In preparation for Colorado’s 150th anniversary, The Denver Post sought to identify the 150 most influential or notable Coloradans. We asked readers for the suggestions — Molly Brown topped the reader list — and solicited ideas from others in the community.
The competition was fierce. We looked for those who had roots in Colorado that went beyond living here just a few months, had a profound impact on this state’s culture and history, helping the Centennial State become what it is today.
Some on the list are people whose achievements were of national, international or interstellar significance, so their inclusion is warranted even if their direct influence in Colorado was less marked.
We did not include notorious people. Just being famous, even very famous, wasn’t enough to earn a spot on the list. People are flawed, and some on this list were both deeply flawed and greatly influential. We weighed this in deciding whether or not to include them.
We sought to cover a broad array of fields. And sometimes we put two people in one entry because the accomplishment of one could not be separated from the other.
The Post hopes you enjoy our list!
Madeleine Albright
As the first female secretary of state, Albright internationally. The Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver is named for her father, Josef Korbel, who was also a diplomat.
Elias M. Ammons
Rancher and founder of the Colorado Cattle and Horse Grower’s Association, and one of the in 1906. As governor, beginning in 1912, he initiated a state parks system.
Susan Anderson
One of the first women to practice medicine in Colorado, she to the residents of Fraser, whom she tended to as the only physician in town for 49 years. (Some claim was based on her life.)
Philip Anschutz
An entrepreneur and one of the wealthiest individuals in the world, he has to the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is the founder of AEG and owns sports teams and sports venues.
Bill Armstrong
The former U.S. senator was a pillar of Colorado’s Republican Party and a force behind the conservative economic policies of Ronald Reagan. He’s viewed as pivotal in helping the party recover after Watergate.
Marilyn Van Derbur Atler
The , University of Colorado graduate and former Miss America founded two nonprofits dedicated to strengthening laws to protect adult survivors and child victims of abuse. She is the subject of the documentary chronicling the years of sexual abuse by her socially prominent father.
Philip Bailey
The Grammy-winning Denver East High School graduate made his name as a lead singer for Earth, Wind, and Fire. The band sold worldwide.
Thomas Bailey
Thomas Bailey (now Janus Henderson), one of the largest asset managers in Colorado. The Janus Foundation helps more than 140 national nonprofits by offering education to at-risk youths.
Ceal Barry
Barry worked 37 years at the University of Colorado. In 22 seasons as the head women’s basketball coach, her record was 427-242. As an associate and later deputy athletic director, she championed women’s sports.
Odell C. Barry
Barry started in Colorado as a record-breaking kick return specialist for the Denver Broncos. He quickly transitioned into a statesman, business owner, mentor and philanthropist. Barry served on the Northglenn City Council and was elected the first Black mayor of Northglenn in 1980. U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse called Barry “a giant in our community.”
William Bent
The fur trader developed a strong relationship with the Cheyenne and built Bentap Fort, now a National Historic Site. He bequeathed land along the Arkansas River, specifying that it should be granted to mixed-race settlers, .
Alan Berg
Member of the in the 1980s, the outspoken liberal, a Jew, by the white supremacist group The Order outside his Denver home in 1984 at age 50.
Chief Black Kettle
Member of the Cheyenne tribe that settled on the Eastern Plains in the 1830s, near La Junta. He was an during the 1860s Colorado War and before and after the Sand Creek Massacre along Big Sandy Creek in 1864.
Claude Boettcher
His father built the family fortune through various business interests, including hardware, sugar and cement. Claude Boettcher created the Boettcher Foundation in 1937.
Frederick Bonfils and Harry Tammen
The two purchased a failing newspaper in 1895 and renamed it the Denver Evening Post, predecessor of The Denver Post.
Helen Bonfils
Bonfils became president of The Denver Post when her father, founder Frederick G. Bonfils, died. the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the Bonfils Memorial Theater (now Lowenstein Theater) and the Bonfils Blood Center.
Frank Bonnano
The restaurateur has been at the helm of in Colorado, including Mizuna, Luca, Osteria Marco, the Green Russell and Denver’s Milk Market. He is also the creator of the eight-episode
Steve Bosley
Bosley, a University of Colorado graduate, served for 12 years on the CU Board of Regents and was the president and CEO of Independent Bank of Boulder for 24 years. Bosley is a co-founder of the Bolder Boulder 10k race, which helped put the city on the map as a running mecca.
