Stories
Zach Borngraver: Chain Reaction
During my time at CMC, I often doubted myself and asked why I was going to school for “Sustainability.” I knew deep inside it was what I actually believed in and what I wanted to do, to leave the world a better place, but I never fully understood the impact one person could make in…
Read MoreDebbie Novak: A CMC Family
My history with Colorado Mountain College began in 1993 when I took an art class. I’ve taken art classes on and off since that time. My son took a few classes in 1998, and in 2004 my daughter began taking Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEPA) classes. (They weren’t called that at the time.) In 2005, we…
Read MoreRobin Hoffmann: The Cuban Experience
I recently traveled to Cuba on a study abroad opportunity with Steamboat Springs Professor Bob Gumbrecht and his merry band of students and faculty. For me, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to not only visit Cuba, but to be thrust into its culture, politics, customs, and beauty. Colorado Mountain College, Bob Gumbrecht…
Read MoreMarge Lowderback: Mud for Marge
It’s not often that you see a college dean go out mud bogging to help raise money for a scholarship. But that’s one of the things that makes Colorado Mountain College different. The event was a fundraiser for a special scholarship to be named after one of the most memorable students at the Rifle campus…
Read MoreGeorge Tolles: Professor Emeritus & Dowser
By Mike McKibbin Starting a college is never easy, and in Steamboat Springs, colorful characters like longtime professor George Tolles played a key role in helping those early efforts lead to today’s Colorado Mountain College campus. In the early 1960s, George – originally from Ohio – and Lucile Bogue were among the teachers at the…
Read MoreDoris Dewton: Serving Time and Again
By Mike McKibbin Before retiring to the Vail Valley in 1994, Doris Dewton worked 11 years for the U.S. Department of Energy, 10 years for Ashland Oil and three years for the National Petroleum Refiners’ Association in Washington, D.C. For many years, she has used that experience to benefit Colorado Mountain College. After helping CMC…
Read MoreDon Nguyen: Reality TV Star and Rainier Guide
Making an outdoor hobby into a career is a dream shared by all Outdoor Recreation Leadership (ORL) students. Hundreds of aspiring mountaineers, raft guides, and rock climbers have joined the ranks of Colorado Mountain College Leadville students, looking to gain the skills necessary to turn that dream into a reality. Don Nguyen, a 29-year-old ORL…
Read MoreBeau Sibbing: Rescued Becomes Rescuer
It was a snowy day in January. The kind of day that snow worshippers pray for. Conditions that persuade you to call out of work and head to the hill. Beau Sibbing and his best friend were skiing in a remote area of Breckenridge Ski Resort when tragedy struck. A high-speed impact left Beau hanging…
Read MoreLevi Blount: British Cop in Small-town America
Glenwood Springs Police Officer Levi Blount Colorado Mountain College Law Enforcement Academy graduate Blount immigrated from Britain. Aspen Public Radio Reporter Wyatt Orme accompanied Levi during one of his shifts to find out what it’s like to be a British cop in small-town America. [icon name=”file-audio-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=”eblue “] Listen: Aspen Public Radio Interview by…
Read MoreDavid Delaplane: It Began with a Folder
https://youtu.be/_B5ywxPKUcc&rel=0 Newly appointed Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce Director David Delaplane found a file folder labeled “Education Committee” with a few names listed inside. “There really ought to be a college here,” he said to himself. That began months of campaigning in multiple counties to bring the idea of a tax-funded college district to a…
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