A Heart of Golden Ore

Friends remember Marv Kay’s dedication to Golden, Mines communities

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Anyone who met Marv Kay has a story — of his kindness and generosity, his passion and dedication, his humor and sharp wit.

As his former players Joe McConnell and Brian Glade said: “ ere’s only one Marv Kay, and he was unmatched.”

Kay, an icon of Golden and Colorado School of Mines, died April 19 at age 84. He was preceded in death by his wife, Diane, who died March 15. e two were married for 55 years.

Kay is survived by his children, Chandra Polk and Kendra Sund, both of Golden; three grandchildren; a great-grandson; and four siblings.

Golden Community Garden members kick o season on Earth Day

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

While the April 22 snowstorm might’ve canceled some Earth Day events along the Front Range, Golden Community Garden members were undeterred. e garden kicked o its 2023 sea- son April 22 with Garden Orientation for new members. More than 60 people stopped by to review procedures, tour the plots, and complete a seed exchange.

Angelica Elliott, who’s starting her rst year as garden leader, said her and colleagues wanted to take advantage of Earth Day to get the members together for an orientation and do a few other activities, like planting trees.

“I’m happy so many people showed up,” Elliott said. “ … I think it was a successful Earth Day, regardless of the weather.”

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 24 e garden is kicking o its 15th season. It’s comprised of a perennials section, a butter y garden and 75 individual plots.

Matt Burde, a garden steward, said there are both large and small individual plots with respective fees that include irrigation and compost. Members are asked to complete occasional communal work like composting as part of participating in the Golden Community Garden.

About 40-50% of the membership turns over every year, he said, and e family was holding a private memorial this month, but there will be a public memorial in the coming weeks. As of April 24, the date and time hadn’t been announced yet, but o cials conrmed it’d be held at the Mines football stadium that bears his name.

“He’s the greatest Oredigger ever,” Athletic Director David Hansburg said. “ … Rarely do we see people like Coach Kay who have committed their entire life to one school and the surrounding community.”

Kay was heavily involved with the Mines football program as a player, coach, athletic director

SEE MARV KAY, P2 and fan. His last interview with e Transcript was in December, as the Mines football team was traveling to the NCAA Division II National Championship game, when he expressed how he was proud of the Orediggers’ accomplishments.

On top of everything he did for Mines, Kay was also an icon for the Golden community. He served on City Council, including eight years as mayor, and helped shape several local organizations and the city itself through his commitment and leadership.

“Marv Kay was Golden,” the City of Golden stated on its Facebook page. “ ... He helped build our great community into the vibrant place it is today. He will be missed, and his legacy lives on.”

‘The greatest Oredigger’

Kay was born in 1939 in Golden, while his father was a junior at Mines.

After Kay’s dad graduated, the family moved to the Western Slope, where Kay grew up. He graduated high school in Grand Junction in 1956 and returned to Golden for college.

While studying at Mines, Kay lettered in football and wrestling, was heavily involved with fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon, and was named Mr. Engineer during the annual E-Days celebration. He graduated with a mining engineering degree in 1963.

In 1966, after serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kay landed his rst job with Mines as an assistant coach in football and swimming. He was named Mines’ head football coach in 1969.

Over the next 26 years, he won a then-school-record 84 games, was the RMAC Coach of the Year in 1975 and 1979, and coached 13 All-Americans and 50 All-Conference players. After his coaching days, he served as Mines athletic director from 19942004.

In addition to his career in athletics, Kay was also a professor and fundraiser for the university. He also served as the inspiration for Marvin the Miner, one of the Orediggers’ mascots.

In 2015, the university named its football stadium in his honor, and in 2019, he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

Along with all his extensive work at and for Mines, Kay was very involved in the Golden community — its civic organizations and local government.

He served on Golden City Council from 1986 to 1998, including as mayor from 1988 to 1996.

During his time on City Council, Kay was instrumental in approving the city’s capital improvement sales tax. is helped fund improvements to Washington Avenue, expanding the water treatment plant, building numerous recreation amenities, and establishing the Golden Community Center.

Kay also helped start Leadership Golden, served as the Golden Chamber of Commerce president, and served the Golden Civic Foundation for more than 30 years.

