Special Sections - Portrait

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If there’s a group she believes in, Rose Pugliese is either in it or running it

The list of groups Rose Pugliese is involved in is so long it’s the length of some people’s grocery lists. The attorney is the president of the 6-month-old Mesa County Young Republicans group, third vice president of the Mesa ...

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Don Espeland: Toying with reitirement

Many view retirement as a time to learn a new job, find a hobby or just relax. Don Espeland is toying with his retirement years. And he takes it seriously. Toying is making toys that go around the world to places where toys are almost ...

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Sherry Clingman is without question a die-hard Broncos fan

Shawn Clingman and a friend were heading into Denver’s Mile High Stadium to take in a showdown between the Broncos and divisional rival Kansas City when they came upon a group of Chiefs fans in the parking lot. The men were bad-mouthing ...

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Ex-pilot Floyd Keller a witness to history

When President Richard Nixon spoke, Floyd Keller listened. And in doing so, Keller lived history. Embroiled at the time in the middle stages of a scandal that ultimately would end his presidency, Nixon didn’t blink and Keller ...

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From sunrise to sunset, Melvin Rettig is hard at work

Melvin Rettig does more hard work in one day than some people do in a week, month or even year. Rettig’s job requires him to put in physical labor seven days a week from sunup to sundown beginning in the early spring and ending in the ...

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For author Patti Hill, home is where the heart is

One of the passages in local Christian author Patti Hill’s first novel talks about how a house is reshaped by its owners. “The house became more a part of us, the Garrett family, than anyone else. It reflected our movements and ...

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Political wisdom: Politics a lifelong thrill for Alfred LeFebre

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt was running for his third term as president of the United States, Alfred LeFebre was a mere lad of 10. But unlike other tykes who busied themselves playing marbles or riding bicycles, this San Luis Valley native ...

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Jill Henwood: Girls on the Run founder

Jill Henwood has been known to churn out a few good ideas when she’s running. A decade ago while running with some friends, Henwood broached the idea of starting a local chapter of Girls on the Run. The nonprofit, after-school program ...

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POR Virgil Boggess March 22, 2009

The year was 1979. Jimmy Carter was president. Virgil Boggess had moved to the Grand Valley from Evergreen with his wife and was looking for a new career. Virgil read an article that the government would pay for 70 percent of solar energy ...

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POR Ruby Stewart March 22, 2009

A glance out the window to see who’s pulling up to her home-based hair salon west of Palisade sets Ruby Stewart into motion. She plops up three pillows for a petite client, makes sure the seat by the plug-in mug warmer plate is open for ...

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POR Dawn O’Grady March 22, 2009

Dawn O’Grady is rebuilding her life one colorful block, toy doll and piggy bank at a time. O’Grady was a successful real estate agent in New Orleans. She had been married to her husband Corrie Thomas for about a year when they ...

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POR Martha Cochran March 22, 2009

GLENWOOD SPRINGS — When Martha Cochran recently set out to write a book, she found her subjects to be people who generally have little to say about themselves. Fortunately for Cochran, they are a lot more forthcoming about their land. ...

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POR Konrad Krauland March 22, 2009

On a midwinter morning carrying a wind almost as cold as the national economy, Konrad Krauland’s warm smile was more welcome than usual. Normally enthusiastic and upbeat, Krauland, founder of Innovative Textiles Inc. of Grand Junction, ...

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POR David Starr March 22, 2009

CEDAREDGE — Occasionally chords from a guitar lesson at Starr’s Guitars in Cedaredge waft downstairs. Like stew cooking in a slow cooker, the music warms the whole place up. The lone guitar store in a town with only one stop light ...

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POR Donna Gardneri March 22, 2009

People notice when Donna Gardner enters the room. That may be because the 76-year-old woman with a head of carefully coiffed white hair poised above her small stature is likely to beat them at their own game. Gardner, whose brain is wired for ...

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