Ever the bon vivant, Spec named his camel “Ethel Volstead,” as a joke because he was strongly anti-Prohibition.
TOP: Jackie Gleason in his classic pose on the Broadmoor Golf Course, 1962; Peggy Fleming training at The Broadmoor Arena, 1968. ABOVE: Richard Nixon arriving for the 1969 Governors Conference.
34 The Broadmoor Magazine | 2011 • 2012
Hence, if you look at the replica of the original hanging behind the front desk, you’ll notice that in Parrish’s idealization of The Broadmoor, he places the lake before the hotel, which itself stands in front of stunning red and purple mountains and a vibrant blue sky, a realistic echo of some of the famous Rocky Mountain sunsets you may behold. And while we’re dreaming of idylls, one of Spec and Julie’s favorite destinations was Hawaii, a taste of which they recreated at The Broadmoor, first with a modest sampling of wicker furniture, then with the creation of the Lanai Suites at the back of the original hotel. Then, in 1939, they opened the Hawaiian Village, a rooftop garden and nightclub above the old golf club. The hot spot was decorated with thatched walls and hanging lanterns
and featured a variety of big-name acts, including Carmen Miranda, Mickey Rooney, Edgar Bergen and Rudy Vallee, to name a few. The list of famous guests of the hotel is so long that it defies detailing here, but you can enjoy photos of all the luminaries in the hallway between Broadmoor West and West Tower. So if, in your meanderings about the property, you find yourself in a reverie in front of some magnificent piece of art, rendered mute by the beauty of some natural phenomenon, or transcendent over some exotic delicacy, don’t be surprised to turn around and find some well-known face—an Oscar winner, a head of state, a hall of fame athlete, or even the first man to walk on the moon— enjoying the same.