Pat Bowlen
The former Broncos owner created a culture of winning and made himself the most successful sports team owner in Colorado history.
Stan Brakhage
Experimental filmmaker whose 300-plus works helped define the “language of American avant-garde cinema,” according to the . Taught Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts at for more than 20 years.
Antonia Brico
The conductor and pianist settled in Denver in 1942, where she founded a Bach Society and the Women’s String Ensemble. In 1948, Brico became (later the Denver Philharmonic). She taught piano to Judy Collins, who directed a movie about the musician in 1974.
Clara Brown
Born into slavery, she headed to Denver in search of a daughter who had been sold. They would not be reunited for many years. She formed a laundry business in Central City, made enough to invest in mining claims, and later to Colorado using her own money to support the new communities.
Henry Brown
Brown arrived in Denver in 1860 and is linked to the city’s earliest development. He built the Brown Palace on his land and donated 10 acres for the state Capitol. Brown also is credited with establishing the Denver City Library.
Molly Brown
Before she was heralded as a hero of the Titanic for her efforts to help get survivors into lifeboats and raise money for them, Margaret Brown ran for the U.S. Senate and was a champion of women’s rights.
Norm Brownstein
He’s been given the moniker “America’s 101st Senator” because of the influence he wields as founder and chairman of the law and lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber and Schreck. Among his contributions was a major role in securing the
Doug Bruce
The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, is a fundamental element of how Colorado spends and taxes its residents. who served in the state House of Representatives.
Joy Burns
in Denver; chair of the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors’ Bureau; founder and director of the Women’s Bank, now called Colorado Business Bank; founder of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado; the first woman to chair the ; and president of the Sportswomen of Colorado Foundation.
William Byers
Byers founded the Rocky Mountain News, Denver’s first newspaper. He helped create the city’s first Chamber of Commerce and joined John Evans and Henry Brown in starting the Denver Tramway Company.
Patty Calhoun
Calhoun co-founded Westword magazine in 1977 (from which she is stepping down as editor this summer), a frequent panelist on “Colorado Inside Out,” and past president of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies.
Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Known for his advocacy of Native American issues, Campbell pushed to upgrade the Great Sand Dunes National Monument to a national park. He was a fiscal conservative who left the Democratic Party in 1985.
John Francis Campion
Campion arrived in Colorado in 1879 and made a He is remembered as a key figure in founding the Museum of Natural History, now Denver Museum of Nature & Science, but also donated money to build the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception.
Hendrika Bestebreurtje Cantwell
The pioneering pediatrician started the in Colorado to help abusive and neglectful parents. As the physician for Denver Social Services, she established a Family Services Center and helped increase public awareness of child abuse.
Scott Carpenter
The Boulder native was the and the second to orbit the Earth — ending in a frightening landing far from the target site. He helped develop underwater training to prepare for spacewalks.
Gov. Ralph Carr
Governor during World War II, he was an outspoken
Kit Carson
Carson moved to and negotiated a peace treaty with the Utes. The famed frontiersman, who also led campaigns against Native Americans, ended his career as superintendent of Indian affairs for the Colorado territory.
George Caulkins
Caulkins played a critical role in raising the money that created Vail. The Ellie Caulkins Opera House is named for his wife, a supporter of opera in Colorado.
Thomas Cech
The in chemistry in 1989 (along with Sidney Altman) discovered that RNA had the ability to “form stable, structured molecules – not just transient messengers,” according to Yale School of Medicine. He is a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Colorado.
Walter S. Cheesman
The businessman, developed the real estate industry and, with his daughter, Gladys, planned his “grand mansion” along Eighth Avenue. It was built in 1908 and later became the Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion in 1924.
Chin Lin Sou
Chin arrived in Black Hawk in 1871 when work on the transcontinental railroad ended. He became wealthy when he and moved to Denver, where he ran an import business and was a leader in the Chinese community. His descendants still live here.
Adolph Coors
The founder of Coors Brewing Co., he His son, William Coors, is credited with developing recyclable aluminum cans.
