Chancellor Henry A. Buchtel

Introduction
Henry A. Buchtel (1847-1924) was the University of Denver’s third chancellor, serving for 21 years from 1899-1920. He followed the chancellorship of William McDowell and preceded Chancellor Heber Reece Harper.

Background
Henry Augustus Buchtel was born on November 30, 1847 in the small town of East Liberty near Akron, Ohio. Following his graduation from Asbury University (now DePauw) Buchtel was trained as a minister. After presiding over congregations as a pastor in Indiana, Denver, and New York state,  he was recruited back to Denver to take on the chancellorship of the University of Denver.

Career
Chancellor Buchtel entered DU during a time of serious financial problems, with the future of the university in question. As the university’s new chancellor he was tasked with the enormous responsibility of turning around the school’s finances. During his 21 year chancellorship at DU Buchtel pursued his vision of creating a “Harvard of the West” by not only keeping the school afloat but expanding the campus and the university’s academic programs.

Chancellor Buchtel devoted much of his time to his successful fundraising efforts, traveling around Colorado and beyond engaging donors. Thanks to his tireless fundraising the University grew in both student enrollment and physical structures. Under Buchtel’s leadership the university built two Carnegie-funded buildings including a new library and a new science building. Student enrollment increased from 640 upon his arrival in 1900 to 2,780 prior to his departure in 1920.

Henry Buchtel was also the University of Denver’s only chancellor to make the journey from University Park to the governor’s office in the state Capitol building. Governor Buchtel held this office for one two-year term, from 1907-1909, during which he governed both the state of Colorado and the University of Denver.

Henry Buchtel resigned the chancellorship in 1920 and died four years later on October 22, 1924.

References
Breck, Allen. From the Rockies to the World: The History of the University of Denver, 2nd ed. (Ann Arbor: Edwards Brothers, 1997.)

Biographical Files: Henry A. Buchtel, Special Collections (Denver: University of Denver University Libraries).

Chancellor Robert Coombe

Introduction
Chancellor Robert Coombe (1948-) has been at the University of Denver since 1981, becoming  DU’s 17th chancellorship in July of 2005. He previously served DU as a chemistry professor.

Background
Robert Coombe was born in 1948 in Kansas City, Missouri and grew up in Denver. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Williams College in Williamstown, MA and then receive his doctorate in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley. After completing his studies he was employed as a researcher at the University of Toronto and then at Rockwell International’s corporate laboratory in Thousand Oaks, California. He arrived at the University of Denver as a chemistry professor in 1981.

University of Denver Career
When Dr. Coombe first returned to Denver to teach at DU, he taught a variety of science courses including graduate and undergraduate courses in physical chemistry, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and advanced kinetics and molecular dynamics. While a faculty member he took on a number of leadership roles including chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, dean of the Division of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering, and provost of the University. He began his appointment as 17th chancellor of the University of Denver on July 1, 2005.

Chancellor Coombe has managed a number of important developments at DU. Under his chancellorship in 2010 the university became one of a select few to ban smoking on campus. Impressive new buildings have been constructed during his tenure at DU including Nagel Hall (2008) and the new Anderson Academic Commons (2013), which houses the university’s library and other academic services.

Chancellor Coombe speaks at the opening of Nagel Hall in 2008

Personal Life
Apart from his work at the University, Dr. Coombe serves as a member of the Higher Education Working Group of the Council on Foreign Relations. He also serves on the boards of Colorado Forum, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the University of Denver-based Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System.

The father of two children and grandfather of six, Dr. Coombe’s principal avocations are associated with the arts and the outdoors. He is a devoted amateur musician who plays the cello as well as a number of brass instruments. He and his wife Dr. Julanna Gilbert, who is a chemistry professor at the University as well as a talented violinist, enjoy playing in informal chamber ensembles.

