[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 93 (Thursday, July 11, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      PAYING TRIBUTE TO TED ALBERS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 11, 2002

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with a solemn heart that I take this 
opportunity to pay respect to the passing of Ted Albers, who recently 
passed away at the age of 78. Ted was the former Mesa College 
president-Administrator who helped reform higher education in Western 
Colorado to meet vocational and academic ambitions. Ted is credited as 
an innovative thinker who not only transformed Mesa College from a 
community college into an accredited four year institution but also 
preserved the two-year aspects of the institution so that Mesa could 
continue offering associate degrees and vocational certification.
  Ted was born in the small Northwestern Colorado town of Maybell and 
became a teacher and principal at Rio Blanco High School in Meeker in 
1949. He went on to become an administrator for the University of 
Colorado extension division in Grand Junction and served as an 
assistant superintendent of School District 51. In 1969, he returned to 
receive higher education at Denver Community College and then returned 
to Mesa in 1970.
  Ted's leadership guided Mesa College on a course geared toward 
providing young adults with a quality and affordable education aimed to 
meet as many needs as possible in western Colorado. Ted was almost 
perfectly suited to the job of reshaping Mesa because he was first and 
foremost an educator in the highest sense of the word.
  Ted is survived by his wife, Maxine, who served as a Mesa County 
Commissioner for 15 years and his two children, T.L. and Rhonda. 
Throughout his life Ted remained a strong supporter of the Mesa State 
College and its role in the community.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with profound sadness that we remember Ted Albers. 
He was a remarkable man whose innovative teaching techniques have 
educated thousands of people and whose good deeds deserve the 
recognition of this body of Congress and this nation. The impact of 
Ted's life on those with whom he has come in contact is a testament to 
this great man. I would like to express my condolences to the family of 
Ted Albers.

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