Boulder

Sights Set on Boulder: Why Two CU Alums Moved Back

Anna Tolette — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:57:54 +0000

Sights Set on Boulder: Why Two CU Alums Moved Back Anna Tolette Tue, 11/12/2024 - 13:57

Karen Reid

When my husband, Charlie Reid (PhDMechEngr’89), and I were grad students at CU, leaving Colorado was definitely not on our to-do list. But after graduation, new job opportunities drew us eastward. Our plan was always to return to Boulder, but what started out as an anticipated five-year stint in New Jersey stretched to 10 and continued across multiple states as our careers progressed.

Now, after three decades, we’ve finally moved back. And while we were expanding our horizons, growing professionally and raising a family, Boulder was growing, too. We kept an eye on our town from afar, but now we have the opportunity to see and experience the changes firsthand.

The university’s campus has grown both in size and reputation: CU has doubled down on research, now boasting five Nobel laureates, and has gained international recognition. Students have so many more options for courses, programs and opportunities. The number of buildings, dorms and parking structures has also grown exponentially, and what were once empty fields filled with prairie dogs is now the thriving research hub of East Campus. Other notable changes include the expansion of Folsom Field and the shifting of school colors from sky blue and gold to a more sophisticated palette of gold, black and gray. Even the journalism school (where I studied) has been reincarnated as CMCI.

Things off campus have changed, too. The town of Boulder has put itself on the map. It consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top college towns, is a hotbed for entrepreneurial and innovative endeavors, and is currently in contention to host the Sundance Film Festival.

While change is inevitable, it’s bittersweet to see some of the transformations: Friday Afternoon Club (FAC) events at the Harvest House hotel are no more, Tulagi’s on The Hill is gone, the Kinetic Sculpture Challenge race folded, Crossroads Commons has been razed and reconceived as the 29th Street Mall, and the Pearl Street Mall no longer boasts many of our old haunts.

That being said, the myriad of new restaurants, experiences and shops to explore seem boundless, and old favorites like Peppercorn, Trident Booksellers and Café, and Into the Wind remain. Mike’s Camera is still nearby, and The Sink is as vibrant as ever!

Daily, I meet fascinating people, motivated students and inspiring colleagues. Boulder is bikeable and walkable — and who can deny the spectacular view? Even when things seem unfamiliar, all I need to do is glance at my beloved Flatirons and I am reminded that, while evolution is unstoppable, some things never change. Boulder will always be vibrant, beautiful and, quite simply, home to me.

Karen Reid (Jour’84; MA’90) works for CU Boulder RIO as a marketing and communications specialist and teaches public speaking as a lecturer in the CMCI communication department.

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Photo courtesy Karen Reid

Karen and Charlie Reid graduated from CU Boulder and left town over 30 years ago. Here's why they decided to move back.

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Fall 2024

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Becoming a Boulder Climber

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Becoming a Boulder Climber Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 07/16/2024 - 00:00

Chris Weidner

I woke up in my VW van parked behind the Boulder Rock Club and started making coffee, map in hand, plotting the drive to Eldorado Canyon. I’d arrived a week earlier from my home in Seattle to spend the summer guiding for the Boulder Rock School. It was my first day, and I was nervous — not about the climbing (though I’d be leading clients up routes I’d never climbed before), but about the drive.

It was July 2001 (when paper maps were still a thing), and I didn’t know Broadway from Baseline. And though I’d been guiding in Washington since the mid-1990s, I feared being “found out” as an outsider in Colorado. Nothing scared me more than getting lost en route to one of the country’s most famous climbing areas with a van full of clients paying good money for local knowledge.

To my immense relief, all went well that day. So well, in fact, that by the time another week had passed, I’d ditched the map and had logged dozens of routes in Eldo (mostly “onsight” guiding), Boulder Canyon, the Flatirons and on Longs Peak. I couldn’t believe the volume and variety of climbing so close to town. I would guide in the morning, climb with friends in the afternoon and repeat. I’d never climbed so much in my life.

Admittedly, I used to roll my eyes whenever I heard Boulder being called the “Center of the Universe” for American climbing. It couldn’t be that good. But by the end of that summer, my skepticism had turned to pride: I owned 14 guidebooks covering thousands of climbs, all within 90 minutes of Boulder. I felt like I was just getting started.

So I did that classic Boulder thing: I never left.

