People
Collection for person entities.
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- Siegmund "Sig" Langegger
- Siegmund Joseph Langegger was born on 22 December 1967 in Glenwood Springs to early Vail residents, Ann and Pepi Langegger. He is personally and professionally known as Sig. Langegger graduated from Battle Mountain High School and currently resides in San Diego, California with his wife, Anna, and family. Sig Langegger graduated from the University of Denver with a B.S. in Business Administration. He holds advanced degrees from the University of Colorado - Denver: M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning and Ph.D. in Urban Design and Planning. Langegger is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of International Liberal Arts at Akita International University in Japan. Trained as a city planner and urban geographer, Langegger also conducts public space research in Denver.
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- Sigrid Forsman
- Head nurse at Plateau Valley Hospital from July 1928 to October 1929.
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- Sigrid Stapleton
- It would be hard to think about Aspen without also thinking about David E. and Sigrid Stapleton, so seamlessly have they woven their presence into the fabric of what Aspen has been and is over the years. Both come from pioneer families, but from wildly divergent backgrounds. The year 1880 was when David’s great-grandfather Timothy came to Aspen from Leadville, and with a splash at that. He sired the first baby boy born in Aspen and homesteaded the ranch now home to Sardy Field. Sigrid came to town a little later, in 1952, the daughter of famed mountaineer Fred Braun, who is the namesake of the Alfred A. Braun Hut System. David spent part of his youth working on local Stapleton ranches and riding rodeo bareback broncs while Sigrid spent many summer days as a young woman helping her father build high mountain cabins. David was a junior racer with the Aspen Ski Club from 1945 to 1957. Those were the early years of local racing success, and in 1950–51 Stapleton, Max Marolt, Ted Armstrong, Tony Deane and John Thorpe—all native sons, qualified for the Junior National Championships, eventually held in Stowe, Vermont, after being rained out of Massachusetts. These folks could tell some tales of the earlier days in Aspen. Ten kids in Sigrid’s graduating class, eleven in David’s. Both families were leaders in community volunteering and it seemed just natural that David’s and Sigrid’s paths would eventually converge as one. David and Sigrid have been very active in the Aspen Ski Club, David serving on the board for more than twenty years, three as president. Sigrid helped the club raise money all through those years and along with Ruth Whyte, organized the 50th anniversary celebration for the Aspen Skiing Company, and the 50th and 60th anniversaries of the Aspen Ski Club. Sigrid played the organ at the Catholic Church for more than 40 years, was part of the hospital Blue Ladies for over 23 years, and is a past president of the Colorado State Hospital Volunteers of Colorado. She also volunteered as a Pitkin County librarian for many years, starting when the library was in the Wheeler Opera House, in the corner now occupied by Bentley’s. As a teenager, she was Judge William Shaw’s personal chauffeur, driving him to his mining claims up Independence Pass. She served on the first board of Roaring Fork Hospice. David was named the first World Cup ski race official from Aspen, and served as Chief of Race, Chief of Course, Race Chairman, TV Coordinator, Starter, Timer, Finish and Start Referee on every race—either regional F.I.S., Can-Am, Nor-Am, or World Cup—from 1968 until 1991. He served on Aspen City Council for two terms, chaired the Red Cross, is a past president of the Rocky Mountain Division of the United States Ski Association (USSA), is a past national vice-president of USSA, and was a member of Mountain Rescue and the Aspen Valley Hospital board. The list goes on for David and for Sigrid. This is but a cursory look at their credentials. In the tradition of Aspen families, David and Sigrid picked up the reins where and whenever things needed to be done, and got a lot accomplished. In the meantime, they raised five children and helped keep the family-owned insurance business going. It takes a lot of people to make Aspen the great community it is, but one cannot think about Aspen without acknowledging David and Sigrid Stapleton, both of whom have spent a lifetime displaying and living the indomitable spirit that makes Aspen a place to be proud of. —Biography by Tony Vagneur
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- Silmon Laird Smith
