Profiles and Bios

 
If you are a member of the 1962 graduating class, or would have been if you had stayed at Wheat Ridge High, we would really like you to create a profile and tell something about yourself. You can always update your profile with current information. Your address, phone number and email address are not visible to anyone other than yourself and the website administrator. You can contact other Classmates through the 'Send This Person a Message' link below their profile.

This page has a 'Where Are They Now' button which, when clicked, displays a map of the cities and states where registered classmates live. You might be living near someone and not know it!

Check out the 'Sort' and 'Search' functions. The more classmates that register, the more handy these features will become.

Your registration helps attract other classmates to the site. The effectiveness of the website is a direct correlation to the number of classmates who register. Registering also enables you to post to the Message Board.

Randy Thompson (deceased)

Comment: No bio. Deceased. 

Linda Todd (Trevithick)

Then Then
Comment: No bio. Unable to locate.

Stephanie (Stephie) Townsend (Sachoff)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Professor
Comment:

Hi Everyone,

Since graduation from Wheat Ridge, I've lived in Texas, Norway, and Colorado.  I married Ralph Townsend who was two years ahead of me at Wheat Ridege.  We have two grown children, Chris and Holly. Chris is a Field Engineer with Polycom and Holly is a Kindergarten teacher in Jeffco.  They have blessed us with 5 grandchildren.  Our youngest grandchild is 2 years old (Lucy) and the oldest is 21 (Ram). 

Ralph and I are approaching our 47th Anniversary.  That's unbelieveable, right? 

In addition to a wife, mother, sister, and grandmother (baba - Bulgarian for grandmama), I have been a classroom teacher, reading specialist, principal, and currently a clinical professor in the School of Education and Human Development at CU Denver. 

I have loved my time at the University.  I teach in two programs there; one is Literacy, Lauguage and Cultrually Responsive Teaching and the other program is Teacher Licensure.  

Ralph has retired from full time chemical engineering but does some consulting with a local engineering firm between golfing dates.  He loves to play golf and is currently up in the mountains with our grandson (Cody) target shooting. 

Thanks so much to the committee and to Scott who is organizing all of this!

Best,

Stephie

Judy Trautwein (Besel)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired
Comment:

The Lord has blessed me. I graduated in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics with a specialization in Textiles, Clothing and Design. After graduation, The Emporium in San Francisco hired me for their buyer-training program.


In San Francisco, I was active in Young Democrats and the Bobby Kennedy campaign for president. 


After two years in San Francisco, I moved to Eugene, Oregon where I helped open a new department store, Meier and Frank. I eventually moved to Portland, Oregon where I met my husband, Bob.


We moved to Lincoln, Nebraska where he was a librarian and I received my Master of Science degree in Home Economics with a specialization in consumerism.


At 33-years-old, I gave birth to Nathan then in 1979, Luke was born.


We moved to Columbus, Nebraska where Bob was director of the Library.  Until I retired in July 2009, I worked at Cornhusker Public Power District as Information and Marketing Director. I loved working every day.


We now have three grandchildren.


I am an active member in our Presbyterian church, P.E.O., Columbus Area Recreation Trails, Formal Dancing Club, and charter member of Columbus Morning Rotary.  I have co-chaired three annual Rotary rode bike fundraisers to END POLIO NOW. I belong to two book discussion clubs.


I was very involved in helping each of our sons achieve Eagle Scout.

      In August 2011, I was crowned Queen Isabella because of my community service to Columbus.


Over the years Bob and I have enjoyed backpacking and still enjoy tent camping.  Our favorite place is the Wind River Range in Wyoming. 


For seven years we rode our road bikes across Iowa (RAGBRI), across Nebraska (BRAN), down the Oregon coast, around Columbus, Ohio (GOBI), and around Missouri.  Our last ride in 2009 in hilly Brown County Indiana pooped me out.  Now we will ride trails.


For fun, I love entertaining by having dinner parties or cocktail parties. I always make everything from scratch.


Our family has hosted several exchange students who have added a wonderful dimension to our lives.  We hosted students from Paris, Canary Islands, Mexico and India. Our sons have been Rotary exchange students to Venezuela and Chile.