Eric Cornell
Cornell, a physicist at the Boulder-based National Institute of Standards and Technology, was among the winners of the 2001 His team was the first to achieve the first pure Bose-Einstein condensate, a new form of matter predicted by Albert Einstein that makes the study of quantum physics less difficult.
Lillian Covillo/Freidann Parker
The Denver natives began a ballet school in 1951 that grew into Colorado Ballet.
Dana Crawford
Crawford is widely seen as a visionary for her ability to grasp the value of Denver’s historic architecture and preserve it. Her signature project was Larimer Square, which she saved despite city leaders who saw her as blocking progress and hurdles thrown up by bankers.
Bill Daniels
A pioneer in cable television, he founded Daniels & Associates, setting the stage for Denver to become the industry’s capital. His estate created the
Jack Dempsey
The “Manassa Mauler” became a legend fighting in front of record-breaking crowds. He became the world heavyweight champion in 1919.
John Denver
Born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., he settled in Aspen and for his music and his activism. “Rocky Mountain High” is one of the state’s two official songs.
James Dobson
He founded the Colorado Springs-based conservative ministry Focus on the Family and was a major force in pushing conservative Christian ideals in mainstream American politics in the 1980s.
Jean Dubofsky
While a lawyer in the Legal Aid Society of metro Denver beginning in 1972, she contributed to 34 new laws, including one that got banks to issue . She was the first woman appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court and was the lead attorney in the 1996 challenge overturning .
Steve Ells
Ells is the founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill, which the noted pioneered a fast-food restaurant “serving fresh, whole, unprocessed ingredients cooked in an open kitchen.”
John Elway
The nine-time Pro Bowler and former NFL MVP led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl championship, winning back-to-back titles, completing a Hall of Fame career defined by breathtaking fourth-quarter comeback victories.
Elizabeth Piper Ensley
She was one of only a few Black women working for women’s suffrage and was key in persuading Black men to vote for women’s suffrage.
John Evans
cannot be separated from the Sand Creek Massacre, which led to him losing his federally appointed position in the years before Colorado became a state. He also founded Denver Seminary, now the University of Denver. He was instrumental in securing the land and money for the Union Pacific line from Cheyenne to Denver.
Mount Evans, named for disgraced Colorado territorial governor, officially has a new name
Curt Fentress
Founder of Fentress Architects in Denver, Fentress was the , as well as the Colorado Convention Center, the National Museum of the Marine Corps near Washington, D.C., and Incheon International Airport in South Korea.
Barry Fey
The concert promoter is credited with for musical acts, starting in 1967. Fey also started the “Summer of Stars” concert series at Red Rocks in 1976 that boosted the venue's national reputation.
John Fielder
The nature photographer highlighted the beauty of Colorado. He produced more than 40 books, and one of his photographs will be featured on a postage stamp for the state's 150th birthday.
Donald Fletcher
The 19th-century real estate developer (now called Aurora) in 1890.
Jay Fetcher
The Routt County rancher to preserve agricultural lands.
Justina Ford
In 1902, Ford became the first licensed Black female doctor in Colorado, but the Colorado Medical Society would not accept her. She took her practice door to door, delivering 7,000 babies over 50 years. Her home now houses the Black American West Museum.
Tim Foster
Foster Transitioned Mesa State College to Colorado Mesa University during his 17-year tenure as president. Before moving back home to Grand Junction, he served in the state House and was majority leader.
Nate Gart
Nate started selling newspapers to help support his family and finally saved $500 to buy a store. Gart Brothers Sporting Goods was formed in 1928.
Charles Gates Sr.
Gates arrived in Tincup in 1904 to work in the gold mines. He left for a few years and, when he returned, used his life savings of $700, plus borrowed money, to buy the They replaced leather with rubber and created The Gates Rubber Company in 1918.
Dick Gibson
Founder of the Fort Collins company that , Gibson ran an annual jazz party over Labor Day weekend in Colorado for 30 years, starting in 1963, “,” according to The New York Times.
Tim Gill
Gill, a University of Colorado graduate, made millions off his software company Quark, but his legacy will be the Gill Foundation, which for more than 25 years has fought in Colorado and across the nation for LGBTQ rights. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
William Gilpin
Gilpin was the and raised the troops to protect the area from a Confederate invasion. He developed a theory called Isothermal Axis and used it to envision Denver as an important international hub.