I stayed because being a climber in Boulder feels limitless; it means as many different things as there are climbers. We’re scramblers and ice hogs, first ascensionists and gym rats, alpinists and Olympians. We’re young and old, fast and slow, inexperienced and elite. We’re of every color, gender, shape and size, and yet somehow we’ve all chosen climbing as our medium to face fears, challenge our beliefs and build meaningful friendships.

Above all, being a climber in Boulder means taking part in a wild and wonderful community invigorated by our unique vertical playground. Here, there’s a synergy at work — a motivating power that strengthens relationships well beyond the “Off belay!” on top of a climb.

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Photo by Jon Glassberg, Louder Than Eleven

Local climber and writer Chris Weidner reflects on his first months participating in Boulder's incredible outdoor climbing scene.

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Ensuring a Reliable Water Supply for the City of Boulder

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Ensuring a Reliable Water Supply for the City of Boulder Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/04/2024 - 00:00

Kim Hutton

As I drive up Boulder Canyon with my daughter to ski at Eldora Mountain, I relish pointing out features of Boulder’s water supply system that I’ve had a role in managing for the past 19 years. The hydroelectric plant on the left, the pipeline up on the hillside, the reservoir at the top of the canyon — and Boulder Creek at the heart of it all. Fascinating, right?! She listens to me good-naturedly every time, and I hope one day she comes to appreciate the intricacies that go into providing that clean glass of water she sips every morning.

The Boulder community enjoys a high-quality and reliable drinking water supply due to 150 years of visionary planning. However, as the climate shifts, the challenge of providing clean and reliable water becomes increasingly complex.

Boulder’s drinking water originates from alpine lakes, reservoirs and the Boulder Creek headwaters west of the city of Boulder, as well as from the upper Colorado River. Each year, approximately two-thirds of Boulder’s water supply comes from Boulder Creek and one-third from the Colorado River. Water from these sources flows via pipes to one of Boulder’s two water treatment plants before it is sent to customers for drinking water or irrigation use.

While Boulder’s multiple water sources offer flexibility and resilience in the face of climate change and extreme weather events, the city of Boulder is actively pursuing additional ways to secure its water supply.

One way is through protecting our sources to ensure safe and high-quality water. As most of Boulder’s water supply comes from outside the city, Boulder partners with many organizations and community members to improve forest health and reduce pollution to creeks and reservoirs.

Other ways include investing in Boulder’s water infrastructure (some components are over a century old), promoting water-saving measures — including using water-saving fixtures, fixing irrigation system leaks and landscaping with low-water-use vegetation — and strategic planning. Boulder’s Drought Plan, for instance, helps the city respond to water shortages and preserve water for high-priority uses such as human health and safety, maintaining creek flows and trees.

Water management in the western United States is an intriguing puzzle. While I thrive on the challenge, I’m most gratified by the mission of serving a community that prioritizes sustainable use of this precious resource. Through collaboration, innovation and engagement with passionate community members, Boulder is addressing climate challenges to safeguard its water supply for future generations.

Kim Hutton (Chem, EnvSt’98) is the water resources manager for the City of Boulder.

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Photo courtesy the City of Boulder

Kim Hutton, water resources manager for the City of Boulder, reflects on what it takes to provide water for Boulder.

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Spring 2024

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Betty Woodman, Master Potter and Boulder Legend

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Betty Woodman, Master Potter and Boulder Legend Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/06/2023 - 00:00

Allison Nitch

Betty Woodman in her studio in Antella, Italy, 2012.

For decades, Boulderites have enjoyed affordable ceramics education programming at the Boulder Pottery Lab, perched in the University Hill neighborhood within the historic Fire Station No. 2.

The hub of local creativity began as an innovative vision of the late Betty Woodman — master potter and CU Boulder professor for 30 years. Upon moving to Colorado, Woodman persuaded the city of Boulder in 1954 to open a recreational ceramics program that grew from seven students to 400 in 15 years. In her tenure at CU Boulder, she most likely taught thousands of students, said Scott Chamberlin, ceramics professor.

“She mentored some of the most important artists and teachers in the nation,” Chamberlin said. “You will not find a ceramic artist who has studied American ceramics that does not know [of] her, many personally.”

Originally run by the Parks and Recreation Department for over 60 years, the Boulder Pottery Lab was the first city-supported pottery program in the country. In 2015, the Parks and Recreation Department entered a public-private partnership with Studio Arts Boulder to manage and operate the facility.

