[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 37 (Tuesday, April 9, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E462-E463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE RICKENBAUGH FAMILY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2002

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with profound sadness that I pay 
tribute today to an incredible family, whose lives were so tragically 
cut short, but whose spirit will remain with us for eternity. Kent 
Rickenbaugh, his wife Caroline and his son Bart, were not only 
successful in their business and philanthropic endeavors, but were also 
pillars of the Denver community who garnered the undying admiration and 
respect of so many through their unquestioned integrity and 
unparalleled morality. Each of them will be sorely missed by the 
multitudes of people whose lives they have touched, and as we mourn 
their loss, I believe it is appropriate to remember each of them and 
pay tribute to them for the extraordinary contributions they have made 
to their city, their state and their country.
  Kent began working at his father's Cadillac dealership shortly after 
graduating from Dartmouth College at the age of 22. He rotated through 
each division of the dealership before being named assistant to his 
father, Ralph, who founded the Denver Better Business Bureau in 1951. 
Kent dedicated himself and his career to protecting commerce in 
downtown Denver. Even as other businesses and car dealerships fled 
downtown for the roomier suburbs, Kent vowed to remain in the same 
neighborhood where his father had started the dealership. He truly 
believed in supporting the socio-economic interests of downtown Denver, 
and argued that it was not good business to abandon downtown. While his 
business always remained downtown, Kent's love of the outdoors and of 
the West often allowed him to escape to his other life, as a rancher on 
his 1,100 acre ranch outside Gunnison. He truly loved everything about 
our great state--both the beauty and the commerce--and his passion for 
each will be greatly missed.
  Caroline, Kent's wife of 40 years, was an exceptional woman in her 
own right. After the death in 1963 of their infant daughter Selby, who 
suffered from a heart defect and was cared for at Children's Hospital, 
Caroline devoted herself to the hospital, helping to raise millions of 
dollars for its betterment. In 1999, Caroline and Kent endowed a chair 
in cardiology in her name, and from 1995 to 1997, Caroline co-chaired 
the campaign to build a new wing for the hospital. The endeavor turned 
out to be the largest fundraising effort in the hospital's history, 
raising over $15 million. In addition, she was instrumental in the 
effort to move the Children's Hospital to the University of Colorado's 
new health sciences center campus in Aurora. Caroline's deep love for 
children and for humanity touched the lives of innumerable families 
who, because of her

[[Page E463]]

philanthropy, were able to receive top-notch medical care from one of 
the finest children's hospitals in the nation.
  Bart Rickenbaugh, the only son of Caroline and Kent, followed in his 
parents footsteps as a caring and selfless man, who enriched the lives 
of everyone around him. As a husband, father and son, his deep love of 
family was the hallmark of his life. He was an avid sportsman and 
outdoorsman who loved to play hockey, ski, hunt and run. He was a four-
year rugby player at Dartmouth College, and a former saddle bronc rider 
with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He moved from Denver 
to Bozeman two years ago, where he became a real estate lawyer. Bart is 
survived by his wife, Lisa, and children, Sam and Lila.
  The Rickenbaughs are survived by their two daughters, Anne 
Rickenbaugh of Aspen and Katherine Rich of Carbondale, who will 
undoubtedly carry on the traditions of selflessness and love that have 
long been the hallmark of this extraordinary family.
  Mr. Speaker, we are all terribly saddened by the loss of Kent, 
Caroline and Bart Rickenbaugh, but take comfort in the knowledge that 
our grief is overshadowed only by the legacy of courage, success and 
love that each of them left with all of us. Their lives are the very 
embodiment of all that makes this country great, and I am deeply 
honored to be able to bring each of them to the attention of this body 
of Congress. The memories and manifestations of the Rickenbaugh 
family's many contributions to the people of Denver will never fade, 
and I, along with each and every person whose lives were touched by 
this extraordinary family, will forever appreciate all that they have 
done for our great State.

                          ____________________