All the News About Denver’s Best Residential Community Since 1960 • Volume 60, Issue No. 2 • February 2021
Students at Stedman Elementary, with their artwork. Photo by Ali Larson
Signs Of Peace Students Art Honor Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy By Erika Neale For the GPHN
The elementary school marade in Park Hill has become an annual tradition. It is a
wonderful way to teach, inspire, and continue the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to our youngest learners. The tradition began in 2015 with a single kindergarten classroom singing “We Shall
Overcome” on the footsteps of Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church at 1980 Dahlia St., where the civil rights leader spoke in 1964. Since 2015, the marade has grown to include all four Park Hill elementary schools. Last year 600 kindergarten through 2nd grade students from Hallett, Stedman, Smith and Park Hill Elementary joined together in a collaboration and celebration of Dr. King. The students marched from Turtle Park at 23rd and Dahlia, to the church two blocks away on Montview. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic this year we were not able to do the traditional marade. However, I thought it would be beautiful for our students to still come together in spirit and create signs of peace and joy to be displayed throughout the neighborhood. The teachers and students of all four schools worked to make the art displays. The art was then displayed at the church, at Turtle Park, and at the four participating schools. This event serves as a reminder that we must continue to work on Dr. King’s dream. As a community, we must come together to ensure that we work towards dismantling racism. There is still a lot of work to be done, but by educating children there is hope and light that “we shall live in peace someday.” Erika Neale is a kindergarten teacher at Park Hill Elementary School, and organizer of the students’ marade. Additional photos of the artwork and details about King’s visit to Park Hill in 1964 are on page 8.
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GPHN: What has been the most memo-
Somehow, we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.
Cleaning Up The Mess He Left Behind
Dolores Kopel Turns 90, Dan Recht Retires
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GPHN: The physical demands of being a firefighter are challenging. How do you and your colleagues stay in shape so that you are ready to respond when the time comes? JW: The equipment we work with (hoses, tank, and tool) weighs 110 pounds. There are gyms at the firehouses and we work out daily. Yes, it is challenging, but we have to continue to stay in shape and maintain our medical training. With my promotion I have different responsibilities and I am not required to do as much of the physical work.
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GPHN: What is a day in the life of a Denver firefighter like? JW: We work 24-hour shifts every three days. While at the firehouse, we eat together and have our own sleeping spaces. The days are very unpredictable depending on the number and type of calls and training requirements for the day. You can get anywhere from two to 12 calls a shift.
GPHN: What made you want to become a firefighter? JW: I had the desire to help others in need. I worked 13 years in Colorado State Corrections before taking and passing the firefighter’s exam. When working in corrections, you can really help maybe one in 100 people. But as a firefighter, you help people every day. As firefighters we are able
The neighborhood group, Save Open Space Denver, has launched a new petition drive for a ballot measure that would protect the Park Hill Golf Course land from potential development. Their efforts come at the same time the city’s planning department, in conjunction with Westside Investment Partners, has unveiled a formal “visioning” process to determine how the property could be built out. The dual efforts are the latest in an ongoing tug-of-war over the sprawling 155-acre property at the northwest corner of Park Hill, at 35th and Colorado Boulevard. In 1997, Denver taxpayers paid $2 million for a conservation easement to preserve the land as a golf course or for other recreational purposes. The golf course has been closed since 2018. Last year, Westside Investment Partners paid $24 million for the property with the easement in place – far below market values for recent comparable
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GPHN: How difficult is it to become a firefighter? JW: It is very rigorous and competitive. I took the test several times and finally passed with a high enough score to get an interview in 2006. I was one out of 100 people hired out of 4,000 candidates during the two-year testing period. Going in, I thought the physical aspect would be most challenging due to my age as I was the third-oldest person in my class. However, the most challenging part was the written exam. After being hired, you attend training academy five days a week from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. for 18 weeks.
Denver Fire Department Lt. Jeff Wagoner, a Park Hill native and George Washington High graduate, has been a firefighter since 2008. He was recently promoted to a Roving Lieutenant, putting him in command of the fire truck or engine and decisions made responding to fires, car accidents and medical emergencies for fire houses in District 6, which serves west Denver. Wagoner, 52, lives on the 2600 block of Locust Street and is a father of two boys, Zion, 18, who will be a freshman scholarship soccer
Editor, GPHN
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to impact people’s lives who are in crisis.
player at the University of Memphis in the fall, and Zechariah, 15, a freshman at East High. He shared a few stories about being a firefighter with the Greater Park Hill News. (This interview has been edited for clarity and space.)
By Cara DeGette
Inside This Issue
Lt. Jeff Wagoner Shares Stories From The Firehouse
For the GPHN
Open Space Group Kicks Off Petition Drive To Protect Park Hill Golf Course Land As City Announces ‘Visioning’ Plan For Development
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Four Minutes To Respond
Interview and photos by Reid Neureiter
‘Yes For Parks’ Launches
Fun In The Sun ’21: A Guide To Local Kids Camps
Invigorating And Peaceful: Winter Hiking in The Rockies
Upcoming GPHC Meetings Community meetings are currently conducted virtually on the first Thursday of each month. The next meetings are Feb 4 and March 4 at 6:30 p.m. Link to attend at greaterparkhill.org/ join-us/community-meetings/