Sources:
Chancellor’s Biography, University of Denver Office of the Chancellor. http://www.du.edu/chancellor/chancellorbio/

Robert Coombe. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Coombe

DU's first faculty members. from left to right: Sidney H. Short, Herbert A. Howe, chancellor David Hastings Moore, O.B. Super, and Frances Fish

In discussions about the most significant chancellors in the University’s history, David Hastings Moore rarely comes up. Today Moore is largely forgotten, though he was DU’s first chancellor and an essential figure in the growth and development of Colorado Seminary and the early University of Denver.
Moore, the son of Congressman Eliakin Moore, was born in Athens, Ohio, on Sept. 4, 1838. He graduated from Ohio University in 1860 and became an ordained Methodist minister. In 1861, he married Julia Carpenter, with whom he had nine children.

Following the outbreak of the Civil War, a 24-year-old Moore joined the Union’s 87th Ohio Infantry as a private. He rose through the ranks to lieutenant colonel and took part in General Sherman’s famous march to the sea.

After the war, he served as a minister in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. In 1875, he became president of Wesleyan Female College in Cincinnati, a post he held until 1879, when close friend and Colorado Seminary Trustee Earl Cranston urged him to come to Colorado to become the seminary’s first chancellor. Moore agreed to make the move, later joking that “my wife had a yearning for California, and Colorado was half way.”

At the time, Colorado Seminary had been closed for 15 years but had kept its original charter. The seminary, newly renamed the University of Denver, reopened in 1880 under Moore’s direction. When Moore took the helm, the school had just 30 students and six faculty members.

By the end of his nine-year term, the student body had grown to more than 600, and the University had nine core professors and many more part-time instructors. The curriculum also grew tremendously in the 1880s. Starting with not much more than a basic arts and science curriculum, Moore added the schools of law, business, oratory, medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and music.

After playing a major role in plans to relocate the campus from downtown Denver to University Park, Moore left DU in 1889 to become editor of the Western Christian Advocate in Cincinnati. In 1900, he became a bishop of the Methodist Church and traveled to Asia to oversee missionary work in China, Korea and Japan. In 1904, Moore was transferred to Portland, Ore., where he served as a bishop until 1908, when he moved back to Cincinnati. Upon his retirement in 1912, Moore settled in Indianapolis.

In 1914, at the age of 76, Moore returned to campus to speak at the 50th anniversary of the University’s founding. He summarized his achievements at DU: three “excellent” buildings at 14th and Arapahoe; the future site of the University Park campus; a pledge to build the observatory; the “beginning of the first of the great halls which now dignify the campus;” a “well-appointed faculty” of the College of Liberal Arts; colleges of music, fine arts, medicine, pharmacy and dental surgery as well as schools of manual training, business and oratory; and a total enrollment of 665 students.

Sources

Breck, Allen.From the Rockies to the World: The History of the University of Denver, 2^nd ed. (Ann Arbor: Edwards Brothers, 1997).

Fisher, Steve. The Moore Legacy. University of Denver Magazine. Fall 2005.  Vol. 6 no. 1. p. 5

University of Denver Stadium

The University of Denver stadium (also known as “Hilltop Stadium”) was dedicated in 1926 and served as the home of the University of Denver football team from 1925 through 1961, when DU dropped football as a varsity sport. It also hosted track and field events, other colleges’ football games and even professional football games until its demolition in 1971.

Planning

By 1924 DU football needed a new home: the team had been playing at University Park since 1909 with a grandstand that could seat only 10,000. DU alumni decided to launch an ambitious public bond drive. DU broke ground for Hilltop Stadium in March of 1925.

Construction

University of Denver Stadium Groundbreaking Ceremony

The construction costs ran just under $751,000, with the project using one million board-feet of lumber, 7,000 cubic feet of concrete and 295 tons of steel. The community rallied around the new structure which earned the nickname “Monument to Concrete.” As a crowning touch, the famous sculptor Robert Garrison created two massive figures of athletes, one male and one female, to grace the Stadium’s main entrance as symbols of the value of coeducation and “the vitality, the vigor, and the strength of modern American youth”.