Four years ago, the State of Colorado proclaimed April 11, 2019, as Marv Kay Day. People around Golden, the Mines campus and beyond celebrated Kay’s legacy of hard work, dedication and civil service that day.

‘His legacy lives on’

Since his death, many Goldenites, Orediggers and others have been sharing their “Marv Kay stories,” as Mines President Paul C. Johnson described them, recalling how kind, welcoming and caring Kay was.

He was the Mines athletes’ greatest supporter, mentoring many during their time at the university. He always stopped to say hello, have a nice chat and occasional joke with people too, they recalled.

His former players described how much they owed to Kay. He gave them a chance to study and play at Mines; he helped line up summer jobs for them that shaped their careers; and he showed up for them when they most needed him.

Brian Glade, who graduated Mines in 1979, recalled how Kay attended Glade’s father’s funeral, even 10 years after Glade had graduated.

Joe McConnell, also Class of ‘79, said Kay recognized him at an alumni event, even though they hadn’t seen each other in 15-20 years.

“He remembered everybody,” McConnell continued.

Fellow Mines football alumni Bill Zisch and Stu Bennett had similar stories, describing how Kay’s altruistic spirit set an example for those he led as a coach and athletic director.

Two former Mines coaches also said Kay was instrumental in their careers, with former women’s basketball coach Paula Krueger stating, “He was an amazing human and leader. His heart was always in the right place. Even after my time at Mines came to an end, he still checked in. ... I will remember him with (love).”

Bennett also highlighted Kay’s dedication, not just to the Golden and Mines communities, but to his family. He said Kay was there for his wife, Diane, in their nal days together, committing himself to her care.

Overall, Golden and Mines leaders hoped Kay’s life would inspire others to serve and lead their community — changing people’s lives through kindness and dedication, just as Kay did.

As Heather Schneider, the Golden Civic Foundation’s executive director, stated: “If you talk to someone around town, whether it be a longtime resident or Mines student or alumni, you’ll likely hear … ‘I love that guy. He made a big impact on my life.’”

What Are Some Affordable Ways to Increase the Attractiveness of Your Home to Buyers?

This week’s column is inspired by an email received from Brock Pardo of PunchListUSA. His company is in the business of helping sellers fix problems identified by buyers in their inspection objections. Toward that end, he also offers free pre-listing consultations and quotes. (I offer free consultations too, but I’m not a contractor, so I can’t give quotes, just refer you to my preferred vendors for implementing my suggestions.)

Being in that business, Brock has no doubt come across some issues which could have easily been addressed prior to putting a home on the market, thereby perhaps selling it for more money.

Usually, when I get an unsolicited email with a “Top Ten” list, I find that it’s not the top ten items I would have selected, but this time I found that I agreed with all of them, so I’m going to adapt his list slightly for this column.

1) Fresh coat of paint. Brock cited a report that interior painting returns a 107% return-oninvestment, and exterior painting a 50% ROI, but I’d add that it depends on condition. If your home has a faded pastel exterior color popular in the 1990s with or without peeling paint, I’d say that a fresh paint job in a more up-to-date color would make a huge difference in first impression and the number of showings

Why Wouldn’t a Listing Agent Want to Maximize the Exposure of His or Her Real Estate Listings?

Although the average real estate agent barely makes a living and either has a second income source or a high-earning spouse, about 10% of agents earn a lot of money — and want to earn even more.

Myself, I make a very good living, as evidenced by the fact that I’m writing this week’s column while Rita and I are on vacation in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. (I’ll be home by the time you read this column.)

But my business model does not involve doing every single thing to maximize my personal income. I get more satisfaction from trying to maximize my service to others, including my clients and the unknown readers of this column. From long before I became a Realtor, I lived by a motto that has mistakenly been attributed to Confucius. “Concentrate on giving, and the getting will take care of itself.”

This column/ad — what newspapers call an “advertorial” — is evidence of that strategy. As a former newspaper journalist trained on the metro desk of The Washington Post in 1968, I decided at the very beginning of my real estate career in 2003 that I would spend my marketing dollars on buying newspaper ad space to publish a real estate column.

It has paid off quite well. Unlike every real estate agent I know, I have never made a cold call or prospected in any way to get buyers and sellers to hire me. (This month, I just realized, is the 20th anniversary of getting my real estate license and starting as a broker associate at the West office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, now called Coldwell Banker Realty for some reason I have yet to learn.)

