Nearly one-fourth of all Coloradans look to Denver Water for a dependable water supply, whether they're turning on the tap at home to fill a drinking glass or turning to the South Platte River as it courses through the city to boat, fish or relax. While the department's primary mission remains providing safe, healthy drinking water to 1.2 million people in the metro area, it also has a leading role in developing ways to maintain ample flows in the South Platte without losing valuable water downstream that we need to treat for drinking.

F. Charles Froelicher spent his early years in Philadelphia and Baltimore. At age fifteen, he came west to attend the Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs where his uncle Francis Mitchell Froelicher served as Headmaster. Francis Froelicher was a skilled mountaineer, fly fisherman, tennis player, ardent outdoorsman and a classics scholar. It was he who introduced Chuck to the mountains and rivers of Colorado. The hook was set.

Following his graduation from the high school in 1943, Chuck joined the U.S.Navy. The Navy promptly sent him to Villanova, Princeton and North Western in its V 12 program. Following two years of study and training, Chuck was commissioned as an Ensign and promptly assigned to an aircraft carrier, the USS Marcus Island, CVE 77. He reported on board in San Francisco on August 8th, 1945, just one day before the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

Following the war, Chuck completed his studies at Johns Hopkins University and commenced to teach Biology, American History and the Physical Sciences in secondary schools in both Connecticut and Saint Louis.In June of 1955, Chuck arrived in Denver to become the first Headmaster of Colorado Academy. Starting with 75 students from the old Colorado Military School, CA, steadily grew, over the next twenty years, into a K through 12 co-educational country day school of 650 students. Today, some 850 students attend CA.

In 1958, as a consequence of his continuing love of the out of doors, Chuck learned about the Outward Bound Schools in Great Britain. Shortly thereafter he persuaded Charlie Gates, Bill Coors and Aspen’s Ruthie Brown to join him in founding the Colorado Outward Bound School – the first in the United States. Forty-six years and 128,000 students later, the four of them continue to serve as Life Trustees.

In 1968, Chuck, and Stuie's first cousin, the ornithologist Bob Righter, discovered Copper Mountain. It, according to the US Forest Service’s Five Year Study, was the “Finest Undeveloped Ski Mountain in the United States.” Chuck then put together a group of eastern friends and family members as investors and found the legendary Charles D. (Chuck) Lewis who promptly became the President and Developer of the Copper Mountain Resort. Chuck Froelicher continued as a director of Copper Mountain until it was sold to the Apex Oil Company in 1981.

In 1975, Chuck resigned from his post at Colorado Academy and became the first Executive Director of the Gates Family Foundation. Following a serious study of possible missions for the Foundation, the trustees concluded that the preservation of prime urban, rural and mountain space was a matter of importance. Shortly there after, Chuck learned about the ambitious plan of Senator Joe Shoemaker and Mayor Bill McNichols to clean up the South Platte River and the valley through which it flowed. By any measure, such a project, considering the sorry state of the river, passed the Foundation’s “50 year test” – will this project make a difference in fifty years? Yes.

Soon thereafter, the Gates Family Foundation commenced a long and constructive relationship with the Joe, the Mayor and the Greenway. The first 4-project grant of $780,000 was the largest in the Foundation’s history. It was a mixture of outright grants and challenges. In the end, the challenge produced over $2,000,000 in matches. Over the next ten years, many other grants and challenge grants followed, each generating substantial funds from other sources.

On looking back over his twenty years with the Gates Family Foundation, Chuck Froelicher recently concluded that of all of the hundreds of projects with which he had been involved, the one that has had in his judgment, the most profound and lasting impact on the City and County of Denver, was probably the conversion of the South Platte River, and the valley through which it flowed, from an unsightly dangerous sewer into one of the most beautiful urban river and linear park systems in the nation.

Scott Tucker has a long association with the waterways of the Denver region. He has held his present position as the Executive Director of the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District since early 1972, less than three years after the establishment of the District. The District is an independent form of local government set up by State law to offer one service, drainage and flood control. In addition to its flood control mission, its enabling legislation allows the District to help local governments with recreational and park facilities within drainageways, the largest being the South Platte River. In 1979, Scott was instrumental in working with Joe Shoemaker, District Chairman Wally Toevs and District Vice-Chair Cathy Reynolds to obtain State approval for a mill levy for maintenance of drainage facilities as well as recreational and park facilities within the drainage district. In 1986 Scott worked with District Board Chairman Cathy Reynolds, Joe Shoemaker and other Board members to obtain legislative approval for a mill levy dedicated to the South Platte River (SPR) which has enabled the District to establish a long term SPR program. Of all the many Friends of the River, Scott Tucker’s leadership of the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District stands out for recognizing the great importance of the future care of the South Platte River Greenway system.

Scott received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska and his M.S. from the University of Arizona. For three years after his graduation, he worked with the American Society of Civil Engineers Urban Water Resources Research Program in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1970, he came west to work in the Urban Water Resources Research Program at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. His professional career includes an active participation in the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Public Works Association, National Association of Urban Flood Management Agencies, the Water Pollution Control Federation, Metro Wastewater Reclamation District and the EPA Federal Advisory Committee on Phase II Stormwater Sources.

