KOTO in the 1980's

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KOTO Radio: Friday Live with Sherry Rose
A KOTO Radio show, called Friday Live, that aired on October 24, 1980. Jerry Greene interviews Sherry Rose about her life and career as San Miguel County Treasurer. Sherry was born in Eckert, Colorado and moved to Telluride, Colorado when she was just 10 months old. She was raised in Telluride and then went to Ft. Collins, Colorado to attend Colorado State University (CSU) where she earned a secretary degree. Sherry then got married and moved to Cedar, Colorado to live and work on a cattle ranch. Her husband of 8 years passed away in an automobile accident, so Sherry decided to return to college (CSU) and she earned an administrative degree at age 28. Sherry grew up in Telluride in the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's (she graduated from Telluride high school in 1954). The mine was very active in the 1950's and most people worked for it, except for the business people that worked in town. Also, in the 1950's, there were 3 grocery stores and 3-4 service stations. Most people did their grocery shopping in Telluride, as the roads to Montrose and elsewhere, were not very good. Telluride residents also ordered goods, that they could not get from Telluride, from the Sears or Montgomery Ward catalogs. After Sherry left Telluride, the town went down (economically). Rose mentions that her father was a miner and she would like to see mining come back as she believes it is a stable industry and a good way to keep residents in Telluride and avoid all of the worker migration that Telluride now has. Mining would also help to increase the income of the town. However, Sherry does mention that she is glad that Telluride now has better road conditions so that people can leave every once in a while and not get stagnant. The conversation then focuses on Sherry's job as the county treasurer. Her main job involves collecting taxes and distributing this money to the various districts in the county (the library, cemetery, etc..) She also invests money for the county. Another aspect of Sherry's position involves public trustee records. Sherry releases any deeds of trust for real estate and she is involved with foreclosures. She mentions that there have been more foreclosures recently because she believes that people have borrowed money at too high of interest rates and they cannot pay their mortgages, so they end up loosing their homes. Rose helps to facilitate the selling of these homes as part of her position as county treasurer. Sherry also serves on the Mountain Medical Clinic board. She feels like the medical board has made progress with the medical clinic. Sherry can remember when Telluride offered no emergency services and patients had to travel all the way to Montrose or even Grand Junction for medical emergencies. Rose had her tonsils out at the Museum (when it was a medical facility). She recalls there were 3 nurses and only one doctor. Why did Telluride residents stay when there were no medical emergency services? Sherry believes people liked their jobs and they had stable careers. Residents did not have TV back then, just radio. Sherry saw her first tv show in college, at CSU! Rose feels like she missed out on extracurricular activities while at Telluride High School. Sherry and Jerry then discuss the changes that have happened in Telluride. Sherry likes them. She enjoys the ski industry and the tourists. She does not like the fact that many senior citizens have moved away recently. Did Sherry grow-up skiing? No, she says it wasn't popular in Telluride then. Girls didn't ski then--it wasn't appropriate. They didn't have the proper equipment and the rope tow was difficult for girls to use. Only maybe 10-20 people skied during these times. Sherry would like to see gradual growth in Telluride. She wants working families to be able to afford to live in Telluride, and not just the wealthy that want to invest in real estate and profit. Finally, Sherry states why people should vote for her as the county treasurer in the upcoming election. Sherry is honest, likes people, can do the job, and has learned a lot about the job. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration
KOTO Radio: Friday Live with Steven Gluckstern
A KOTO Radio show, called Friday Live, in which Terry Selby interviews Steven Gluckstern. This interview probably took place in 1981. At the time of the interview, Gluckstern was the outgoing Telluride school superintendent. Steven decided to leave his position to pursue other opportunities and use other talents. He didn't realize that Telluride would come with a variety of personalities, since it is a small town. He was criticized as being too one-sided and pointing out problems without coming up with solutions for the school. When Steven started his position, one of his goals was to improve communication among teachers, students, and the school board. He feels like he somewhat accomplished this. He listened to the children/parents and changed the quality of education for the better. In one program, he got some of the students outside of Telluride to learn about life in other places. He also feels like he improved the communication between the teachers and school board by creating a teacher's group that works with the board. They are currently working together to create a master contract for teachers that benefits both the school and the teachers. This was an accomplishment considering Gluckstern started when the teachers were on strike. Another one of Steven's goals was to challenge the complacency of general education. The teachers increased their standards and gave the students more intellectual challenges. Some of these challenges were too much for some students that ultimately quit. For these students, Steven proposed educational experiences