Throughout her rich career spanning nearly seven decades, Woodman became known for altering the perspective of pottery from functional objects to fine art. During her time as a postwar American artist, her work was showcased worldwide in more than 100 solo exhibitions, including a 2006 retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which gave her the unique distinction as the first living female ceramicist to receive such an honor.

At CU Boulder, ceramic objects acquired during Woodman’s three decades of teaching are displayed as part of the Woodman Study Collection in the Visual Arts Complex.

“During critiques, her hands were never still — she was always touching the pieces on the table,” said Jeanne Quinn, a former student of Woodman who is now a professor of ceramics at CU Boulder. “She used her senses with amazing precision.”

In honor of Woodman and her legacy at CU and in the Boulder community, the university created the Betty Woodman Fund in 2023 to support emerging ceramics artists and faculty professionals in the ceramics program. The fund also provides stipends for the Woodman Artists Residency, which provides one to two artists the opportunity to stay and create art for several weeks in the former home of Betty and her husband George Woodman, located in the rural Tuscan region of Italy.

“For her, ceramics was the crown jewel in all of the arts, the one that allowed touch and taste and sight and sound,” said Quinn. “She showed this to us.”

To support the Betty Woodman Fund, visit here and note “Betty Woodman” in the comment section of your gift details at checkout.

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Photo by Betty Woodman Collection, Woodman Family Foundation Archives, New York. Photo: Stefano Porcinal.

Upon moving to Colorado, Woodman persuaded the city of Boulder in 1954 to open a recreational ceramics program that grew from seven students to 400 in 15 years.

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Fall 2023

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John Parker

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0000

John Parker Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/06/2023 - 00:00

Robert Truett

When you were hungry and didn’t have any money, the Pied Piper had your back.

The owner of the small Pennsylvania Street diner on The Hill, John Parker, had a book where you could chalk up your debts. Although, in the late 1950s, most people seldom let it get past $20, Parker never squawked, and a couple of people, it is told, ran it up to $100. But as long as you paid Parker before summer break or made some arrangement with him, it was OK.

I have only heard it referred to as the Pied Piper once or twice. True enough, the red letters above the door said that, but nearly everyone called it Parker’s.

Parker — a small man with ruddy cheeks and a hard-worked face — worked every day from 6a.m. to 6 p.m. except on Friday afternoons, when he closed at 2 p.m. because that’s when many of his customers were drinking.

Parker’s place had seven stools, a cash register and a small upraised counter on the right side of the diner where “the book” was kept. In addition to the money owed for food, various bets were placed under different customers’ names. One could open the book to their name, for example, and the total owed would be near the bottom of the page: “$13.72.” The right side of the page could read, “White Sox to win the pennant, $5.”

The place had a small grill where Parker cooked hamburgers, eggs, ham, bacon, steak, hot dogs and morning rolls. He turned the grill on in the morning with a pair of pliers. He had a tin to cook poached eggs, along with a toaster, coffee pot, small freezer, shelf for rolls and pies, and a milkshake maker. That was it. The menu remained the same; the prices remained the same. You could get a hamburger steak dinner, which included a double hamburger portion, fries, bread and butter, soup or juice for $0.65 or a small steak with the same extras for $1.25.

You had to take two napkins and throw them down on the fries before you ate them. But you only did this when Parker was facing the grill, otherwise he’d tell you to “get the hell out” if you didn’t like the food. Jack Wyrick (A&S’61) was the expert at sopping up the grease before Parker turned around.

But everyone, especially CU athletes and fans, went to Parker’s. His coffee was good, his prices were cheap and, of course, you could eat on credit.

The last time I ate at Parker’s was the summer of 1960. Sadly John died suddenly in January 1962 and Parker’s was no more.

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Photo courtesy Carnegie Library for Local History

In the late 1950s, a tiny diner on The Hill called the Pied Piper was a hangout for CU students.

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Fall 2023

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10 Boulder Bars

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 19:04:53 +0000

10 Boulder Bars Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 10/09/2023 - 13:04

Kiara Demare

Boulder has been known for its unique nightlife for decades. It’s a major part of the local economy, and creatives and businesspeople alike often partner to make enjoyable experiences for Boulderites and visitors.

