Between the 1950s and the 1970s, the FLC Student Senate transformed a two-day fundraiser into a weeklong, raucous community affair sponsored by local businesses and individuals. The fun and games drew Durango residents to campus to help raise money for students who couldn’t afford medical care. Events over the years included cake auctions, sock hops, bowling tournaments, motorcycle rallies, tug-o-wars, “raunchiest shoes on campus” contests, and the legendary bed races, which were resurrected in 2019 by Durango’s renowned Snowdown Winter Carnival.
Residence halls hosted Heart Fund Week events, like sock hops.
Residence halls hosted Heart Fund Week events, like "raunchiest shoes on campus" contests.
Left to right: Heart Fund Week 1966: Ned Wallace, dean of students; John Black, student body president; John F. Reed, FLC president; J.A. Browning, local physician.
On February 12, 1971, the Fort Lewis Independent newspaper declared “Heart Fund Week Successful,” after they raised $2,393.54 (roughly $15,675 in today’s dollars!). The event that year kicked off with a Student Senate-Faculty basketball game organized in part by Duane Smith, professor emeritus of History; the faculty team won 66-61.
While the Heart Fund no longer exists, its collaborative essence carries on through Durango’s Snowdown celebration each February.
Live from Durango, it’s KIUP! In 1935, Durango’s first local radio station, KIUP, launched in the Four Corners. FLC staff and students often partnered with the station to present music shows, dramatic readings replete with sound effects, and informational programs on a range of topics from “post-war business opportunities” to “dairying.” Legendary dorm mother and professor at the Old Fort, Margaret Good (pictured far right), often oversaw the collaborations. KIUP still broadcasts today on 930 AM, featuring programs from ESPN Radio.
Back in the day, FLC students and staff shared music, campus news, dramatic readings, and more on Radio KIUP.
Legendary dorm mother and professor at the Old Fort, Margaret Good (pictured far right), often oversaw Radio KIUP collaborations with FLC students.
Colorful murals, lego sculptures, and window art are popping up all around Durango thanks to the Durango Arts Brigade, a legion of artists that includes FLC senior Zyon Frauen and alumnae Hayley Kirkman (Art, ‘17) and Elise Boulanger (Studio Art & Design, '21).
Recent Fort Lewis College graduate Ian Teller (Business Administration, '21) has been selected to join the newly formed New Mexico Indigenous Youth Council, a program that supports the resiliency of tribes, nations, and pueblos across New Mexico.
Sam Vickery (Marketing, '17) rode to an impressive 9th place finish at the UNBOUND Gravel XL event in Emporia, Kansas, enduring intense heat and fighting off sleep over the 357-mile course. FLC cycling alumni Payson McElveen (Exercise Science, ’16) and Ryan Standish (Exercise Science, ’16) competed in the 200-mile event, coming into the finish together for 27th and 28th places.
Fort Lewis College cycling alumna Sofia Gomez-Villafañe (Exercise Science, '16) will be going to the Toyko Olympic Games next month, representing Argentina in the women's mountain biking discipline.
On May 7, 1983, Peter Jamieson (Biology, '78) became the 14th American and 129th person to reach the summit of the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest. Reflecting on the trip in an interview with The Durango Herald, Jamieson said his path to Everest started at Fort Lewis College.
Skyhawks cycling alumni took top spots in last weekend's Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race from Durango to Silverton. Sarah Sturm (Art, '12) took second in the women's pro field while Howard Grotts (Mathematics, '14) finished third in the men's race.