Notes from the Class of 1966

For more than a year Morgan Smith (Law’66) has been making monthly trips to the Mexican border to visit and photograph many humanitarian programs while also giving them supplies. He writes that his intent is to show the public that there is a different side to the common perception that the border is solely grounded in violence. He plans to write a book about his time spent volunteering at an insane asylum near Juarez where he says, “The patients really take care of each other to an extent that you would never see in the U.S.” Morgan lives in Santa Fe, N.M.

The Caucus for Producers, Writers and Directors awarded the Diversity in Media award to Philip Hart (Soc’66) and his wife at their annual awards dinner in Beverly Hills. His film Flyers in Search of a Dream was reviewed in the New York Times movie section in December. He appeared on the Smithsonian Channel’s Black Wings in February. He and his wife live in Los Angeles.

After serving 12 years as parish nurse and health ministries coordinator at her church in Golden, Colo., Karen Anderson Setzer (Nurs’66) retired on May 31. Her work included setting up a comprehensive program that involved more than 500 volunteers. Karen started the Golden Family of Churches Health Ministries, a consortium of nine Christian churches that work together for the health of the Golden community, including paying for immunizations for children unable to afford them.

Author Philip Hart (Soc’66) is working on publishing the second edition of his 2007 book African Americans and the Future of New Orleans. It will be published to coincide with the eighth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005. Philip is adviser to the Smithsonian Institution National Air & Space Museum and its permanent and traveling “Black Wings: American Dreams of Flight” exhibits since 1982. This spring the exhibit traveled to Spartanburg, S.C., Canton, Ohio, and Fort Worth, Texas. Philip lives in Los Angeles.

After owning Signature Bank for 18 years Hugh Scheurer* (A&S’66) sold the company and retired. He has been living in Dallas as a banker since he graduated. He spends time writing and being with his grandchildren, as well as fishing and hiking, much of it in Colorado. He writes that his daughter and her children live in Parker, Colo., so Hugh always has a reason to visit.

*Lifetime member

Fifteen years ago Philip Hart (Soc’66) served as project manager and on the building committee for the West Angeles Cathedral in south Los Angeles. Since then, the cathedral’s senior pastor became the presiding bishop of the Church of God in Christ International; church member and co-chair of the capital campaign Denzel Washington won an Oscar award; and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, co-chair of the capital campaign, became an owner of the Dodgers. Philip has been a member of the church since 1990.

Educator, author and filmmaker Philip Hart (Soc’66) has written several books, including Scholastic’s Flying Free: America’s First Black Aviators, and produced the 1987 PBS documentary Flyers in Search of a Dream, still available on PBS Home Video. Oxford University Press published his online photo essay titled “The Invisible Eagles: Meet Ten of America’s First Black Pilots” in November. Philip lives in Los Angeles. He is profiled in the the December 2013 issue.

A Life in the Air is the story of Bruce Comstock (Econ’66) and his high-flying passion for hot-air balloons. Bruce uses his book to take readers through decades of adventures like round-the-world flight attempts and inventing the autopilot that ultimately made the journey possible. Bruce is a member of the International Ballooning Hall of Fame and a compelling writer. He is based in Ashland, Ore.

Long before Apple threw its iPad on the market, tech-pioneer Alan Kay (Bio, Math’66) had already come up with the idea of a portable computing device. In a 1972 paper, Alan wrote about the “Dynabook” to create a more creative learning environment for children of all ages. Alan lives in Los Angeles. Read more about him in Paul Danish’s (Hist’65) column in the Spring 2014 Coloradan.

In his photo essay, Early African American Aviators, Philip Hart (Soc’66) once again lends his authoritative voice to 10 African-American men and women who were aviation pioneers in the early 20th century. He included extensive biographies of those outstanding individuals in his essay published by the Oxford University Press African American Studies Center. Philip and his wife live in Hollywood, Calif.

