ASPEN
My first exposure to Aspen, CO. came through the Kansas City Ski Club. With the help of Jefferson Van Lines we had invented a "sleeper bus" that enabled us "po' boy" skiers to live beyond our means.
We constructed a sleeper bus which allowed us two seats facing with the table between to be turned into top and bottom sleeping bunks.
LW AND SON GREG
We would board the bus Friday after work and arrive at the ski area in the morning allowing us to ski Saturday and Sunday and arrive back in Kansas City for work Monday morning. In Aspen we would stay at the Alpine Lodge, 8 men to a room with 4 bunk beds. We would shoulder our skis in the morning and walk from the E. end of town near the city limits and walk to Lift 1A which was at the far W. end of town [WOW!! How did we do that??].
In the early 60's Aspen still had dirt streets and was highly populated with hippies and dopers. It never occurred to me that I would someday be spending the majority of my time in Aspen.
Fast forward to 1990 and 66 Alpine Court came into our lives:
And in the year 2000 we acquired 69 Herron Hollow:
With great views of Aspen Mtn., Highlands & Buttermilk:
As the local realtors say, "You come to Aspen for the skiing and stay for the summers." This certainly held true for us and we spend more time there than at Camelot.
There is a lot to do in our valley and The Welch Family Foundation has found itself involved in many worthwhile projects.
It started when a local "Gentlemen of Aspen" rugby player, John Reid:
who started "Grassroots Aspen Experience" came to me and got our foundation involved. We later changed it to AYE (Aspen Youth Experience).
The Queen created The Celebrity Downhill Races:
JUDGE JOE BROWN/EVANDER HOLYFIELD
We sold teams for $10,000 each & held a huge auction at the Ritz Carlton:
DEBORAH BROWN/LW/LAURA
JAS
In the late 80's/early 90's I was approached by Arthur Horowitz, a
well-known restaurateur from Miami Florida who had a home in Aspen Colorado. He
was very high on his son Jim Horwitz, an excellent pianist and great jazz
artist who wanted to start a jazz festival in Aspen Colorado. Arthur twisted my
arm in order to get the foundation to help underwrite this adventure. I look
back with some embarrassment to remember telling Arthur that I hoped that it
would fail because I did not wish to commit that much of our budget to such an
undertaking.
As we all know it was far from a failure and in its 20th year has become
one of the most renowned and respected jazz festivals in the United States. A
very large part of his success was due to Laura agreeing to go on the
Board of Directors as Vice President in Charge of Development. Through her
energies and innovations she was a major factor in making JAS
a financial success.
The Queen receiving her just reward.
There were summertime activities with our kids such as the down valley bike ride to the Woody Creek Tavern:
The leader, center foreground with Laura on my right, would give the group a serious lecture about the rules of social conduct & bike safety. This was met with gang signs etc. since these were some pretty tough kids. I would tell them there would be prizes for those who could make it up "Heart Attack Hill" on the way back without dismounting. More chuckles.
It should be noted that all but four (4) of these are locals. Thereafter, I was treated with much respect and referred to as Mr. Welch.☺
The Queen exercises her considerable kitchen skills for some hands on help from youths from Wash. D.C.
She also shares her Boxster with the kids (That's our adoptee Chris in the drivers seat).
Chris on how NOT to hold a trout.
And I usually wore him out.
ASPEN BUSINESSMEN'S LUNCH:
This is a monthly luncheon attended by some of the wealthiest & most high powered businessmen in the U.S. I had been invited a number of times to speak on the subject of "Tort Reform" and what I do for a living. Wisely I had always declined because what business did Daniel have in wanting to visit the Lions Den?
I finally gave in & it was the most highly attended luncheon in their history with persons being turned away.
I started by asking the
audience: "How many of you have actually
sat on a jury in a personal injury case through to verdict?"
One hand went up. I said, "I will direct my remarks to the rest of you
ill informed, highly propagandized people who really only know what you read in
The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and hear on FOX news."
With that insult a handful of people left. I then laid into the rest of them.
When I concluded I asked for
questions and was prepared for the most recent banality, the McDonalds Coffee Spill case.
I asked: "How many of you feel that case proves the jury system is out of control and our legal system needs to be drastically altered?" "How many feel that punitive damages are being abused in personal injury cases?" Every hand went up in answer to both questions.
I then shared the real truths about the McDonalds case as well as Newt Gigrich's schemes to abrogate punitives in P.I. cases (The Wall St. Journal had a recent article showing that punitives were wielded in business Vs. business cases many, many times that of P.I. cases)
I then repeated the same two questions and not a single hand was raised.
The highlight of that summer came when 20/30 people came up to me and introduced themselves and thanked me for opening their eyes by my luncheon talk.