This column is my sole outreach to potential clients, and every week I get one or more calls from someone who says, in effect, “I’ve been reading your column for many years, knowing the day would come when I’d call you to sell my home. Today’s that day!”

The above is a long-winded way of saying that I’m happy to abide by the Realtor Code of Ethics (and state law) which says I should put clients’ interest ahead of my own. This brings me back to the question posed in this article’s headline.

Last week, members of REcolorado, Denver’s MLS, received an email detailing how easy our MLS has made it to withhold a listing from all syndication, including Zillow, Redfin, and even REcolorado’s own consumer-facing website, which is www.REcolorado.com

The email cast its guidance in the context of a seller requesting such limited exposure, but I can’t picture any seller giving his/her listing agent informed consent to limit the exposure of their home’s listing to just their listing agent’s own website or circle of prospects. I suspect that the only reason a listing agent would convince his/her client to approve that strategy would be to maximize the chance that the agent wouldn’t have to compensate a buyer’s agent, thereby doubling his earnings that are set and offers that you receive.

2) Landscaping improvements. These can be quite affordable and, again, make a huge difference in the first impression that your home makes. A couple months’ service by Lawn Doctor can make a big difference in your lawn’s appeal, as can a load of fresh cedar chips for your nongrassy areas.

3) Upgrading lighting fixtures. Those “brass and glass” chandeliers and sconces are so 1990s, and are inexpensive enough to replace with, for example, brushed nickel fixtures. And even if you don’t replace any fixtures, replace all your incandescent or CFL light bulbs with affordable LED bulbs. The best deal on those, I’ve found, are 10-packs available from Batteries + Bulbs (Don’t put the CFLs in the trash. Take them to Home Depot for recycling, because they contain mercury.)

4) Minor kitchen updates. You don’t have to replace your Formica countertop if it’s not damaged or a really bad color, but replacing the faucet on your kitchen sink is an affordable upgrade. I like to see knobs and pulls on kitchen cabinets, and you can get affordable ones, as we did, at Hobby Lobby, of all places. Maybe paint or repaint your kitchen cabinets — white is a good choice. Beyond this, I’m happy to bring my stager and consult with you on further upgrades, because kitchens can make a huge difference, and certain improvements are worth considering.

5) Bathroom upgrades. Replacing those 1990s plastic Delta faucets is a nobrainer! And you can find some affordable replacement vanities at home improvement stores.

6) Replace or clean wall-to-wall carpeting. If your carpet isn’t shag and isn’t damaged here and there, cleaning is a must and can be quite affordable. My preferred carpet cleaner is Bruce Ruser of New Look Dry Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, (303) 697-1584, who uses an environmentally friendly system that utilizes plant-based ingredients. The website www.hostdry.com explains it.

7) Replace older appliances. These can be affordable. Look for Energy Star ratings, too. I had a 1990s home with its original white kitchen appliances. It sat on the market — until the seller replaced them with new stainless steel appliances.

8) Install new door and window hardware. Brock quotes a 2021 Zillow report that updated hardware has up to 80% return on investment. I’d like to see your current hardware before suggesting this update.

9) Declutter and organize. This is more about staging than repair of an inspection issue. We provide a free staging consultation for all listings, and that inevitably includes decluttering, thinning and organizing.

10) Deep clean your home. Again, this is a staging matter. And it’s a nobrainer!

That concludes my version of Brock Pardo’s top ten list. To that list I would add the following:

11) Wash your windows. You’ll need to remove screens when you wash your windows. Don’t reinstall them. Label and store them in your basement or garage. Removing window screens is almost like washing the windows, greatly improving visibility. If any of the screens are damaged (including sun damage), most Ace Hardware stores can rescreen them affordably.

12) Update your floor moldings. At a recent open house, a would-be buyer objected to the older unpainted wood moldings at the bottom of each wall. She said they should be white, and I realized that she’s right. You could just paint them white (maybe requiring priming with Kilz), or replace them all with flat ones that come in white.

Do you have your own suggestions of additional items? Let me know and maybe I’ll feature them in a follow-up column or on the blog posting of this article at www.GoldenREblog.com