- He was born in Iowa to Franklin R. "Frank" Smith and Mary Anna "Minnie" (Laird) Smith. When he was three years old, the family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, and again to Grand Junction in 1895, when he was six. The family moved several times within Grand Junction, living at one time next to a saloon at 4th and Main Streets, behind the Brownson’s store. Their first “real” home in town was at 444 Rood Avenue, on or near the site of the current Alpine Bank building. The family also had land in the First Fruitridge area of Grand Junction, Colorado. His parents, Franklin and Minnie Smith, bought land that held what may have been the first apple orchards in Mesa County (though others have also made this claim). According to Silmon’s son, Laird Smith, Silmon was a “runt,” although his parents were large people. He was raised in a family with parents who believed everyone should be a “Spartan,” and ascribed to simple, austere living. He camped on the north side of the Grand Mesa by himself from the time he was thirteen, in 1899, and even trapped a bear. While in high school, he ran a fruit and vegetable wagon around town. He graduated from the Franklin School with high honors, the second in his class, in 1905, when he was 19. He also distinguished himself academically at Colorado College, where he became the editor of the college newspaper and the assistant weatherman for Colorado Springs. He and his roommate, Chet Angel, ran the weather station for Colorado Springs. They later constructed a weather station for William Jackson Palmer, one of the founders of Colorado Springs, and lived in Palmer’s large home near Garden of the Gods. He graduated from college in 1909. He graduated from the University of Denver School of Law in 1912 and was married to Lina Brunner shortly after. He joined the firm of Griffith and Watson in Grand Junction, joining former attorney general Bejamin "Ben" Griffith. After Smith's promotion to full partner, the firm’s name was changed to Griffith and Smith, and then Tupper and Smith. His final law partner was his good friend Charley Holmes, with whom he prospected for uranium and invested in oil shale leases. He became the city attorney, the county attorney, the district attorney, and the attorney for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. He also served as the attorney for the Grand Valley Water Users Association and for the Colorado Water Conservation Board, where, according to his son, he was in constant conflict with the Denver Water Board. Smith became interested in water law because his clients, largely ranchers, had concerns about water. With the aid of Al Look, he became an authority on tree rings and water cycles. His daughter Lina Mae (Smith) Biggs referred to him as the “foremost water attorney… in the United States.” He helped draw up the Colorado River Water Conservation District in 1937, the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact in 1948, and advocated strongly for Western Colorado water resources. He also had President Franklin R. Roosevelt as a client and locally, John "Peg-leg" Foster. He could not smoke in court, and so put a sack of Bull Durham tobacco under each armpit while he was in court. He developed oil shale claims in Garfield County and oil claims on the Grand Mesa. While developing those claims, he got a tick bite that made him sick with Lyme disease for many years. He planted an apple orchard on ten acres that he purchased in Fruitvale before he was married, and moved his family there in 1918. They raised most of their own food, including geese for feather pillows. He later grew peaches on East Orchard Mesa. He loved hunting and fishing and the outdoors. He built his own car from scraps. He traveled extensively with his wife. He was the first president of the Grand Junction Lions Club and one of its initial founders. He served on the Mesa County rationing board during World War II. He was a member of the Elk's Lodge. When a monkey named Betty escaped from the Lincoln Park Zoo in the 1930’s, it took up residence on the roof and in the trees of Smith’s home at 1030 Chipeta Avenue. It lived there until it was trapped by three neighborhood boys: Al Look Jr., Robert "Bob" Johnson, and William "Bill" Ela. According to his son Laird, Silmon was a perfectionist and his idol, but very hard to live with and work for because of that perfectionism. He died of arteriosclerosis. Laird Key Smith and Anthony W. Williams, attorney at law, wrote the following biography of Silmon Smith: Silmon Smith was a leader among men – a man to be remembered. His sparkling eye, caustic wit, wiry frame, and nervous energy made him a friend to all who knew him but forbidding to those who were not close to him. He was born in Iowa in 1886 and moved to Grand Junction with his mother and father in 1892. His father was a physician who relocated due to health problems and brought his family to Grand Junction in days of muddy streets, wooden sidewalks, and brawling bars which coexisted with the opera hall and churches of the city. Silmon attended local schools and was chosen as the salutatorian of the Grand Junction High