License No. 1 A speakeasy underneath the Boulderado hotel. Located at 13th St. and Spruce St.
World Famous Dark Horse Good food, great decorations. Off of Baseline Rd. and 30th St.
Velvet Elk Lounge Live music venue with mainly jazz and blues performers. Located at 13th St. and Spruce St.
Rosetta Dining Hall Assortment of food with a rooftop bar; also is a club at night. Located off of Broadway St. and Lawry Ln.
The Sundown Saloon (also known as The Downer) Classic dive bar, free pool on Tuesdays. Also found off of Broadway St. and Lawry Ln.
Jungle Fun drinks served in even more fun cups. On 10th St. and Pearl St.
Pearl Street Pub and Cellar Boulder classic with good food (try the corn dogs). Located on Broadway St. and Lawry Ln.
Gemini Wine bar with tapas. On 11th St. and Pearl St.
The Bitter Bar Extensive cocktail list. Located off of 8th St. and Walnut St.
The Attic Bar and Bistro Home of the Fat Albert (Gatorade and vodka). Located on11th St. and Walnut St.

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The Buzz Is Back in Boulder

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0000

The Buzz Is Back in Boulder Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/10/2023 - 00:00

Pat Rooney

Parking was a pain. Finding tickets, at least at the eleventh hour, was even more so.

And, as often happens in a Colorado spring, the weather refused to cooperate.

No matter. This was a moment Colorado football fans had been pining for over the better part of two decades.

On April 22, Boulder became something it hadn’t been since the early 1990s: the focus of the entire college football world. And this was for a spring game — held about five months after the Buffaloes turned in arguably the worst season in the program’s rich history, and four months before the Buffs were set to kick off the 2023 season with a whole new set of expectations.

The reason, of course, was the new coach in town — Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, hired on Dec. 2 to reinvigorate the CU program. He’s done that already without yet coaching a real game.

A total of 47,277 fans attended the sold-out spring game at Folsom Field. The comparative numbers are staggering: An estimated 1,950 fans watched the previous year’s spring game. Even fewer, an estimated 1,000, did so in 2021. The most recent spring game attendance would have been the third-biggest crowd at Folsom during the 2022 regular season, and it was less than 600 fans off from topping the No. 2 crowd in 2022.

In fact, the previous seven springs combined featured an attendance of 30,450. This year, the Buffs’ spring game was the only one in the nation broadcast live on ESPN, and the Buffs have suddenly become a regular feature on national talk shows.

Already “Coach Prime” has done the impossible. CU football once again is relevant nationally. What does it mean for Boulder? There will be a significant financial impact, but anyone who has been trying to rent in town or who pays property taxes understands the city isn’t exactly hurting.

Still, new revenue streams will help both the city and the campus (CU hadn’t even sold spring game tickets since the 1980s). And football often remains the gateway to major universities. Like myself, my wife, Andrea Nozykowski (Jour’99), is from South Bend, Indiana. She fell in love with CU Boulder while watching the epic Notre Dame-Colorado battles of the late 1980s and early 1990s, then following the Rashaan Salaam (Soc ex’95) and Kordell Stewart (Comm ex’95; BA’16)-led Buffs while she was in high school.

Much to the chagrin of her parents, she traveled the roughly 1,100 miles to Boulder for college, in large part because of what she watched during football games. She graduated from CU in 1999.

No doubt, the buzz is back. If Coach Prime sees his vision through, the Buffs will be as well.

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Photos courtesy Tyler Davis, CU Athletics

On April 22, Boulder became something it hadn’t been since the early 1990s: the focus of the entire college football world.

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Carter Snelson Walked All of Boulder's Streets

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Carter Snelson Walked All of Boulder's Streets Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/10/2023 - 00:00

Christie Sounart

As a college sophomore in late 2020, Carter Snelson (Fin, RealEst’23) decided to walk every one of Boulder’s labeled city streets using the city’s zoning map. After 2.5 years, and less than two weeks till he graduated from CU Boulder, he completed the task on April 28, 2023. On his final day of walking, Snelson also achieved another personal goal: walking 100,000 steps — 52 miles — in one day.

“This had been the longest commitment I’ve ever had, and having it come to an end was very emotional and incredibly fulfilling,” said Snelson. “Even though I cannot say I remember exactly every one of the 165 walks I’ve done, I will never forget this journey.”

100 Years of The Sink

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 07:00:00 +0000

100 Years of The Sink Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/06/2023 - 00:00

Lisa Friedrich Truesdale (Ling'86)

Assuming ownership of a longtime college hangout sounds like a tricky proposition, especially if you’re just barely out of college yourself. Yet Mark Heinritz, his brothers Chris and Jim, and their friend Cameron Stainton — all in their mid-20s in 1992 — felt up to the challenge of running The Sink, the venerable Hill institution just steps from the CU campus.