Allen Ginsberg
The poet, along with Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, was a in the 1950s and '60s. Ginsberg founded the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at the Naropa Institute (now University) in Boulder, home to the Allen Ginsberg Library.
Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales
Gonzales was a civil rights leader and founder of the Crusade for Justice. His efforts, as his Denver Post obituary noted, "energized Denver’s Chicano community, paving the way for Hispanics to seek a greater role in civic and political life."
Temple Grandin
Grandin has used around the world. She is autistic and speaks on that subject as well as animal behavior. She has taught at Colorado State University for 30 years.
Emily Griffith
A teacher and administrator, Griffith saw the need for a school for adults to learn useful skills. She raised the money, and her dream became Her 1947 murder remains unsolved.
Frederic C. Hamilton
The philanthropist and masterworks from his private collection upon DAM, creating one of the best collections in the Western United States.
Zipporah Parks Hammond
The first Black person to earn a nursing degree from the University of Colorado School of Nursing, her later work at the Tuskegee Institute helped establish treatment protocols for polio patients. Back home, she indexed materials about Denver’s Five Points community.
John Harold
In a region known for its corn, John Harold is the farmer most associated with the Olathe Sweet, his trademark brand. Harold founded Tuxedo Corn in 1986, and his produce was soon shipped across the country to Kroger stores. He helped to launch the Olathe Sweet Corn Festival.
Gary Hart
His presidential run was famously derailed when he was caught in an affair. After that, the former Colorado senator became involved in international law and business, serving as co-chair of the U.S. Commission on National Security for the 21st Century.
Todd Helton
The Hall of Famer spent 17 years with the Colorado Rockies, becoming the face of the franchise. He teamed up with Undue Medical Debt to erase $10 million of medical debt faced by Coloradans.
John Hickenlooper
Colorado’s current U.S. senator first made his mark with the Wynkoop Brewery in lower downtown, his restaurant investments and finally as the mayor of Denver. Hickenlooper worked to revitalize downtown before serving eight years as governor.
Bob Howsam
He was the founder of the Denver Bears minor-league baseball team, builder of Bears Stadium (later the original Mile High Stadium) and , in 1959.
Margaret and Phillip Isely
In 1995, they launched one of the first grocery store chains in America that would only stock natural and organic products. Vitamin Cottage, today called Natural Grocers, has 170 stores in 21 states.
Oliver Toussaint Jackson
A few buildings are all that's left of Dearfield, ounded by Jackson in 1910. The community's crops sold well during World War I, but the Dust Bowl caused the residents to move away in search of work. The town in Weld County is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Frances Wisebart Jacobs
What is now National Jewish Hospital or the work she did to establish it to treat tuberculosis patients.
Jennifer Jasinski
She was the first Denver chef to win a in 2013.
Jonathan Kennedy
Kennedy had three deaf children. When he moved to Colorado, he convinced the territorial Legislature to begin a school for deaf children that is now the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind.
Billy Kidd
Kidd was the first American to ever win an Olympic medal in Alpine skiing, taking silver in the slalom at the 1964 Winter Olympics. Kidd then spent the next 50 years heading the skiing programs at Steamboat Springs, helping to create the next generation of Alpine athletes.
Josef Korbel
Korbel was founder and first dean of the . The master’s program at DU’s Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs is world-renowned. He was the father of Madeleine Albright and mentor to Condoleezza Rice.
Luther and Charles Kountze
Luther expanded the family banking business to Colorado, where he was joined by his brother. The bank became Colorado National Bank.
Jerry Krantz
Longtime owner of downtown, whose slogan “Hot Burritos and Cool Jazz Nightly” drew the coolest cats in Denver for decades. Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and the Marsalis brothers played there, and Bill Clinton visited. Krantz is in the Colorao Music Hall of Fame.
Dottie Lamm
Colorado’s most active first lady used her platform from 1975 to 1987 to advocate for women’s rights and then had a weekly column in The Denver Post. She was a delegate to the United Nations in 1994 and 1995.
