JOANOF ARC CATHOLICCHURCH

Proclaiming Christ from the Mountains to the Plains www.StJoanArvada.org

12735 W 58th Ave · 80002 · 303-420-1232

Daily Masses: 8:30am, Mon-Sat Confessions: 8am Tue-Fri; 7:30am & 4:00pm Sat Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00pm Sunday Masses: 7:30, 9:00, 11:30am, 5:30pm

Richard Knight

Most of us in this valley delight in what we’ve been able to see from our front door: Uninterrupted ridgelines, cli s, and the rounded slopes that converge to make foothills, which then rise into mountains. Nature made these views, and we’ve been fortunate to have them in our lives every day.

But more and more, houses that resemble castles are sprouting on ridgelines and hilltops, here and all over the mountains. And sometimes it’s ordinary houses or trailers that get built on ridgelines, interrupting the natural ow of the land.

Where only a few years ago our eyes might nd comfort in tracing a ridge’s backbone — wondering how it got to be named White Pine Mountain when no white pines grow there — now we look at manmade structures that irritate the eyes.

People who have lived in my valley what then?

Will schools be allowed to go behind dissenting parent’s backs, if the parents disagree with the diagnosis or treatment recommendations? Will schools be allowed to go so far as to remove children from the homes of dissenting parents?

Establishing a vaguely de ned, far reaching legal precedent whereby a child would be allowed to void their parent’s will is an extremely dangerous path to go down.

Without many, many additional safeguards, especially regarding parental controls and involvement— this legislation is far too dangerous.

Terry Hodson, Golden

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for decades share a di erent style. Appreciating what a winter wind can do to steal warmth from inside a house, they looked for sheltered areas to build. ey saw it made sense to build low, tucking a home against the south side of a hill or cli .

Most yard lights were few and hard to see, as were their homes. But the new Western lifestyle broadcasts yard lights at night for all to see, just as the homes are conspicuously visible during the day.

In this newfangled West that has “ranched the view,” people apparently need to stand out to enjoy an amenity lifestyle. Will these new folk ever take time to appreciate the human and natural histories of the place they live in now, to show respect for the land and its natural beauty? Will they learn to be considerate of neighbors and not take away from the views that de ne where we live?

It’s shameful to think that just as we rst moved into the West to exploit its valuable resources, we now exploit the last resource our region has to o er — its heart-stopping beauty.

ere is some good news, because in many parts of the West we are learning how to sustainably log, graze, divert water and develop energy. I hope it’s not too late for us to also realize the value of tting into the land as residents, to keep intact our ridgelines, mesas, mountains and valley oors. Once a house caps a hilltop, however, that view is irretrievable, gone forever.

GOLDEN – Henry “Duke” Smith died peacefully on February 1, 2023 following a long illness. He was born March 30, 1937 in Lawrence, KS, the second of four children, to Henry Smith and Ruth (Watson) Smith. He was predeceased by his parents and three siblings.

He graduated from Lawrence High School in 1955 and attended the University of Kansas where he studied engineering and played varsity baseball. After playing a short time for the Oklahoma City Indians, his pursuit of a professional baseball career ended in injury.

Duke married the love of his life, eresa (Byers) in 1959 and the couple settled in Lawrence, KS, where, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, he became a police o cer with the Lawrence, KS Police Department. e couple welcomed a daughter, Sharon, in 1960 and a son, Duane, in 1962.

Duke held positions in both the Lawrence, KS and Kansas City, MO Police Departments between 1962 and 1966, but during a trip to Colorado in 1966 he and his wife fell in love with the state and decided to make Colorado their permanent home.

He was hired in 1966 as a patrolman for the City of Edgewater, launching a groundbreaking career of service and leadership that would span a quarter century.

I hope we can learn how to value homes that blend with the land in shape, color and location. Maybe a new generation of home builders, architects, and developers will lead the way in paying due respect to our region’s natural beauty.

But I’m afraid that it’s too late for our valley. e great writer Wallace Stegner told us that the task of Westerners was to build a society to match the scenery. From what I see, we’re not doing the job.

Richard Knight is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonpro t that hopes to inspire lively conversation about the West. He works at the intersection of land use and land health in the American West.

- February 1, 2023

He was appointed Chief in 1979, making history as the rst AfricanAmerican police chief in the state of Colorado. He retired in 1991 and was the longest tenured law enforcement o cer in Edgewater’s history.

In October ‘91 he was appointed by Governor Roy Romer and the Colorado Department of Transportation to spearhead “Operation Buckle Down” a nationallyfunded seat belt campaign whose purpose was to educate and save lives. He served until 2006, working with law enforcement agencies throughout the state.

Duke lived life to the fullest, pursuing his hobbies and life interests with the same zeal and commitment he was known for in his professional life. He was an avid tennis player, award-winning photographer, pilot, and world traveler, whose favorite city was Paris, France. He loved gardening and adored spending time with his three grandchildren.

Duke is survived by his wife of 63 years, eresa Smith, children Sharon SmithMauney (Leonard) and Duane Smith, and grandchildren Kyle Mauney, Mariah Smith and Bronson Smith.

Memorial service, Saturday, 2/18, 11am at Edgewater United Methodist Church. In lieu of owers donations may be made to e Denver Hospice, 8289 E. Lowry Blvd., Denver, CO 80230