Features

University of Denver Stadium Scoreboard

Hilltop Stadium witnessed a wide range of events during its history. Many of DU football’s most glorious victories came on its field. In the venue’s first official game, DU defeated Colorado School of Mines by a score of 27-7. However, no regional match-up overshadowed the annual rivalry game between DU and the University of Colorado (CU) at Thanksgiving. This tradition came to end when CU joined a different athletic conference in 1948. The Denver Broncos also played at Hilltop Stadium from time to time. The facility also hosted other sports during its history including soccer and track and field. The use of Hilltop Stadium extended beyond the realm of athletic competition as well. For example, Charles Lindbergh visited the Denver landmark during a parade held in his honor. Hilltop Stadium also hosted outdoor theater productions and DU commencement ceremonies for a number of years.

Demolition

University of Denver Stadium Demolition

DU decided to demolish Hilltop Stadium in 1971. Although the large saddle-shaped section on the west side was removed, the far smaller section to the east remained for a while longer. The venue had started to crumble, and after the discontinuation of the DU football program in 1961, a costly reconstruction of the main grandstand seemed unwarranted. DU also needed the space for its growing intramural sports program: new plans included ten lighted tennis courts and three regulation-sized playing fields for a wide variety of sports. DU has maintained a tradition of changing the configuration of this space to fit the recreational needs of its students. Today, the Benjamin F. Stapleton, Jr. Tennis Pavilion and the varsity soccer field stand on the site of the old Hilltop Stadium.

References

Fisher, Steve. “The Short, Happy Life of Hilltop Stadium.” University of Denver
Magazine. Winter 2006. 3 Oct. 2008

Haraway, Frank O. “Football.” A Tribute to Champions. Ed. Erik Prenzler. Denver: Mile High Alumni Boosters, 1985. 8-10.

Moffett, Jessie. “Statues Will Be Placed in Niches by October 25, Sculptor Announces.” The Clarion 26 September 1926: 3.

“Say Goodbye to an Oldtimer….” Communiqué (DU Faculty and Staff Publication) 21 June 1971.

Herbert Alonzo Howe

Introduction

Herbert A. Howe (1858–1926) was professor of astronomy at the University of Denver (DU) from 1880-1925. In 1892 Howe was named Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and the Director of the Chamberlin Observatory (built in 1894) at DU.  He wrote books and articles that appeared in international astronomical and mathematical journals.

Background

Herbert Alonzo Howe was born in Brockport, New York on November 22, 1858. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago in 1875 and his master’s from the University of Cincinnati in 1877. Howe was a student and assistant of the Cincinnati Observatory from 1875-1880. He joined DU’s faculty in 1880 through an invitation from the trustees of the University. In 1884 Howe earned his doctorate of science degree from University of Boston and in 1910 and 1913, he received his LL.D. degrees from both the University of Denver and Colorado College respectively.

Career

Herbert A. Howe was appointed as the first professor of astronomy at the University of Denver in 1880. He taught astronomy, advanced courses in mathematics, and mathematical physics. In 1892 Howe was named Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and later Dean of the Graduate School. He was also appointed as the Director of the Chamberlin Observatory at DU in 1892.  Howe planned the building of the Chamberlin Observatory. He also designed an impersonal micrometer for equatorial telescopes.

Howe was a fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, a member of Astronomische Gellesschaft, the American Astronomical Society and the American Mathematical Society. Some of Howe’s works include: A Study of the Sky, 1896; Elements of Descriptive Astronomy, revised, 1909 and papers on several new methods for solving Kepler’s Problem. Howe died on November 2, 1926.

References:

Dinsmore Alter, “Herbert Alonzo Howe,” Reprinted from Popular Astronomy, (April 1927).Vol. XXXV, No. 4.

“A Comrade of the Stars,”  The Central Christian Advocate, 1109-1110.