Richard Lamm
Colorado's longest-serving governor led the opposition to from coming here, in part because of the environmental damage the Games might cause. He was a strong supporter of immigration restrictions.
Mary Lathrop
She graduated from the University of Denver Law School in 1896 and became the first woman to open a law practice in Colorado.
Judge Benjamin Barr Lindsey
He established the and was known for his advocacy for the rights of women and workers.
Mary Elitch Long
What became o provide fruit and vegetables. That became Elitch’s Zoological Gardens, and, after she was widowed in 1891, Long continued work at the gardens, which offered entertainment. In 1897, she formed the country’s first summer stock company.
John Love
Love, a Republican, served as governor for 10 years starting in 1963. He sought to draw more businesses to the state. Among the key legislation while he was governor: State support for education increased, abortion was legalized, and the Sunshine Law opened government meetings to the public.
Henry Lowenstein
Holocaust survivor Lowenstein at the Bonfils Theatre in Denver. He designed and produced more than 400 plays through 1986. “Henry would have to be considered one of the 10 most important people in shaping this city,” said DCPA founder Donald Seawell.
Carrie Ann Lucas
Lucas, an activist attorney, won countless victories for Coloradans with disabilities, increasing parental rights and access to private businesses, public spaces and transit. She used the courtroom and civil disobedience to fight for federal Medicaid funding.
Joseph Machebeuf
Colorado's pioneer bishop arrived when there were two adobe churches in Colorado and Utah. His accomplishments included founding a convent for Sisters of Loretto, being the visionary behind St. Joseph's Hospital, and bringing College of the Sacred Heart, now Regis University, to Colorado.
John Malone
The New York Times described Malone as the of those who have transformed the modern media industry. The chairman emeritus of Liberty Media is also the second-largest private landowner in the United States.
Bill McCartney
The University of Colorado football team won its first national title under McCartney. He is remembered for the culture he created, featured in an ESPN documentary, “The Gospel According to Mac.”
Hattie McDaniel
McDaniel's career was marked by a series of firsts, including becoming the first African-American to win an Oscar, which she received for her role as Mammy in "Gone with the Wind." Segregation laws prevented her from attending the movie's premiere.
Bill McNichols Jr.
McNichols was Denver's mayor for 14 years, a time when the city began its transformation into the metropolis it is today. He was defeated by Federico Peña, in large part because of the city's inadequate response to the 1982 Christmas Eve blizzard.
Otto Mears
Mears built more than in the southern and southwest Colorado. He helped establish Saguache and the routes that became the basis for much of the region’s highway system, including the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton.
Ellis Meredith
She was the leader of and, according to a 1910 newspaper headline, the first woman elected to office in Denver. After Colorado gave women the right to vote in 1893, Meredith became a national leader in the movement.
Joyce Meskis
The pioneering bookstore owner and fierce First Amendment advocate built Denver’s Tattered Cover into one of the nation’s most beloved literary institutions.
Glenn Miller
The Fort Morgan High School graduate recorded the first gold record: "Chattanooga Choo Choo." His music came to
Enos Mills
Mills homesteaded the area around Longs Peak and led the fight to preserve the area as a national park. Congress established Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915.
Larry Mizel
Mizel founded M.D.C. Holdings, parent company of Richmond American Homes. His philanthropy is far-reaching. He founded the Mizel Institute, which includes the Mizel Museum and the Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab (CELL).
David Moffat
Moffat was the visionary behind the tunnel through the Continental Divide that now bears his name.
The Monfort family
In 1930, Warren Monfort founded a Greeley feedlot, and his son Kenneth Monfort revolutionized the industry with butchering facilities in the 1950s. Warren’s grandsons, Dick and Charlie Monfort, are principal owners of the Colorado Rockies.
Isaac E. Moore Jr.
He co-founded the law firm Flanigan & Moore and served in the state House in the 1950s and ’60s, co-sponsoring “some of the strongest civil rights laws in the country at the time,” according to the at the University of Colorado.
Lt. Col. John Mosley
After graduating from Manual High School, Mosley became one of nine Black students enrolled at Colorado State University. He was the first Black athlete on the CSU football team. Mosley then pushed during World War II to enlist as a fighter pilot, eventually joining the Tuskegee flight training center.
