Four to be inducted into Fremont Hall of Fame on April 20
The 11th annual Fremont Hall of Fame induction ceremony will honor four citizens whose civic involvement has contributed immeasurably to the enrichment of the community.
John and Mary Kay Evans, Ed Norden and Dorothy “Tiny” Striegel will be inducted into the hall on April 20 at the Abbey Event Center, 2951 East Highway 50. The evening will begin with a social hour at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 and the program at 7.
The event is a fundraiser for the Pueblo Community College Foundation. Proceeds benefit the foundation and its efforts to provide scholarships for Fremont and Custer County students who are attending PCC’s Fremont campus.
John and Mary Kay Evans moved to Canon City from Denver in 1977 and have been devoted supporters of local youth since their arrival. John spent nearly three decades teaching basic skills education with the Department of Corrections. He started Cognitive Education programs and was a principal in Youth Offender Services. He was selected by the Canon City district attorney to develop a Teen Court program.
John implemented an agreement between the DOC and Pueblo School District 60 to allow youth offenders to graduate with a District 60 diploma instead of a GED. He also developed a vocational articulation agreement with the University of Southern Colorado (now Colorado State University-Pueblo) so auto and barbering students could get college credit for classes.
Mary Kay worked 32 years as juvenile case worker with 11th Judicial District probation department and served 25 years on the Fremont County Protective Team, which oversees and reviews case files to make sure children are properly protected.
Mary Kay and John both served on the Canon City School Board; John was a member for 16 years and Mary Kay is in her second term. In 2016, she received the McGuffey Award from the Colorado Association of School Boards for her involvement with local schools and advocating for the implementation of reading programs.
John and Mary Kay are active volunteers in the Canon City community and with their church. Both served as rec league soccer coaches and in 1991, Mary Kay started and coached the girls soccer program at Canon City High School.
The Evans family includes two sons and three grandchildren.
Ed Norden is well known to local residents for his golden radio voice and his leadership. After moving to Canon City from Nebraska in 1982, Norden became the news director and operations manager at KRLN-KSTY Radio.
Norden spent 13 years as the station’s general manager, winning multiple awards from the Colorado Broadcasters Association during his tenure. He was recognized as the Colorado Broadcaster of the Year and received the Harry Hoth Public Service Award for his work in the community.
Norden served three terms as a Fremont County Commissioner for the 3rd District. He was known for his professionalism, integrity and fairness.
He has been involved in many county projects that improved the quality of life in Fremont County, including creation of the News Now page on county website, development of Pathfinder Park, radio-thons for the PCC Fremont campus permanent site and Federal Bureau of Prisons site, and the creation of new 911 dispatch center. He is active in his promotion of college scholarships for Fremont County students.
Norden was the Chamber of Commerce citizen of the year in 1997 and has served on the PCC Fremont Advisory Committee for 25 years. He is president-elect of the Canon City Rotary Club.
He and his wife, Janice, have two sons, Matt and Luke, and three – soon to be four – grandchildren.
Dorothy “Tiny” Striegel is a giver – of time, resources and expertise. Her passion is other people.
Born in Kansas in 1921, her family moved to Colorado when Striegel was an infant and she graduated from Canon City High School in 1938. She was widowed at a young age and moved to Missouri to get medical training to support herself. After working in hospitals in Missouri and Colorado, she returned to Canon City in 1954, where she continued her hospital work for 30 years.
In 1990, she and her second husband, Ernie, donated part of their family ranch to the Oklahoma State University Foundation to be used as a permanent home for the Les Huston Geology Field Camp, named in honor of Striegel’s father. Striegel visits the camp at least once a week when it is in session each spring. She brings photos and mementos that explain the camp’s history.
Striegel is a poet and painter. Seven of her portraits, accompanied by her poems, are displayed in the Museum of History in Canon City. She has published four books of poetry and one about World War I.
She taught classes at PCC’s Senior Mini College for several years and is a member of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, the VFW Auxiliary and the Golden Age Center.
Tickets for the induction ceremony are $45 per person. Corporate tables also are available. For reservations, call the PCC Foundation at 719-544-0677.
The Fremont Hall of Fame was established to honor individuals, living or deceased, whose extraordinary efforts have contributed to the betterment of Fremont and/or Custer counties. Anyone may nominate a person for induction; recipients are selected by a panel of community members.