Scott’s interest in the outdoors extends to the mountains where he enjoys skiing and hiking with his wife Shirleen and children Chris and Amy. He has climbed 37 14,000 ft. peaks in Colorado and also has been an active contributor to the skiing community as a member of the Loveland Ski Patrol since 1983. Scott’s special love of the outdoors took another course in 1993 when he became an active and very successful competitive bicycle racer. He has won the Colorado State Road Race Championship twice and is an eight time winner of the Colorado State Time Trial Championship in his age category. He was National Champion in the 40K time trial at the Masters National Championships in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001 and is a current National Record Holder in the 40K Time Trial for two age categories.

It was in 1958 that Ken Wright's fledgling consulting engineering activities first exposed him to the hidden economic and environmental potential of Denver's South Platte River. His interest in the River increased while, as owner and principal of Wright Water Engineers (WWE), he handled the design and construction of numerous drainage and flood control, groundwater and recreation projects in Denver. He was the responsible engineer for the 1975 design and construction of Confluence Park and the 1982 master plan for the 40 miles of South Platte River through Denver's Metropolitan area for the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District. Earlier, in 1969, he prepared the Denver area six-county drainage criteria manual and was responsible for trail design along numerous Denver area waterways, including the South Platte River in Adams County, Bear Creek and Cherry Creek. WWE has been water consultant to the Adolph Coors Brewery for 38 years and has overseen projects in 20 states and several foreign countries.

Ken received his B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering and a B.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He is a licensed appraiser, a lecturer at the University of Nevada/ Las Vegas on water rights and president of the Wright Paleohydrological Institute. WWE is the recipient of the 1996 Colorado Ethics in Business Award and the 1999 American Ethics in Business Award.

Kayaking and white-water rafting have expanded Ken's water experiences. Over the last seven years, he has performed scientific hydrology research at Machu Picchu and Mesa Verde National Park. The American Society of Civil Engineers presented him with its 2001 Heritage and History Award for his Machu Picchu research and publication, Machu Picchu: A Civil Engineering Marvel.

Ruth Wright has led numerous successful efforts to improve conditions of the South Platte River during her service on the Colorado Water Quality Control Commision as well as during her fourteen years in the Colorado State Legislature, serving six years as House Minority Leader. Ruth also spent six years on the Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee and was a leading advocate for clean water legislation. She was a member of the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Board of Trustees from 1993 to 1999 and chaired the Board of Trustees from 1998 to 1999. Ruth was instrumental in launching the GOCO legacy grant program that was critical in helping fund improvements along the South Platte River. She has been an active member of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District Board since 1994.

Ruth received her Ph.D. cum laude from Marquette University and spent several years working in Heidelberg, Germany, before joining Ken in Saudi Arabia. While raising two daughters, she continued her education, receiving her J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law.

Ruth's interests include scuba diving, photography, archeaology and travel. Her love for rivers led her to participate in a 1,300-mile raft trip down the Danube River and travel from one end of the Nile to the other. Diving and underwater photography took her to Micronesia, Truk Lagoon, Ponape, Cozumel, Bonaire and the Red Sea. Her photographic talents have been applied to create Machu Picchu calenders, and The Machu Picchu Guidebook which was published in 2001.

Wellington Webb served three terms as Mayor of the City and County of Denver from 1991-2003. Mayor Webb’s distinguished public service career began in 1972 when he was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. In 1977, he was selected by President Jimmy Carter to serve as Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare. In 1981, Colorado Governor Richard Lamm appointed him as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. In 1987, he was elected as Denver’s City Auditor.

Under his leadership, Denver has been nationally recognized for capitalizing on the nation’s strong economy and has become a model American city. Mayor Webb has created more park space than any other Denver mayor and downtown Denver has been revitalized as a thriving residential community and center of commerce and entertainment. During his first term as Mayor, the City opened the world’s most technologically advanced airport, Denver International Airport and has built three sports arenas: Coors Field, the Pepsi Center and Mile High Stadium. In 1993, Mayor Webb hosted nearly 200,000 people from around the world to celebrate World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II. In 1997, he welcomed President Clinton and eight world leaders at the Denver Summit of the Eight, the annual global economic summit.

Mayor Webb was awarded a BA in Sociology from Colorado State College at Greeley in 1964 and an MA in Sociology from the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley in 1971. He also holds honorary Doctorates from the University of Colorado at Denver and from Metropolitan State College.

Bill Daniels is considered “the father of cable television.” A man of vision and entreprenuerism, Daniels launched Daniels & Associates in 1958 and has fostered hundreds of cable systems in virtually every state in the nation.

An avid sportsman, Daniels started Prime Ticket Network, Home Sports Entertainment and Satellite Sports Network. He was a founding member of the USFL, President of the ABA and later, an owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. Daniels is well known for his civic leadership and support of youth, chartering the Young Americans Bank in 1987. in addition, Daniels interest in education was underscored with the recent dedication of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. To show his support of the Greenway Foundation and its youth education, youth employment and related recreational and environmental programs, Daniels helped launch this year’s Greenway Preservation Trust with a challenge grant of $1million. Greenway Foundation Chairman, Joe Shoemaker, calls Daniels, “a life long friend and a great champion of the Greenway Foundation’s efforts.”