Rachel B. Noel
The granddaughter of a slave, Noel became the first in Colorado when she was elected to the Denver School Board in 1965. The Noel Resolution highlighted the de facto segregation of the Denver schools.
George Norlin
He served as the University of Colorado president from 1919-1939, during which time the current campus was developed.
Sue O’Brien
O’Brien was the editorial page editor at The Denver Post for eight years until her death in 2003. Dean Singleton called her the “conscience of Colorado.” She was a press secretary for Gov. Dick Lamm and ran Gov. Roy Romer’s first campaign for governor.
Chief Ouray and Chipeta
The U.S. government declared him He negotiated the treaties that led to the loss of Ute territory. He was considered a promoter of peace who fought to prevent the destruction of his people by a U.S. government intent on taking their land at any cost.
William Jackson Palmer
The founder of Colorado Springs. He came to Colorado, where he co-founded the running a narrow-gauge line from Denver to what became Colorado Springs.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone
The creative partners are best known for writing "The Book of Mormon" and "South Park." " for its use of satire to explore some of the biggest issues of our time. The duo also bought and restored Colorado's famous Casa Bonita restaurant, saving it from closure.
Federico Peña
Peña Boulevard is named for this two-term mayor, who began work on Denver's new airport. He also played a role in Peña went on to serve in the Clinton administration as both secretary of transportation and energy.
Spencer Penrose
Penrose was a who was active in the Colorado Springs region, financing the Broadmoor Hotel and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and establishing the El Pomar Foundation.
Antoinette Perry
The are named for this Denver native, who first performed at Elitch Theater. Among her greatest successes was directing the play "Harvey," written by Coloradan Mary Chase.
The Rev. James Peters
Peters led the New Hope Baptist Church in Denver for nearly 30 years. He marched with Martin Luther King Junior in Selma, Ala., in 1965, and spent much of his life fighting for Civil Rights in Colorado, including pushing for reform at the Denver Sheriff’s Office.
Gerald Phipps
The founder of GH Phipps Construction (in 1952) bought the Denver Broncos in 1965 and with his brother, Allan, took the team to its first AFC Championship. He was the first non-player to be inducted into the , in 1985.
Bishop George Maxwell Randall
The Episcopalian missionary established the School of Mines, known then as the Territorial School of Mines in 1873. It became Colorado's first public institution of higher education.
Bruce Randolph
Daddy Bruce, as he was known, quit school after third grade. He worked odd jobs until figuring out how to make his love of barbecue successful in Denver, where he had moved to be near his son. , marked by his legendary Thanksgiving dinner for those in need.
Condoleezza Rice
The former U.S. secretary of state moved to Colorado in 1968, when her father took a job at the University of Denver. She attended St. Mary's Academy and earned her bachelor's degree at the University of Denver. George W. Bush appointed her secretary of state. She is now part of the Denver Broncos' ownership.
Clark Richert
An artist known for his brilliantly colored paintings of geometric shapes, he was a groundbreaking creative force who helped inspire thousands of artists as a teacher at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. He helped found Drop City, the legendary hippy artist colony outside Trinidad.
Dan Ritchie
Ritchie's business acumen, steady leadership and knack for philanthropy righted the rough seas for a number of Denver's most iconic organizations, including the University of Denver and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
Walter Orr Roberts
Roberts moved to Colorado in 1940, and his early solar research labs drew scientific investment to Boulder for the High Altitude Observatory and eventually the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
Cleo Parker Robinson
The dancer grew up in Five Points, transforming the neighborhood's historic Shorter AME Church into the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance studio, which has brought the healing power of dance, music and art to thousands of children across the state.
William Green Russell
Russell and his party of Georgians established, in November 1858, the first significant white settlement where Cherry Creek and the South Platte come together. They called their new town Auraria.
Florence Sabin
The Central City native led an investigation i helping lay the groundwork for a cure. Upon her retirement, she returned to Colorado, where she helped educate health professionals about the disease. She is immortalized with a statue at the U.S. Capitol.
Ken Salazar
The fifth-generation Coloradan served in the U.S. Senate and was secretary of the interior under President Barack Obama, As the state’s attorney general (1999 to 2004), he established the Fugitive Prosecutions Unit. He was a visionary behind Great Outdoors Colorado.
