[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E16]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO RON NEELY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 31, 2006

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Mr. Ronald Neely. Ron passed away in January. He was a passionate and 
effective leader of historic preservation and community betterment in 
Georgetown, Colorado, an historic mining town nestled in the Clear 
Creek Valley along Interstate 70 just east of the Continental Divide.
  Ron established a distinguished career in Georgetown on a number of 
projects, and was known throughout the state as a champion of 
preserving local history. His accomplishments were recently 
acknowledged through his selection as the recipient of three 
simultaneous awards in Colorado: the Stephen H. Hart Award from the 
Colorado Historical Society, the Dana Crawford Award for Excellence 
from Colorado Preservation, Inc., and the President's Award from the 
National Trust for Historic Preservation. No one has ever received all 
three awards before, which underscores his influence for enhancing 
community quality of life and historic appreciation, not only in 
Georgetown, but throughout Colorado and the nation.
  Much can be said of Ron and how he affected the lives of many people. 
Perhaps the best synopsis comes from The Denver Post columnist Joanne 
Ditmer. In a column appearing in The Denver Post in late November, she 
wrote:

       Counting our Thanksgiving blessings usually is a litany of 
     material things, as well as family and friends who enrich our 
     lives. But this year I'm giving thanks for the people who 
     have vision, commitment and practical know-how to make our 
     communities the best possible places to live.
       A sterling example is Ron Neely of Georgetown, who for 35 
     years has had one goal: to keep that splendid old Victorian 
     mining town as a wonderful place to live and visit. He's a 
     historic preservationist, not just for saving beautiful old 
     buildings, but for preserving and nurturing the unique man-
     built qualities that make his town one of the most attractive 
     and healthy in the state.
       I can think of no other individual who has made such an 
     impact on the looks and spirit of this historic community. He 
     is a visionary, hard-headed and practical, with financial 
     savvy. All over Colorado, those with similar interests see 
     Georgetown as the example of how to get it right, despite 
     some really tough battles along the way.

  I agree with these reflections on Ron and his work.
  In 1966, Georgetown was named a National Historic Landmark District, 
among the first designated by Congress. Shortly thereafter, Ron founded 
and became executive director of Historic Georgetown Inc. (HGI) in 
1970. The next year, HGI bought the 1867 Hammil House and converted it 
into a museum, which showcases how wealthy mine owners and others lived 
in the harsh environment of the west at the turn of the century. From 
there, Ron and others went on to purchase and protect a number of 
historic structures throughout the town.
  In addition, Ron helped lead an effort to stop the building of a 
condominium complex on a mountain above the town. Following that 
success in 1982, Ron and HGI helped to buy the land on which the 
development would have occurred in order to keep it as open space. 
Presently, HGI has secured 2,000 acres of open space on the 
mountainsides towering above the town. This will not only preserve the 
historic feel of the area, but it also will protect some of the old 
mining artifacts and workings on these open spaces.
  In 1995, Ron worked with HGI to purchase an old filling station right 
of the interstate. His vision was to turn this into a Gateway Visitors 
Center to create an inviting first impression for visitors to 
Georgetown. Together with HGI and the Colorado Department of 
Transportation, Ron's vision became a reality when this facility was 
opened in 2003. Now, the Center sees 300,000 visitors annually.
  I had the pleasure of knowing and working with Ron. He continued to 
work steadfastly on projects and efforts to preserve, protect and 
enhance the Georgetown community. The town will reap the benefits of 
his work for years to come. I also had the chance to thank him 
personally at the ceremony early this year where he received the three 
awards.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the life 
and achievement of Ron Neely. His legacy will live on in Georgetown and 
in others who work to preserve our past and make our communities 
vibrant places to live, work, raise a family, and appreciate. I have 
also included a story from the Rocky Mountain News regarding his death 
and life's work.

               [From Rocky Mountain News, Jan. 14, 2006]

                Neely Helped Create Historic Georgetown

                        (By Mary Voelz Chandler)

       Ronald J. Neely's passion for preservation led to the 
     founding of Historic Georgetown, new life for numerous 
     buildings and stature as a wellspring of information for 
     others who battle to save historic sites.
       Even a diagnosis in June of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 
     the progressive neuromuscular disease also known as Lou 
     Gehrig's disease, didn't temper his love of talking about 
     preservation battles past or present--or future.
       But complications from the disease ended his life Friday 
     morning at Lutheran Medical Center. He died at age 66 of 
     respiratory failure.
       ``Ron is the epitome of a leader who takes on a community 
     with pride and passion and takes it light-years ahead,'' said 
     Dana Crawford, a preservationist and developer, as well as 
     president of Urban Neighborhoods. ``He did so much for that 
     community and for others.''
       Mr. Neely moved out of Denver to work at Loveland Ski Area 
     in the late 1960s, tired of the city and eyeing a life on 
     skis. Soon after, he settled in Georgetown and, with friends, 
     in 1970 founded the preservation group that is credited with 
     being the oldest in Colorado.
       ``A town like this kind of grabs you in a hurry,'' Mr. 
     Neely said last year in an interview with the Rocky Mountain 
     News.
       A few weeks before, he had been honored by three 
     preservation groups with the Colorado Historical Society's 
     Stephen H. Hart Award, Colorado Preservation Inc.'s Dana 
     Crawford Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, and 
     the National Trust for Historic Preservation's President's 
     Award.
       During the emotional program at the Oxford Hotel, Crawford 
     looked out at the crowd and said, ``I feel we all went to 
     college together--at Ron Neely University.''
       The line brought laughter then; on Friday it brought 
     agreement.
       ``He was one of the early preservation pioneers in the 
     state and set the standard for the rest of us to follow in 
     how you do it, in what grass-roots preservation is all 
     about,'' said Barbara Pahl, head of the Mountains/Plains 
     Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. ``He 
     was one of the best and one of our state's treasures.''
       Mr. Neely and Historic Georgetown worked to preserve 
     several buildings in that city and were in discussions about 
     buying and restoring the town's 1874 school building.
       His wife, Cynthia Neely, said Friday that effort will 
     continue. When she told the school's owner of Mr. Neely's 
     death, ``He said, `This will be a different place without 
     him.' And he's right. This will be a different place without 
     him.''
       Passion and determination are words that come up often in 
     conversations about Mr. Neely.
       ``The loss of Ron is a tremendous loss on so many levels,'' 
     said Mark Wolfe, director of the State Historical Fund. ``He 
     symbolized the determination preservation needs to be 
     successful with sensitivity and generosity. I think that is a 
     unique combination. He sincerely cared, not just about 
     preservation, but the way it affected people.''
       Survivors include his mother, Fran Phipps, of Arvada; wife, 
     Cynthia, of Georgetown; son, Ronald J. (Burr) Neely Jr., of 
     Fairbanks, Alaska; sister, Cherie DeAngelis, of Arvada; 
     stepson, Ted Wadsworth, of Boston; close friend, Christine 
     Bradley, of Georgetown; and several nieces and nephews.
       A tribute will be next week at the Hamill House in 
     Georgetown, though the date has not been set, said Dana K. 
     Abrahamson, executive director of Historic Georgetown Inc.

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