that made these children leave their comfort zones and travel to other places to learn in this way. Steven and Selby then discuss the Californian trip that was taken recently by about 18 students. These students raised the funds for the trip and learned through their experiences about things that they wouldn't be exposed to normally in Telluride, like a ballet and a museum of natural sciences. Seeing kids grow through non-traditional education was a great joy to Steven. Gluckstern helped to create the Telluride Montessori class that will be for Kindergartners, but ultimately (hopefully) will grow into a K through 3rd grade class. Selby and Gluckstern then discuss the problems with children switching from non-traditional education to a more traditional education system. Finally, Steven and Terry talk about the Underground--an arcade that Steven started because Telluride didn't have one. What does the future hold for Steven? Steven says he will finish his MBA at Stanford and the family hopes to settle in Telluride, because it's a good place to raise a family. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration
KOTO Radio: Friday Live with Tim Erdman
A KOTO Radio show, called Friday Live, that aired April 8, 1982. Tom Karl speaks with Tim Erdman about his background and current career as a solar architect. The discussion focuses on Erdman's educational background in energy systems (he graduated from the University of Colorado in 1975, with a degree in this subject). Tim alos mentions about how he learned about living self-reliably from his work on a ranch. Tim and Tom then discuss the solar system that Tim designed for the Telluride school. Next discussed is the green house that Tim designed in Ophir and how all of teh Ophir community members came together to build it. Tim then speaks of his teaching profession with CU and how while he splits his time between Telluride and Boulder, he thinks of Telluride as his home and wants to better it with solar system education. The following day, Tim will be providing a workshop called the National Solar Water Heating workshop that will teach Telluride community members about how to develop their own solar systems, specifically how to build hot water heating systems. This recording is about 41 minutes long. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration
KOTO Radio: Friday Live, featuring Dave Erickson
A KOTO Radio show, called Friday Live, that aired on July 9, 1982 in Telluride, Colorado. Jerry Greene interviews Dave Erickson, a Telluride business person. Dave discusses his background as an IBM salesman, and his purchase of the Timberline Hardware store in Telluride. Dave believes that if fair prices are offered, he will be able to sell to more local residents. Dave is also active in the county government and is the president of the Rotary Club. The possible airport is discussed, with Dave leaning towards wanting the airport to become a public airport. He believes this is the only way to provide transportation for convention people to come to Telluride and to increase tourism in Telluride, thus bettering the economy. Dave is also on the Telluride Film Festival fund raising committee and believes festivals will bring money to Telluride, too. The recording is about 30 minutes long. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration
KOTO Radio: Grape Moments Show, featuring Elvira Wunderlich & Irene Visintin
A KOTO Radio show, in Telluride, Colorado, called Grape Moments. Rita Robinson and Lynn Rae Lowe interview Elvira Wunderlich and Irene Visintin on June 16, 1982. Please see the transcript for a written account and to jump between topics. Her are the major topics discussed: 1.) Cornett Creek Flood 1914 2.) Father's work, including the opening of the Telluride Beer Hall (a saloon) 3.) Telluride brothels 4.) The major nationalities that lived in Telluride in the 1920's/1930's, places they lived, and affiliated organizations 5.) Major social events in Telluride, including the 4th of July 6.) The great depression in Telluride that lasted until the mid-1930's for Telluride 7.) Irene's and Elvira's careers 8.) The railroad 9.) Ski areas (before the Telluride ski area), such as Catholic hill, etc. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration
KOTO Radio: Grape Moments show, featuring Wendy Smith
A KOTO Radio show, called Grape Moments, in which Lynne Rae Lowe and Rita Robinson interview Wendy Smith. Wendy came to Telluride in 1977, and loved the warm, friendly atmosphere. She moved here and worked for Paradise Trips for a couple of years. After this high-pressure job, she became a river rafting instructor. Smith comments that it is difficult to find year-round work that pays the bills in Telluride. Wendy then went to message school and decided that this is her passion. Unfortunately, because of Telluride's economy, she has to leave to be able to work full-time as a massage therapist. Telluride cannot support her work because there are not enough residents that can afford to spend money on massages. Wendy is sad to leave because she enjoys the people in Telluride. She has heard that there is not enough to do in Telluride, but this doesn't bother her, because she spends a lot of time at home reading and sewing, when she is not working. She would like to see more people gather together. Finally, Telluride's and the four corner's energy (including the Hopi people) is discussed. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration
KOTO Radio: Grape Moments with Brandt Garber
A KOTO Radio show, in Telluride, Colorado, that aired January 12, 1982, called Grape Moments. Mary Cal Hollis interviews Brandt Garber about his life and career. Recording is about 31 minutes long and is slightly muffled due to poor quality of the original reel-to-reel recording. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration.