John C. Ensslin, “Notes on the Observatory,” The Rocky Mountain News (October 4, 1998) 44A-46A.

Dorothy Haines, “Herbert Alonzo Howe,” March 27, 1980.

“Howe Sacrificed Life to Science, Says Chancellor,” (November 3, 1926) 16.

“Spectacular Leonid Shower Due Tonight,” (November 16, 1966).

Bernard Spilka, The Heart of the University of Denver: a Human Approach to the Arts, Humanities, and Sciences: an Appreciation of Faculty. ed. Steven Fisher, (Denver: The University of Denver, 2007).

Frances Wayne, “Dean Howe, Denver University, Dies After Apoplectic Attack,” The Denver Post November 3, 1926.

The Women’s Library Association (WLA) is an organization that was founded in 1956 to raise funds and acquire book as well as archival collections for the University of Denver Library in order to support University teaching and research.

Beginnings

The Women’s Library Association was established in 1956 as the Women’s Committee of the University of Denver “dedicated to the premise that a great university must have as its heart a great library.” At the request of Chancellor Chester Alter, Marion Gottesfeld (Hurwitz) and Peg Bradford, both University Trustees, formed a committee to raise funds for the University’s libraries and to acquire book donations as well as manuscript collections to support University research and teaching. This committee was composed of seven other members including Frederica Bellamy, Julia Bennett, Dorrit Chalmers, Genevieve Denious, Alberta  Iliff, Mathilda Levy, and  Frances Webster. The committee organized an initial fundraising campaign that resulted in significant contributions to the Mary Reed Library.

In 1958, the Women’s Committee of the University of Denver became the Women’s Committee for the Library, also known as the Women’s Library Committee. Under the leadership of Marion Gottesfeld Hurwitz, the activities of the group were expanded and the organization set out to build the library’s collections through the solicitation of donations from organized women’s groups and individuals as well as by establishing a memorial book program. The new committee’s enthusiasm and commitment were summed up in a 1959 Denver Post article, in which Marion Gottesfeld, referring to the Mary Reed Library, stated that, “a woman built this library so it’s up to the women of the community to keep it up.”

New Name

By 1965 the Women’s Library Committee had grown to over 130 members and their impact was strongly felt.  They were responsible for acquiring 70 percent of the gifts made to the University of Denver libraries from 1964-1965. To reward this dedicated work a new organization was formed in December 1965 by proclamation of University Chancellor Dr. Chester M. Alter. The Women’s Library Committee was renamed the Women’s Library Association (WLA), which shortly became an independent organization with its own bylaws and Executive Board. Marion Gottesfeld (Hurwitz) was named the first Executive Chair, with Janet Pirkey appointed as the general chair of the Annual Support program. The new organization was designed to involve a greater number of women from the Denver community. They hoped to reach this goal with the Annual Support program, which recruited women to become Sustaining, Associate, and Contributing members of the WLA. Members were eligible to attend a series of educational lectures, which became the WLA Lecture Series, presented by University faculty and community leaders.

Expansion

In the 1970s and 1980s the organization developed several creative fundraising events. Some of the most notable include the annual Art and Antique auction, the Bargain Bazaar garage sale, the WLA cookbook, A Stirring Experience, as well as Mansions in Miniature (a miniature collectible show and sale), the Craftskeller gift shop (a store for students in the student union), and the annual spring book sale. Along with providing funding for books and manuscript collections, the work of the Women’s Library Association also reached more widely into campus affairs. For example, the WLA had a representative on the committee to select the architect for Penrose Library, which opened in 1972. In addition they sponsored many special events on campus including a reception in 1964 for U Thant, Secretary General of the United Nations, and an exhibit in Penrose Library of the University’s collection of prints by photographer Edward S. Curtis in 1975.