Katherine “Kay” Schomp
The longtime Denver education and arts activist was known as the "founding mother" of the Denver School of the Arts, which she crusaded to establish.
Don Seawell
The former publisher of The Denver Post left his greatest legacy as the visionary behind the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
Pat Schroeder
The congresswoman from Denver helped define the role women have in politics. She was an advocate of family-work issues, famously saying, “I have a brain and a uterus, and I use both” when asked about being a congresswoman and a mother. She was a force behind the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Family Leave Act.
Peter Seibert
After he was injured in World War II, Seibert headed to Aspen as the head of the ski patrol. His career developed, and he set out to find the land to Seibert raised the money needed and became president of the Vail Corporation.
Frank Shorter
Two-time Olympic medalist Frank Shorter moved to Boulder in 1970 to pursue high-elevation training for marathons. After Shorter’s gold medal win in the Montreal Olympics, athletes flocked to Boulder to mimic his training. He is the co-founder of the Bolder Boulder 10k.
John Sie
The Entertainment Group, Sie wrote the first white paper on digital High Definition Television (HDTV) submitted to Congress and the FCC. The Anna and John J. Sie Foundation supports multiple causes, notably research for people with Down syndrome.
Dean Singleton
Denver Post readers can thank for The Post existing today. The founder of Media News Group is credited with winning the newspaper war with The Rocky Mountain News and securing The Post's future.
Silas Soule
Soule was a Union officer, and he and his company refused to fire a shot at the Sand Creek Massacre. Shortly after he testified against Maj. John Chivington, he was shot and killed in Denver.
Robert Speer
Speer was elected mayor of Denver three times, starting in 1904. He died during his third term. He is remembered for the that brought Denver its network of parks, tree-lined boulevards and public buildings.
Jack Swigert
The Denver native and University of Colorado football star on the moon flight Apollo XIII. He made the famous statement, “Houston, we have a problem here” when an oxyen tank exploded.
Horace and Baby Doe Tabor
Horace Tabor's Leadville silver mines made him a rich man, and . But he and his second wife, Baby Doe, were also lavish spenders, and she died in poverty.
Harry Talbott
Palisade peach farmer Harry Talbott helped . He started land trusts for the area and fought off a home development scheme during the oil shale boom that soon went bust.
Hunter S. Thompson
where the journalist becomes central to the story, spent decades living in Woody Creek. He wrote "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."
Dalton Trumbo
This once cub reporter for The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction published his first book, “Eclipse,” in 1935, which was . Trumbo was forced to testify before Congress during the Red Scare. He became a fierce defender of the First Amendment.
Brian Vicente and Mason Tvert
The two were the big, leading to legalize recreational marijuana in Colorado.
Wellington Webb
The mayor from 1991-2003, Webb played a major role in shaping Denver’s economic future. Most of Denver International Airport was finished under his watch. Downtown experienced a revitalization with new housing and restaurants. His efforts supported the opening of Coors Field. He was the city's first Black mayor.
Byron "Whizzer" White
The first University of Colorado football player to be named an All-American, White went on to become a U.S. Supreme Court justice. He wrote the opinion
Beatrice Willard
Willard was a tundra ecologist who did important work high in Rocky Mountain National Park, understanding the impact of human trampling on alpine tundra.
Judi and Marvin Wolf
Philanthropists who gave their time and money to the arts and the University of Colorado, supporting the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Opera Colorado, the Denver Symphony Orchestra, the Denver Art Museum and the CU law school.
Pierre Wolfe
Chef and in Capitol Hill, which was ranked among the best restaurants in Denver for more than 30 years. He also opened Normandy French Restaurant and Tante Louise. He hosted a for 60 years, “America’s Dining and Travel Guide.”
Richens Lacy “Uncle Dick” Wootton
The frontiersman built a 27-mile toll road over Raton Pass. According to “The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway offered him $50,000 to buy the road in 1878. He turned them down. Instead, Wootton asked that the railroad give his wife groceries and a pass to ride the train for life.”
Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias
The Associated Press named her Female Athlete of the Half Century in 1950. She competed in multiple sports and helped break down stereotypes of women in professional sports. She was a founder of the LPGA.
