 A Publication of Historic Georgetown, Inc. Volume XXXVI, No. 3 Winter 2006 |
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A Publication of Historic Georgetown, Inc. Volume XXXVI, No. 3 Winter 2006 |
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Georgetown
mourns loss of passionate citizen;
HGI's Ron Neely dies at 66 |
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By Burr Neely Editor's Note: Ronald J. Neely was born December 6, 1939, in Pueblo, Colorado. He moved to Georgetown in 1968, and in the ensuing years he campaigned passionately for the preservation of both the natural setting and the historical legacy of the area. He was a founding member of the Georgetown Society, and served many years as President of Historic Georgetown, Inc. He was diagnosed with ALS in June of 2005, and died of respiratory failure on January 13, 2006. Burr Neely offered a moving tribute to his father at the memorial
service for Ron, which was held on the Hamill House grounds, January
18, 2006. Burr's comments are presented below in their entirety with
very minor editing, including some initial "thank you's" that
have been omitted. I took a walk the other night, starting out of 714 Biddle Street and heading downtown. It was windy and cold - one of those clear, crisp Georgetown winter nights. I passed the Energy Museum, Town Hall, the Hotel de Paris, and watched the wind bounce the garlands and Christmas lights strewn over 6th Street. I climbed Taos Street, passed by the Rock Shop and the Church, crested the hill, then down past the Centennial Mill over to Rose, and up Rose to 2nd. I slid down 2nd Street, by the old Anderson house, onto Argentine to the Hamill House, where I paused to look at the gothic window and admire the Silver Plume granite. From there, I traversed the county parking lot and scrambled up Chimney Rock. The moon lit the whole valley. From my vantage I could see downtown - Shoppe Internationale, the Red Ram, Sophie Gally, Kneisel and Anderson - and I knew tucked in between these buildings was Ken Nelson's shop, the Buckskin Leather, and the Happy Cooker. I could see the roof line of the Mahany Building, and follow Taos Street down to City Park, passing by the Old School. I could trace Rose Street and see the Bowman-White, Moore's house, the Church-Hamilton home, the Alpine Inn in one direction and in the other I could see the switchbacks of Guanella Pass ascend Leavenworth Mountain. Farther down valley, the cliffs and scree slope of Saxon Mountain dropped to the lake, and I could just make out the lights of the Gateway Visitor Center, the Swiss Inn, the "Chili Queen," and the coffee shop. Across the valley perched the old Kneisel House and the Gibbs place up on the hill, and behind me, Spring Street and the road to the Loop. I know many of the people that live and work in these buildings, and many of them know me. They know each other, and care for each other, and that is what makes us a community. They all are providing homes for their families, a place to live for them and for generations to come. So much for a small little valley, so much more than the sum of the individuals that live and work here. Today, we are here to recognize that one of our community is no more, and that is my dad, Ron Neely. He, too, walked these streets and shared their magic history with residents and visitors alike. In some way, shape, or form, he touched nearly every building, and nearly every person within those buildings, within our community. |
People say that he did this through vision and passion, through a love of old places, and that along the way he created a model for grassroots preservation and fundraising, influencing the course of local, state, and national preservation efforts. To be sure, he won awards and received many accolades for his work, and he deserved them all. This, in part, is his legacy. Though what he did was much more simple, and, by being more simple, it was much more profound. My dad built bridges between people and their aspirations. He cherished and nurtured relationships, both professional and personal, that make him a friend to be missed. I like to think he brought a little class to town with him, reflected in his dapper dress and top-shelf tastes. But really, all he did was bring people together and give them an opportunity to participate in building a community for themselves and their children - a community to be proud of. If he is a model for anything, it is for showing how anyone here can do anything they want. If you demand respect, dignity, and integrity from yourself, you will receive it from others. Persevere, and stand by what you believe no matter what, and anything really is possible. If you do something, do it well. He has proved this true, and has left us with the foundation and inspiration to realize it in our own pursuits. And remember, please, that the attention to detail is what separates the mediocre from the magnificent. We all miss you, Mr. Neely, and we thank you for deciding to have called Georgetown your home. |
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