Programs

The Women’s Library Association and Friends of Penrose Library is an organization whose primary goal is to generate funds for Penrose Library. Its secondary goal is to present a continuing education program, which for many years has been its well-known Lecture Series.  The WLA has been successful in establishing and growing a sizeable endowment that supports Penrose Library’s collections and programs. The WLA administers a used bookstore, the Book Stack, located on the first floor of the Mary Reed Building.  It is open four days a week and is staffed by volunteers.  Twice a year the Book Stack volunteers organize book sales at greatly discounted prices and all the proceeds go to Penrose Library.  Other fundraisers are held during the year, one in fall and one in spring.

References

Hurd, Gwen. The History of The Women’s Library Association & Friends of Penrose Library : The First First Fifty Years. (Denver: The Association, 2006)

Maxine Lowry, “DU Seeks Library Books. ” The Denver Post, December 30, 1959.

Women’s Library Association Collection. Finding Aid in the Archives/Special Collections of the University of Denver, Denver. Co.

Field House Arena

Introduction

The University of Denver Field House Arena, known as the “Old Barn,” was home to the University’s athletics programs for nearly five decades, from 1948 through 1997. It was famous for housing the University’s hockey, swimming and basketball programs. The highlight of those early years was capturing five National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ice hockey championships under the guidance of legendary coach Murray Armstrong. It was located at East Asbury St. and S. Gaylord St.

Planning

At the end of World War II the University of Denver (DU) needed to expand its athletic facilities due to vastly increased student enrollment. The old Alumni Gymnasium located near S. University and Evans Ave.  would not suffice. After months of negotiations with U.S. Senators Ed C. Johnson and Eugene D. Milliken, the University acquired a mammoth drill hall from the Farragut Naval Base in Idaho and had it shipped to Denver in 1947. Acquisition of the building by DU was also made possible by the Bureau of Community Facilities Division of the U.S. Federal Works Agency and the Veterans Facilities Division of the U.S. Office of Education. The building had been used by the U.S. Navy during World War II for drilling and recreation. The University’s Board of Trustees agreed to spend $450,000 for re-erection and remodeling of the building provided funds were available for taking it apart and transporting it  to the University campus.

Construction of DU Field House Arena

Construction

Disassembling and reconstruction of the Field House was contracted to the Gassland Construction Company of  Bellingham, Washington. The architects were George M. Rasque and Sons  from Spokane, Washington. The building was 608 feet in length, 120 feet in width and 22 feet high. It was constructed with Douglas Fir framing and 5/8 inch plywood outside. It included a swimming pool with a filtration and purification plant, gymnasium, three basketball courts, classrooms, heating plant, storage rooms, offices and locker rooms. The University spent $125,000 disassembling and transporting the drill hall to Denver. After transporting the structure the construction team began to transform the drill hall into a new home for DU athletics. The construction team added a 168 x 128 x 38 foot basketball area, a 5120 square feet classroom and a rifle range. The team reconstructed the swimming pool and the basketball court that was also used for ice hockey, rearranged the classrooms, and repainted and replaced the heating plant. The University spent $537, 000 on erection of the structure. The drill hall was finally converted into the DU Field House Arena in 1948. It covered two city blocks when completed. In total the University spent more than $1 million to construct it.

DU Field House Arena Ice Hockey Rink

Features

The DU Field House Arena was composed of three unique structures. A south wing was 30,780 square feet. It was 288 feet long and 120 feet wide with a clear span of 24 feet. The south end held classrooms, a track, and multipurpose practice space. The south wing also provided seating for 4500 spectators. The middle section contained an 82 by 50 foot swimming pool for up to 60 swimmers at a time. The pool had a capacity of 225,000 gallons of water with filtration and purification plants. The pool had a unique underwater lighting system with 15 lights at 1,000 watts each and the pool area included 1400 permanent seating for spectators. The north wing, referred to as the arena, was 46,000 square feet. It was 256 feet long and 180 feet wide with a clear span of 56 feet. A north wing housed an ice hockey rink that could be converted into a basketball court and three intramural courts. The rink was about 190 feet long and 90 feet wide.  A system of 108 inserts under the ice made it possible for the erection of circus tents, boxing rings, tennis courts, and special decorations. Under the rink was an eight station rifle range with metal target shields and target lights. The arena provided seating for 9500 spectators. It had a three-story press box 42 feet long and 12 feet deep along the east wall.  The first level was for newspaper reporters and photographers, the second for television and the top story for radio broadcasts. It was located next to Hilltop Stadium where the DU football team played and had space for intramural programs and local sports teams as well.

