People
Collection for person entities.
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- Tom Redden
- Cattlemen's Days Parade Marshall 2004
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- Tom Sardy
- Speaker 1: Tom Sardy has always had a reputation as being a direct sort of man, and a doer. As one of Aspen's modern-day pioneers, he says it was that kind of an attitude that was needed for survival and growth. Tom Sardy: There was nothing here, you know? It all went down. And as things progressed, like you're talking about the hospital, it was important to do it. It wasn't a matter of steering the town, it was just a matter of getting things done that had to be done. Speaker 1: Tom Sardy came to Aspen in the mid-1940s and quickly become one of the town's business and political leaders. His hardware store and lumber yard became the source of generous lending to many early Aspenites. More than a few locals never would've made it here without Tom's generous support and understanding. Speaker 3: He had that lumber yard and hardware store, and he would advance materials to people to build a house. It was impossible to borrow money here unless you had money and didn't have to borrow [inaudible 00:01:10] go to the bank. But if you didn't have money, the banker was conservative that Tom was the only way that one could get to build a house. Speaker 1: While others focused on developing the ski mountain which was to make Aspen famous, Sardy worked tirelessly on the community services he believed Aspen needed to survive and thrive as a community and resort town. He was County Commissioner for 24 years between 1948 and 1972. During those years, he was instrumental in raising money to support construction of the hospital, now the community center; the public library; and perhaps most importantly, the airport which bears his name. He knew early on that an airport would be an important link for Aspen to the outside world. His positive attitude and success at accomplishing seemingly impossible tasks was admired by many Aspenites. With the help of neighbors, he spearheaded the beautification effort that turned vacant lots from virtual dump sites to what eventually became Paepcke Park. Tom was also a strong supporter of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies and one of the founders of the Aspen Camp School for the Deaf. His selflessness and spirit of working for the betterment of the community have greatly contributed to the quality of life in Aspen.--Aspen Hall of Fame inductee video