Working as a teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area for four decades has its perks. But being part of a faculty that started a school of architecture in Kumasi, Ghana, surely made Thomas L. Turman (ArchEngr’66) proud. Architect, author and inventor Buckminster Fuller asked the new graduate if he was interested in the project in the mid-60s. Thomas made the move to Africa. He wrote about his experiences in his book WAWA: West Africa Wins Again. His second book, Teacher! Stories to Be Read and Graded by Friday, chronicles the trials and tribulations of teaching. Thomas lives in Berkeley, Calif.

The CU-Boulder law school received its largest cash gift in history earlier this year. Byron Chrisman (Law’66) says his success as a tax attorney and real estate developer stems from his experiences at CU’s law school. He and his wife, Carlene Basore Chrisman (MMath’70), decided to endow the Byron and Carlene Chrisman Chairs in Free Enterprise at Colorado Law with a $10 million cash gift.

Did you ever wonder who determines who gets a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame? For the past six years, Philip S. Hart (Soc’66) of Los Angeles was a member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, which receives and evaluates star recommendations from its Walk of Fame committee. Accomplished members of the Hollywood stratosphere can apply for a star. The application fee is $30,000. Philip writes that he is pleased to have helped increase the number of African-American Walk of Fame Star recipients.

Legendary Truths: Peter Lassen and His Gold Rush Trail in Fact and Fable is Kenneth Johnston’s (A&S’66) homage to the legendary California trailblazer who has a national park and a volcano named in his honor. But the book also is part of Ken’s biography. He retired from teaching biology and life science in secondary education in 2007. At the same time, he worked summers for the National Park Service, following Lassen’s trails and footprints. Ken and his wife, Jo, live in Klamath Falls, Ore.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted Dean Lahr (ElEngr, Mgmt’66, MBA’67) to its illustrious circle of former top-class athletes in June. During his time at CU, Dean was named an “Outstanding Wrestler” in the U.S. in 1964. He also was a three-time All-American and three-time NCAA finalist. Dean’s collegiate record was 58-4. Dean and his wife, Beverly Lahr (Anth’63, MS’66), live in Eugene, Ore.

Philip S. Hart (A&S’66) has written children’s books for more than 20 years. His next book, Ramos and Randy, will tell the story of two children who are best friends, one Hispanic, the other African-American, growing up as neighbors in Denver. Philip lives in Los Angeles.

Tucson, Ariz., resident C. Michael Bennis (A&S) is the author of three novels — Romance: Rules of Engagement; Paranormal Romance: Signs of Destiny; and Suspense: Dangerous and Desirable. He will publish two novels this year, a children’s novel and a historical suspense romance set during 1977-80. Michael is an avid fan of Buffs football, basketball, lacrosse and the new Folsom stadium.

Richard W. Ball (PolSci; Law’69) was elected to a four-year term on the Loveland (Colo.) City Council on Nov. 4, 2015. He returned to Loveland, his hometown, in 1972 to practice law and writes that he has watched the city grow from a farm community of 10,000 to a booming arts community of nearly 75,000. His father, Conrad Ball (Law’30), served as Loveland’s city attorney for many years, and his sister, Mary Blue (EPOBio’89), served on the Longmont City Council and in the Colorado legislature. Richard continues to practice law part time.

Jim Miller, (A&S) one of Colorado’s greatest track and field athletes in both high school and college, will be inducted into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame Nov. 17. After graduating from CU Boulder, Jim went to law school and served as a lawyer and a judge for the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. Jim lives in Washington, D.C.

This year, Jerry Rutledge (A&S) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his clothing store, Rutledge’s, located in downtown Colorado Springs. Two years ago Rutledge’s opened its second location, in the Broadmoor Hotel. Jerry served on the CU Board of Regents from 1995 through 2007 and as board chair twice. He currently serves on the University of Colorado Hospital Board, which he joined in 2007. Jerry and wife Jan enjoy their ranch, located east of Elbert, Colo., and also spend part of the year on Florida’s Sanibel Island.