DU Field House Arena in the process of being remodeled.

Renovation

In 1972, after nearly 25 years of service, the University discovered serious structural problems in the Field House Arena. Heavy snowfall in December 1972 caused a crack in one of the major roof support beams in the arena.  DU athletic teams had to play in rented spaces until the University decided to repair the Field House Arena. In 1973 the University trustees launched a $2 million campaign for renovation of the Field House Arena. The renovation included features such as an upper spectator gallery, a sundeck next to the swimming pool and extending from the upper level, two intramural recreation courts, one for indoor track and the other converted to use for tennis, volleyball, badminton, and dance.  There was also a weight room, squash and handball courts, human performance lab as well as lower and upper level showers and lockers. The facility reopened in January of 1974 . The newly  remodeled Field House Arena provided more resources for students in physical education programs and additional practice courts for basketball. The color scheme on the wall in the renovated ice arena earned the facility the nickname “the Rainbow Ballroom.”  The University now had the large assembly space that it required for sporting events and school functions.

Demolition of DU Field House Arena.

Demolition

By the mid 1990s, the University realized it was time to upgrade the Field House Arena. The “Old Barn” had served DU well for nearly 50 years but a desire to raise all of the University’s athletics programs to the Division I level demanded the construction of a modern sports complex.   In 1997 demolition of the Field House Arena began. Seats and bricks from the Field House Arena were sold to commemorate past Pioneer glories, the proceeds helping the University raise the funds needed to begin construction of the new Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness.   The Ritchie Center, completed in 1999,  now stands on the site that the Field House Arena occupied for nearly 50 years.

References

“Arena Demolition Signals Start of New Athletic Era at DU,” Washington Park Profile, April 1997, 1, 9.

“Back a Winner,” (Denver: University of Denver, 1973).

Billy Gould, “New Athletic Facility Planned,” Clarion (University of Denver), January 3, 1973, 1-2.

Dean McCoy, “Letter to George Field,” (Commissioner of the Community Facilities Bureau of the Federal Works Agency), August 7, 1947.

“DU Field House,” Correspondence of Chancellor Maurice Mitchell 1972-1973,” (Denver: University of Denver Office of Public Relations, 1947).

“Farragut State Park,” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farragut_State_Park (accessed November 4, 2008 and December 1, 2008).

“New Fieldhouse Planned; Arena Will Be Repaired,” Clarion (University of Denver), February 28, 1973, 1.

“Pioneers Tied for First Place in WCHA,” Communiqué (University of Denver), December 31, 1973, 5.

“The New University of Denver Field House,” (Denver: University of Denver, 1949).

Raymond P. Tripp, Jr. (1932-2005) was an English professor at the University of Denver (DU). He was a linguist and word consultant, fluent in French, German, and Japanese. Tripp was also skilled in Anglo-Saxon, German, Icelandic, Greek, and Latin.

Background

Raymond Paul Tripp, Jr

Raymond Paul Tripp, Jr. was born in Acushnet, Massachusetts on December 15, 1932. His bachelor’s and master’s degrees were both in English literature from the University of Massachusetts in 1960 and University of Toronto in 1963 respectively. He came to DU in 1968 and in 1971 received his doctorate from Union Graduate School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was in the U.S. Army from 1954-1957. Prior to his appointment at DU Tripp was an instructor at The American School in Japan (1960), assistant instructor, University of Toronto (1962-1964), instructor, Champlain College (1964-1965), assistant professor, Clarion State College (1965-1968) and dean of studies, Mark Hopkins College (1967-1968).