Every year we travel out of the country.  We have traveled to Paris, Argentina, Egypt, India, Spain, China, Venezuela, Chile, Turkey, Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary.

   We have one life to live, so live it to the fullest!

John Turnquist

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 3
Occupation: Retired Attorney/Non-Profit Executive Director
Comment:
After 35 years wonderful years of providing legal services to our sailors and Marines, I spent five years as the Executive Director of a large human services non-profit agency, where I learned more about hunger, homelessness, and domestic violence in those years than I had in all of my prior years.  My wife, Kathy, and I have been married almost 45 years and have three grown sons, one in Houston and two in Boulder, CO. We left Virginia in 2008 and are now in Texas luxuriating with our grandkids and always planning when to get to Boulder, CO, to see our other grandkids.  Ah, retired life is a hoot, because, among other things, I get to indulge my passion for Bible study and to renew my love of teaching adult Bible study classes.

Kenneth Vair (deceased 1974)

Then Then
Comment: No bio. Deceased December 1974.

Nancy Vogel (Legge)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired Realtor/Artist
Comment: As a new retiree from 33 years of selling real estate on Fidalgo Island I finally cherish my free time.  My hubby of 44 years and I have recently bought a condo in Palm Springs where we will stay during the winter months. We will spend summers in La Conner Washington(still on Fidalgo) but just a few miles from Anacortes. Teaching art in Canada and in Washington made me realize teaching was not going to be a lifetime career. Real Estate was a good career but now  I am enjoying doing my painting & encaustics. Travels to Japan, Europe, and Canada made us realize we want more time to travel. We finally became grandparents with a wonderful boy Elliot and our two children enjoy success, health and happiness so that makes life good. 
What's a favorite high school memory: Being a pom pom girl & art class with Mr Wetherbee
Which faculty members do you best remember: Mr Wetherbee
What was fun to do in Wheat Ridge during your high school years: cheer at games

Mary Jo "Jody" Wagner (Burns)

Then Then
Comment: No bio.

George Wallace

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: professor, farmer/rancher
Comment: My wife Nancy and I farm and ranch 13 miles north of Ft Collins. I retired 10 years ago year as a professor of Natural Resouces at Colorado State University. Nancy, my wife of 56 years, is an attorney in Ft Collins and still practices 3 days a week. We have sons David, Tom and a grandson Christopher. At CSU, in addition to teaching and research,  I was also Director of a Center that trains protected area managers (national parks etc.) throughout the US and Latin America for the last 20 years.  This allowed me, our Center staff and my graduate students to work in a lot of interesting places with great colleagues. My research has focused on public and private land management and resolving natural resource conflicts. Nancy and I  are both active civically in Larimer County (county, planning commission, ag advisory board, open space board etc.)  We raise alfalfa, corn, small grains, grass hay, cattle and have done a lot of restoration, wildlife habitat, and conservation work on our 2 farms (one in Phillips County). We have a string of horses and mules for working stock, training park rangers, packing, hunting etc. We built a "geezer house" on the east end of the farm last year (20210 so our oldest son and his could move into the home place. He now helps with the farm. I started writing poetry in 2019 and published one book ("Enjoying the Work", Wolverine Farm Publishing) and am working on another. I have been a featured artist at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko Nevada and will be again in 2022.



Along the way, I served in the Marine 'Corps and later we both spent 2.5 years as Peace Corps Volunteers in Panama from 67 - 70;  I worked construction, started farming in 72. Directed a project for/with migrant farmworkers and families, directed a Teacher Corps project in Ft. Lupton, got graduate degrees at Univ. of New Mexico and CSU, helped develop a watershed mgmt. project for Central America, living in Costa Rica 2 years. We are more or less settled in and have lived on the Ft Collins farm for 56 years. (am i the only actual farmer??) Look forward to reading about all of you and seeing you at reunions. 
What's a favorite high school memory: the trouble we caused at the senior dinner dance (Jay Marx, Chuck Losasso, Don Livonius, others)
Which faculty members do you best remember: Mr Pratt
What was fun to do in Wheat Ridge during your high school years: several of us got kicked off the baseball team for missing Spring practice while we went on an incredible fishing trip to the Madison River in Montana. Also enjoyed the exchange to Port Washington Wisconsin.

Kent Warner

Comment: No bio.