KOTO Radio: Idarado Hearing from Rebekah Hall
From a KOTO Radio show, in Telluride, Colorado, this discussion involves Telluride Town Council, Idarado representatives, and representatives from the State Department of Health meeting to discuss remedies for the court's decision on the tailings issue. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration.
KOTO Radio: Live from Mountain Film Festival Opening Party
A KOTO Radio show, aired May 24, 1985, in Telluride, Colorado. The 7th annual Mountain Film Festival opening party is recorded, featuring Esther White and Jerry Greene interviewing various mountain film attendees. Total length is 27 minutes. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration.
KOTO Radio: Live from a hang glider with Jack Carey
A KOTO reel-to-reel newscast recording, from September 17, 1983, titled: Live from a Hang Glider, with Jack Carey and Norman Squier. Total length is about 50 minutes. Jack Carey describes Telluride, while hang gliding, including the weather and traffic. Norman Squier interviews Jack, during his descent. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration.
KOTO Radio: Live from the 10th Annual Telluride Film Festival Seminar
The 10th annual Telluride Film Festival seminar is aired live in September of 1983, by KOTO Radio. Length is about 38 minutes long. After the first 16 minutes, there is a cut in the audio to music, but then the seminar begins again. This is an error in splicing the original reel-to-reel that this was recorded from. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration.
KOTO Radio: Mick Snapp Press Conference
A KOTO Radio press conference on the salary/reduction in benefit package of Town Manager, Mick Snapp. The date of the recording is June 1988. Mr. Snapp's 1989 employment package contract was reduced by $12,000, as a result of renegotiating his contract. Mayor Mark Worth called this press conference. Present news reporting staff include Bob Brickell and Tony Daranyi. The press conference begins with Mick reading his letter that he wrote to Telluride Town Council about his reduction in benefits/salary. Mick chose to stay in his position and take this reduction so that Mick was better able to serve in his position as town manager. At his current salary, the expense was a stress on the town's expenses and not all of the town council supported Mick as the town manager. Now that the salary has helped to limit the town's expenses, the town council all supports Mick as the town manager. This is more important to Mick than the reduction in pay. Mick's job description did not change. Mick then mentions that his initial salary was set at a rate that would allow him and his family to be able to afford a home in Telluride. But because of the current economy, this is no longer possible. Mick states: When a person makes $80,000 a year, but cannot afford a home in the area, this is a serious problem. This fact has resulted in the loss of many good people in Telluride over the years. This problem continues to be exacerbated by increasing costs of housing in Telluride. It is a community wide problem--the town manager, housing authority, or city council cannot resolve this issue alone. It is a serious issue and we need to work as a community to address it. Mick believes that if the housing issue is not resolved in Telluride, partially-occupied homes will be owned by 2nd home owners or out-of-town investors with no real stakes in the community. Finally, Mr. Snapp states that he believes this will be the last time that his contract is negotiated and states that it has been hard on him and his family. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration

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