“Growing up in Connecticut, we appreciated history, and we understood The Sink’s role in Boulder,” he said. “Though it wasn’t until we were meeting people every day, whom it meant so much to, that we knew we could be stewards, taking care of the millions of memories that live here.”

The Sink is Boulder’s oldest restaurant, celebrating 100 years in 2023. After 30 years, Heinritz and his partners are forever part of its history, making their own mark on it while also tracing the footsteps of the many owners who came before them.

Growing Up with The Sink

I was singing the CU fight song before I was singing nursery rhymes.

Caryl Segawa (A&S’67) will always cherish her memories of The Sink. She grew up there — literally, since she was only four when her parents, John and Pauli Pudlik, bought the place in 1949. For years, she’d walk there after school, chow down on her favorite grilled cheese, then maybe take a nap under the desk in the office.

Just as Sink regulars were known as “Sink Rats,” she was the “Sink Brat,” and it wasn’t until years later that she realized how lucky she’d been to experience such a unique childhood.

“I was singing the CU fight song before I was singing nursery rhymes,” said Segawa, whose father and Uncle Ed played football at CU in the ’30s and ’40s. “And all those students looking out for me … It was heaven for a little girl.”

Kevin Fitzgerald’s (EPOBio’73; MBio’78; PhD’82) Sink experience was just as unique — and it began on just his second day at CU, in 1969.

“I was approached and asked if I wanted to be a bouncer,” he said. “I was told I’d get $1.69 an hour and a free burger each shift, and that I’d meet more girls than Frank Sinatra.”

The Hill was a “truly magical place” at the time, he said, and The Sink drew a mixed crowd of fraternity and sorority members and “long-haired hippies,” all taking advantage of the nickel-beer specials and 35-cent burgers.

“We had political things going on, like Vietnam and Nixon, and all these social issues, like women’s rights,” he said.

Somer’s Sunken Gardens

It was amazing to finally get to go in after hours and see the remnants of a life that was so mysterious to me.

The Sink opened in 1923 as Somer’s Sunken Gardens, in the former Sigma Nu fraternity house. Named for the sunken fountain in the middle of the dining room — from which diners could apparently choose their own trout for dinner — it was nicknamed “The Sink.” After the Pudliks took over, they decided the nickname should be the official name instead. Then they made another very important change: Though Boulder was still “dry” at the time, 3.2 beer wasn’t considered to be alcohol. So the Pudliks began pouring brews — and the students came pouring in, too.

In 1956, they sold the business to Joe Beimford and Floyd Marks. In 1960, Herbie and Gilda Kauvar — Marks’ sister — took over the business, and kept the menu, which featured the now-famous Sink Burger and its signature hickory Sink Sauce.

What Rick Kauvar (EPOBio’75) remembers most about those early days when his parents took over the business was that the beer sales made it an 18-and-older establishment.

“I was eight, and I had to sit out in the car and watch all the college kids going in and out all those years,” he said. “It was amazing to finally get to go in after hours and see the remnants of a life that was so mysterious to me.”

Once they were old enough, Kauver and his brother Jim (Mktg’79) spent afternoons and evenings working there, which Jim said he’ll always remember as “an important part of our family’s history.”

Upon taking over the restaurant, Herbie and Gilda hired artist Llloyd Kavich (who also redid the walls in 1989) to redo some of the classic, circa-1950s artwork with an “age of Aquarius” theme. Most importantly, they continued fostering an atmosphere of community and a place for students to gather, with nonstop music blaring from the jukebox.

“Only happy songs were allowed,” said Fitzgerald.

In the mid-’70s, though, the bubble burst. The Hill, a hub of “flower power” counterculture activity in Boulder, began drawing people interested in living alternative lifestyles. New businesses opened up to cater to their needs and wants, offering things like vintage clothes, bell bottoms, leather vests and incense.

“It made it impossible for students to really keep enjoying The Sink the way they had for all those years,” said Rick. “My dad had to make a change or he would have lost it completely.”

Alongside the neighborhood changes, business began to decline as shoppers gravitated toward the new stores and new types of restaurants. As sales lagged at The Sink, Herbie switched tactics and opened Herbie’s Deli with faster counter service and sandwiches. He kept the Sink Burger on the menu, but covered up the iconic art with pine boards. He thought The Sink would be forever forgotten, but he was wrong. For years, Rick and Jim urged their dad to bring it back, and much to the delight of Sink Rats everywhere (including Fitzgerald), they finally did in 1989, uncovering the artwork and adding a full bar.