School graduating class of 1905. School publications and records reflect that he was highly respected for his mental acuity and eloquence which he frequently used to gain the upper hand in debates. Silmon’s experience as a youth contributed to the development of his character. He was given more liberties than many young men and could spend many an hour telling tales of his hunting exploits. At the age of thirteen years, he spent over two weeks at a time traveling on his Shetland pony, camping, and fishing, and even enjoyed hunting grizzly bear in the Grand Mesa National Forest near Grand Junction. His love of outdoors continued throughout his lifetime. As he grew older, many of this hunting companions gave up the sport, but Silmon hunted until the last few years before his death. In his last several years of hunting, he was known to go by himself into the rugged Douglas Pass area where he would always shoot his deer and carry it out on his back. For a 100 pound, 70 year old man, that was no mean feat, but it was an accomplishment for which he prided himself. After high school, Silmon pursued his education at Colorado College. When he arrived as a freshman, he was wearing pants cut above the knee and sporting a green derby hat. Because of his quick wit he prospered, becoming the editor of the college newspaper. He tried his hand at theatrics but his goal was to be a lawyer and return to the practice of law in Grand Junction, Colorado. After graduating from Colorado College, he entered the School of Law at the University of Denver from which institution he graduated in 1912. Immediately on his graduation, he married and returned to Grand Junction to hang out his shingle. His first position as a practicing lawyer was with the established firm of Griffith and Watson, which was a successor to the law practice of James S. Carnahan. The senior partner, Ben Griffith, was serving as attorney general of Colorado at the time Silmon joined the firm. Later, Griffith moved to Colorado Springs and Watson was killed in an accident, leaving Silmon with the entire practice. Needing help, he joined with Henry Tupper and formed the firm of Tupper and Smith. Tupper’s uncle, James Bucklin, had come to Grand Junction in 1882 and was the first lawyer and first state legislator in Mesa County. Charles Holmes later joined the firm which then became known as Tupper, Smith, and Holmes, and later became Smith and Holmes after the death of Mr. Tupper. The firm continued in that posture for many years until Anthony Williams and Warren Turner were joined as partners. This firm, now under the name of Williams, Turner, & Holmes, PC, is the oldest continuously practicing firm in Grand Junction. In his office, Silmon was a picture of nervous energy, sitting behind an old desk with a large deer head on the wall behind him and his library lining the wall. He would tip back in his old chair (which had been broken and repaired many times) and punctuate the elements of a problem by a nervous twitch of his foot, emphasizing the basic facts by waving a cigar. At the corner of his desk was a large spittoon. This was not intended to contribute color to the office but was for the practical convenience of his rancher friends and clients. In the development of a law practice in a small Western Slope community, it was not possible to be a specialist. All professionals were expected to be able to handle any element of their profession. For a time, Silmon served as an Assistant District Attorney and was quite successful in criminal prosecutions. Grand Junction was located in cattle country and cattle rustling was the most horrendous crime that could be committed. After success as a prosecutor, Silmon devoted full time to his private practice and defended many cattle rustling cases. He never lost one. He used to say that he represented some of the most respected and honorable ranchers in the area for charges of cattle rustling and he enjoyed a reputation as an expert defense attorney. Later in his practice, he was exposed to the criminal appointment system whereby he would be called from time to time to represent some poor transient who had stolen a drill bit or a coat and who was more sick than sinister. He was discouraged about the criminal element in our society, but also observed that most of the criminals were down and outers and a law practice could not exist specializing in representing them. His observation was humorously stated as “there just aren’t any respectable criminals any more”. At one time in his career he served as Mesa County Attorney. A local labor union attempted to gain control of County employees, and he was a leader in the opposition. The union boss suggested to Silmon that his zealousness might cause some harm to come to his family. Silmon’s response was simply to put his family on the train out of town until the matter had been fully resolved and he could bring them safely back home. He used perfection