Career

In 1968, the University of Denver appointed Raymond P. Tripp to the College of Arts and Sciences as a professor of English. Tripp taught courses such as bibliography, American transcendentalism, creative writing, Chaucer, and English grammar. He also directed master’s theses and doctoral dissertations. As a linguist and word consultant, Tripp produced a number of  books and reviews. Some of his works include: The Ladder of Language: An Introductory Structural Grammar (1975); Beyond Canterbury: Chaucer, Humanism and Literature (1977); More About the Fight with the Dragon: Beowulf, 2208b-3182: commentary, edition and translation (1983); The Mysterious Kingdom of Emily Dickinson’s Poetry (1988); Two Fish on one Hook: A Transformative Reading of Thoreau’s Walden (1998) and Duty, Body and World in the Works of Emily Dickinson: Reorganizing the Estimate (2000).

Tripp was also a member of the Rocky Mountain Council for British Studies, the Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association, the American Society for Aesthetics,  the American Medieval Academy and the Society for New Language Study. Raymond Paul Tripp died in 2005.

References

Biographical Files: Raymond P. Tripp, Special Collections (Denver: University of Denver Penrose Library).

Raymond P. Tripp, Jr., WorldCat, http://www.worldcat.org (accessed July 20, 2010).

Women's Soccer Match

Introduction

The University of Denver (DU) Women’s Soccer Program officially began as a varsity sport in 1983. In its second year of varsity competition, DU compiled an 8-8-1 record with wins over University of Colorado, Trinity College and MacAlester College. The team has won Colorado Athletic Conference (CAC) Titles, Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Titles and berths to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournaments.

Achievements

Women's Soccer Match

The University of Denver Women’s Soccer Team joined the Colorado Athletic Conference (CAC) in 1990.  In 1992 the team won its first CAC regular season title and first CAC playoff title. DU went on to win four CAC titles in four consecutive years from 1992-1995. In 1993 Annette Wagner became the program’s all time leader with 118 points in her fourth career. And in 1996 Deshaunne Running was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Umbro Division II Player of the Year. DU joined the Sun Belt Conference for NCAA Division I play in 1999 and in 2001 the team won its first SBC Tournament Title. The Lady Pioneers went on to win three consecutive SBC Tournament Titles from 2001-2003. They compiled a record of 51-9-4 and won berths to NCAA Tournaments during those seasons.

DU vs. Colgate University

In 2006 The University of Denver Women’s Soccer Team made history by winning its first game at the NCAA Women’s College Cup. The team defeated the University of Kentucky 2-0 for that win. The Lady Pioneers won another four consecutive SBC Tournament Titles from 2006-2009 and berths to NCAA Tournaments. Four Lady Pioneers were honored by the SBC during the 2007 season. Jenna Billingsley (midfielder), Lizzy Carlson (midfielder) and Elise Mascitelli (defender) were each named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team, while Mackenzie Snyder (goalkeeper) earned a spot on the Second Team in 2007. During the 2008 season, Taryn Hemmings was named to the National Team of the Week, Academic All-America Second Team and All-Central Region Second Team. Hemmings led the Lady Pioneers to an overall record of 19-3-2 during the 2008 season. In 2009 Mariah Johnston and Kaitlin Bast were both named to the SBC First Team while Bria Beardsley, Lizzy Carlson and Jessie Rogers earned Second Team Honors. Mariah Johnston was also named the SBC Player of the week on October 27, 2009.

Sources:

The Official Website of Pioneer Athletics. www.denverpioneers.com (accessed January 20, 2010).

Chancellor Dan Ritchie (right), Joy Burns (center), and another individual pose at the groundbreaking of the Ritchie Center on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Colorado.

