; banker Mariner Kemper; and the stock show board’s second vice president Buck Hutchison and his wife, Janie.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson @denverpost.com or twitter.com/joannedavidson
Online: More pictures from this event denverpost.com/seengallery