as a goal for everyone in every aspect of life. During World War II, Silmon served on the rationing board in Mesa County and he left that position with some very decided opinions about the citizenry. In confidential conversations in the office he would state exactly the problems he had with various members of the community. His code of behavior never allowed him to forgive anyone for failure to adhere religiously to the rationing laws. He was a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge and active in Republican Party politics. His pet community cause was the co-founding of the Grand Junction Lions Club in which he was active from 1922 when he became its first president. Many people are not aware of Silmon’s skill as an orchardist. While he developed a busy and consuming law practice, he also found time to operate orchards. He started with a small apple orchard in the Fruitvale area, which is now part of Grand Junction to practice law. There was never a time, until his very late years, when he did not have at least one orchard and at times, he had interests in several orchards. He would leave his office in the summer months in the late afternoon and go to the orchards to work until dark. Durning harvest time, his clients could see him only after dark. Silmon developed a lasting reputation as a water lawyer. His experience with ranching clients and as a pioneer in Western Colorado educated him in hydrology and he was a leader of the Bar in the development of Water Law. His interests extended beyond the local arena. He was attorney for many years for the Grand Valley Project which embraced several irrigation districts and a water users association. In the 1930s the Big Thompson Project was being considered for authorization and construction by the Congress of the United States and Silmon was quite concerned about the effect upon the Grand Valley Project of the contemplated diversions to the Eastern Slope. Silmon became a member of a group called the Western Slope Protective Association and was one of three representatives of that group who negotiated a compromise which settled the Colorado-Big Thompson Transmountain Diversion Project controversy. This agreement became known as Senate Document No. 80 and was the product of literally weeks of negotiation in Washington, D.C. The construction of Green Mountain Reservoir was the outcome of that effort, and that Reservoir serves the water users of the Colorado River to this day. Silmon was active in the litigation which resulted in Chief Justice Mortimer Stone’s Blue River decision which was so unpopular on the Front Range. That decision remanded the case to the State Court from whence it was removed to the Federal Court. It became Civil Action Nos. 5016 and 5017 in the Federal District Courts in which the water rights of Dillon Reservoir were finally determined by stipulation entered in 1955. Silmon was extremely active in the negotiation of that stipulation. Those cases continue to be pending in the Federal District Court to this date and serve as a vehicle to resolve differences between the slopes of this State with respect to diversions and operation of the Colorado River. As a member of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, he helped in the late 1940s to write the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact, the Interstate Agreement that divided the Basin’s share of the Colorado River among Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico. His knowledge of the Colorado River and its hydrology extended from the headwaters to the ocean and he had few peers in that regard. He represented the Colorado River Water Conservation District on the Gunnison Policy and Review Committee which resolved the controversy over the Curecanti Project (now Wayne N. Aspinall Unit). He was considered an authority on real property law. In 1948. He was named “Lion of the Year” in recognition of long service to the club and community. He lent his influence to the development of Grand Mesa ski slopes by actively participating as a skier. In spite of his size (100 pounds) and a bad back which caused him to wear a brace periodically in his later years, his will drove him physically. He did not take up skiing until approximately age 60. On his 75th birthday, he performed his annual ritual of grabbing a broomstick by both hands and jumping through it. At the age of 78 and on the evening of November 25, 1964, Smith died after a short illness. He was survived by his wife, Lina Brunner, a daughter, Mrs. Clinton Biggs, a son, Laird, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The son and daughter continue to live in Grand Junction this date. Nine days before his death, he delivered his biography before the members of his beloved Lions Club. He was aware at that time of his failing health and used that opportunity to cap a career. He said he had no regrets. *Photograph from the 1908 Colorado College annual.