The Sink Today

Though Heinritz admits they had “a lot to work with,” they’ve also made a few changes in the past 30 years.

When we bought it, he said to me, 'You'd have to be a real idiot to screw this up.'

“We kept the menu we inherited and let it morph over time, like adding ugly crust pizza, formulated in my own kitchen,” he said. They also introduced the now-famous Buddha Basil Pie — famous enough, in fact, to attract the likes of Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (2010), President Obama (2012) and Anthony Bourdain (2013), all of whom signed the classic “wall of fame.” There’s also Robert Redford (A&S ex’58; HonDocHum’87), The Sink’s most famous employee, who worked there as a janitor in 1955. He makes sure to visit whenever he’s in town and was even put to work once.

Though The Sink hasn’t changed much visually over the years, it has a decidedly different vibe today than in the ’70s. It used to come to life at 10 p.m. — now that’s closing time, and it’s not the same type of crowd.

“As Boulder evolved away from being a party school and liquor laws tightened, we started leaning into the culinary side of it, wanting to build a reputation built around food and community,” explained Heinritz.

Still, the restaurant’s connections to CU remain unbreakable. “We get students and faculty coming in before and after football games, during the Conference on World Affairs and other big events.” Heinritz said. “But we also see business people and young families. When I meet someone who has never been in, who thinks they’re too old, I say, ‘Just come in and give it a try,’ and they’re always surprised.”

As for the Heinritz brothers’ success in keeping The Sink’s legacy alive, Mark Heinritz gives some of the credit to Herbie.

“When we bought it, he said to me, ‘You’d have to be a real idiot to screw this up.’ That became our guiding light.”

The Sink Through the Years

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Photos courtesy The Sink; Yellow Scene Magazine (pizza, bottom middle)

Boulder's oldest and most storied restaurant is a century old.

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Spring 2023

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Embracing Culture with After-School Mentoring Program

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Embracing Culture with After-School Mentoring Program Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/07/2022 - 00:00

For three years, an after-school cultural mentoring program in CU Boulder’s School of Education has paired two dozen predominately Latinx fifth graders from University Hill, a diverse bilingual elementary school across the street from the CU Boulder campus, with underrepresented university student mentors.

Together, mentors and mentees explore family and community histories that are often suppressed in mainstream U.S. curricula, including ties to loved ones across borders.

“We have been holding a rare space for reflecting on cultural identity, migration and belonging, and what it means to be Latinx or transnational in Boulder,” said Andrea Dyrness, Costa Rican-born associate professor of educational foundations, policy and practice who developed the partnership when her daughter was attending the school.

Activities are designed by CU Boulder mentors, mostly education and ethnic studies students, to build community and provoke reflection and dialogue around cultural identity.

“The resulting interactions reveal a wealth of cultural knowledge, skills and abilities that are often not visible to the public or in daily life in U.S. schools,” Dyrness said.

Deb Palmer, CU professor of equity, bilingualism and biliteracy and Dyrness’ research partner, led professional development with teachers to inspire continuous inquiry into students’ lived experiences and to counter deficit views of Latinx communities.

The team continues to learn about the knowledge that transnational students bring to schools, and they hope others can learn from linguistically and culturally diverse families. “I think parents should be proud of the cultural wealth that they are providing for their children — bilingualism, biculturalism, economic understandings and transnational understandings,” said Jackquelin Bristol (PhDEdu’25), who helped publish a report on the partnership called “Bilingual in Boulder.”

Daniel Garzón (PhDEdu’23), who grew up in the U.S. with ties to Colombia, was a mentor and research assistant in the program.

“I wish I had this opportunity growing up,” he said. “I could have learned to appreciate my home language and culture much sooner.”

Story condensed and edited. Parts of this story appeared in Anthropology News, “Finding Home in the Borderlands,” by Andrea Dyrness on July 29, 2022, and in Voices magazine by Hannah Fletcher at colorado.edu/education.

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Photo by Hannah Fletcher

CU Boulder student mentors and University Hill fifth graders embrace their family and community histories.

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Boulder

Sights Set on Boulder: Why Two CU Alums Moved Back

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Becoming a Boulder Climber

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Ensuring a Reliable Water Supply for the City of Boulder

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Betty Woodman, Master Potter and Boulder Legend

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John Parker

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