Author: wbarb

In 1860, in a rare moment of honesty prevailing over boosterism, Denver’s Rocky Mountain News admitted that the young city of Denver was a sepia-toned settlement still embarrassingly “treeless, grassless, [and] bushless.” Today, the runoff from the Rocky Mountains helps to keep Denver and its metro area both verdant and vibrant (and, not coincidentally, awash in good beer). Jason Hanson, coauthor with Patty Limerick of A Ditch in Time: The City, The West, and Water, will discuss how Denver was transformed through the creation of its water supply system.

Jason Hanson is a member of the research faculty at the Center of the American West at CU-Boulder. In addition to his work on water, he focuses on issues surrounding energy development and land use, Colorado history, and beer. He is currently guest editing a special issue of Journal of the West devoted to the history of beer in the region.

With a deep and abiding love for Cowboy culture, Keith Rounds got his start with Cowboy Poetry when he penned his first effort as a wedding anniversary gift to his lovely wife about 25 years ago. He is the author of The Ride: A Collection of Cowboy Poems.

Rounds is a Wyoming native whose work relies on experiences involving family ranches in his native rural southwest Wyoming, as well as important life passages. His roots on the range extend back to the 1840s, when his great grandparents settled in the Bridger Valley. In fact, his great grandfather was a Pony Express rider and is the subject of an epic poem composed by this exceptionally entertaining poet.

Now retired, Rounds currently works part time as the jovial, well-loved Doorman for the Wyoming House of Representatives.

Bee Keeper Mia Sullivan, provides an overview of honey, the keeping of bees and why these topics are so important on both a small and larger scale.
Honey: “The dew distilled from the stars and the rainbow.” — Aristotle

Mike Bestor has been Golden’s City Manager since 1993. Mike is directly responsible for all the City’s facilities, services, and the overall operation of the entire City.

Once a year (in March), Mike delivers a “State of the City” address to the Golden Chamber of Commerce. His speech is always interesting, insightful, and amazingly funny. We thought it was worth sharing with non-Chamber members, and Mike graciously agreed to give our March Golden Beer Talk.

John Spear, an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado School of Mines is an environmental microbiologist, looking for the kinds of microbes in any number of environments from a hot spring in Yellowstone to the average beer.

The invisible microbial world surrounds us and is part of us with a diversity of life that dwarfs the visible, macrobial world. With both traditional cultivation approaches and recent molecular approaches of DNA and RNA sequencing, work in the microbial world is beginning to reveal the secrets of life and its evolution. With an examination of the kinds of microbes that are in rocks, the kinds of microbes that cause corrosion of steel and the kinds of microbes that are critical for water treatment, new possibilities become apparent for biotechnology—how to work with mine tailings, how to work with rust, how to make a better protein and how to make a better beer!

Recently retired Director of Environmental Health for Jefferson County Public Health Department, Dr. Dale possesses deep insight on the health of Golden and its surrounding communities. His educational—and no doubt gregarious—talk will broaden our understanding of illness and disability in our region.Among other distinguished accomplishments, Jim holds a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Masters in Public Health (MPH) and Masters in Business Administration (MBA).

Jim also is a retired, veteran 30-year Air Force Colonel. His final assignment was as Chief of Prevention Operations in the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General at Headquarters Air Force.

In addition to his active participation with Golden’s Planning Commission, Dr. Dale serves on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Public Health Association (CPHA). He also has earned distinguished service awards from the CPHA, Colorado Environmental Health Association, Colorado Professionals in Onsite Wastewater, Leadership Jefferson County and the American Public Health Association.

 

Adam Pender, a Propulsion Engineer at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Littleton, Colorado spoke on ‘Why Go To Space?’.  Adam earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University, and is currently working on an Engineering PhD through the University of Denver.  Over his career, he has worked on numerous NASA spacecraft propulsion systems, including Mars Science Laboratory, Phoenix, Juno, MAVEN, InSight, and OSIRIS-REx, in addition to several other government and non-government spacecraft.

Adam talks on “Why go to space?”.  This discussion includes a short summary of the various benefits that our space program has yielded thus far, including the various technological advancements enabled by the space program, and put to use in our everyday lives.  Additionally, various science discoveries that our space exploration efforts have yielded. Following the talk is Q&A session where participants ask questions  as diverse as is anyone working on warp drive, to is NASA studying climate change.

Finn Knudsen has more than 40 years of experience in the brewing industry and has held research and management positions with Tuborg, Rainier, Molsen, Coors, and others.  He now does international consulting in the brewing industry.

Finn discusses research indicating that beer may aid in the prevention of osteoporosis, heart disease, breast, uterine, and prostate cancer, stroke, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease, ulcers, and kidney stones.  It is a good source of many key nutrients, antioxidants, fiber, niacin, riboflavin, pyrodoxine, folate, panthothen acid, biotin, and silicon.

 

Speaker will be Adrian E. Miller, author of Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time.  You may have heard this guest in one of several radio interviews, the most recent being Colorado Matters on Colorado Public Radio.

Adrian describes himself as, “…a recovering lawyer and politico turned culinary historian, and I’m doing what I can to celebrate soul food history. Soul food, the traditional food of African Americans, deserves its rightful place as one of America’s greatest cuisines.”

 

Adrian Miller’s Website: www.soulfoodscholar.com
Adrian’s Twitter Handle: @soulfoodscholar.