Introduction

Daniel L. Ritchie (1932-    ) served as the sixteenth chancellor of the University of Denver from 1989 to 2005. As Chancellor he managed the transformation from an institution dealing with serious financial issues to one with an attractive campus, growing student population, and a multitude of benefactors. During his tenure as Chancellor Ritchie personally donated over $50 million of his own funds to the University. He strove to improve the academic standards and opportunities offered to DU students. Both test scores and GPA for incoming students increased during his tenure while class sizes at the University were reduced.

Background

Daniel L. Ritchie was born in 1932 in China Grove, North Carolina. His father sold farm and construction equipment and Ritchie grew up learning how to farm. He attended private schools in Virginia and later graduated from Harvard University in 1956 with both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA. He then served in the U.S. Army and afterward started his own organic-food corporation. He made his fortune as a stock-market securities analyst and a cable-industry chief executive.  Ritchie also owned one of California’s largest avocado operations. He then served as CEO of Westinghouse Broadcasting for eight years before “retiring” to his Colorado ranch in 1987.

University of Denver Career

Chancellor Dan Ritchie (center), poses with Greg Dewey (Chair, Chemistry) and Bob Dores (Chair, Biological Sciences) during the Olin Hall groundbreaking ceremony on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Colorado.

Ritchie served as vice-chair of the Board of Trustees for the University of Denver and also chaired the Development Committee before he was approached by fellow Trustee Bill Coors in 1989 and offered the position of Chancellor, which he accepted. He became the only chief officer of a United States college or university who served without a salary. He was paid an honorary $1 per year. [1] Ritchie served as Chancellor for 16 years and  guided the University out of debt. He led a $400 million fund raising campaign that resulted in the construction of the athletic and events center that bears his name. Ritchie also initiated the remodeling of the Business Administration Building and the General Classroom Building into Sturm Hall and the construction of the Newman Center for the Performing Arts.

In June 1994, Ritchie sold his ranch near Kremmling, Colorado, and donated the $15 million in profits he made from the sale to the University. With this donation he set a philanthropy record not only in Colorado but for the entire Rocky Mountain Region. He was of the opinion that “one shouldn’t wait till you die to do something. Everybody else then will have the enjoyment of it.”[2] In 1998, Ritchie was honored with a Citizen of the West award by the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo.

During his chancellorship Ritchie initiated the process of conducting personal interviews with all undergraduate applicants, making the University of Denver the first university in the country to do so. [3] He also helped develop a program allowing DU students to study abroad for one quarter at no additional cost. Ritchie was also responsible for inspiring the University’s move to Division I athletics, stating that “athletics is an important part of learning, discipline, teamwork, learning to be good. That’s part of what’s involved here and why it’s important.”[4]

In 2005, Ritchie resigned from the Chancellor position to become Chair of the Board of Trustees, a position he held for one term. In addition to leading DU as Chancellor, Ritchie also served as President of the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation in Denver, Chairman of the Central City Opera, and President of the Independent Higher Education of Colorado.

[1] Olinger, David.  “Still in the Saddle.”  The Denver Post, January 11, 1998, Empire section.

[2] “DU’s Big-Hearted Ritchie.”  The Denver Post, October 16, 2006.

[3] Curtin, Dave.  “Career Detour DU’s Salvation.” The Denver Post,  June 27, 2005, section A.

[4] “DU’s Big-Hearted Ritchie.”  The Denver Post, October 16, 2006.

Sources

“Citizen of the West is University of Denver Chancellor,” Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 1998.

Dave Curtin, “Career Detour DU’s Salvation,”  The Denver Post.  June 27, 2005, Sec. A.

“Daniel L. Ritchie: Biography,” University of Denver Office of Communications, 1997.

“Daniel L. Ritchie: Chancellor University of Denver”, Denver Business Journal, August  11, 2000.

“DU’s Big-Hearted Ritchie,” The Denver Post, April 18, 1998.

John Ingold, “Ritchie Will Depart DU Board,” The Denver Post,  October 16, 2006. Sec. B.

David Olinger, “Still in the Saddle,” The Denver Post, January 11, 1998. Empire section.