Jokes about lawyers are well-documented. Jokes from lawyers — that’s a different story. Actually, that’s this story. Meet Troy Walker (JD ’11), a lawyer who tells jokes — for a living. He’d been joking around long before he entered the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2008. “I’ve […]
It had to be. Joe Riche (MFA ’00) becoming an artist, that is. At age 4 he was already grasping some of the finer points of art — at his grandmother’s house. She had a small replica sculpture of the Greek goddess Venus — you know, without the arms. “I […]
Art didn’t bring Todd Griffith (BFA studio art ’01) to the University of Denver. He was drawn by the close proximity of the mountains, the easy access to some of the best skiing in the country and DU’s four-year degree in engineering. But while studying engineering, Griffith realized he was […]
Two recent graduates of the University of Denver’s library and information science program had the chance to put their training to the test this summer as they built a library from scratch in the Pacific island nation of Tonga. The project has its roots in 2009, when a massive tsunami […]
Editor’s note: This story first ran in 2004 and is being reprinted in honor of Nelson Mandela On Valentine’s Day, 1978, two men in stocking masks barged into Richard Lapchick’s Norfolk, Va., office. They tied him up, and for the next hour they smashed metal file cabinet drawers into his […]
Within five years of completing her undergraduate education, Heather McDougall (BA ’96) earned a master’s degree, studied at two universities in Europe and added this to her resume: founding an international leadership institute. “Little did I know it was going to be a crazy, heartbreaking process,” she says. “People wouldn’t […]
Editor’s note: This story originally ran in the winter 2009 edition of the University of Denver Magazine. We are putting it back on the front page because Ellie Schafer is one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Alumni Symposium. Get more information and register for the event here. […]
Often stereotyped as a game for the wealthy and elite, golf doesn’t seem like the ideal sport for teaching inner-city kids about values like honesty, perseverance and courtesy. That is until Joe Louis Barrow Jr. (BA ’68), CEO of international youth development organization The First Tee, starts to explain. “Golf […]
Remember when eating organically wasn’t so popular? Jeff Rogoff (BA ’93) does. He opened his earth-friendly restaurant, Sazza, with his wife, Jenni Hayes, in 2006. At that time, it wasn’t about an upcoming trend; it was about a shared passion. Rogoff and Hayes have always believed in organic, clean eating […]
When she died — in 1981, at the age of 83 — costume designer Edith Head was, in show-biz parlance, a tough act to follow. In her decades-long Hollywood career, Head won a whopping eight Oscars and dressed everyone from Ginger Rogers and Bette Davis to Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor […]
Three new alumni-owned establishments have opened in the DU neighborhood since January. Here’s a look at the new spaces and their Pioneering owners. Slotted Spoon Meatball Eatery, 2730 S. Colorado Blvd. Unit #19; slottedspoon.com Owner: Alex Comisar (BSBA ’07) Backstory: Taking a cue from homegrown chains such as Chipotle […]
Phil Heath thought basketball was his destiny. He was wrong. Though Heath came to the University of Denver on a basketball scholarship, he ended up finding much more success in the world of bodybuilding. In 2012 he claimed his second consecutive Mr. Olympia title, and in September 2013, he’ll return […]
In 1958, three years after he graduated from the University of Denver, David Rothenberg arrived in New York City, hoping to find a job in the world of theater. By 1966, Rothenberg was working with the biggest playwrights on Broadway, including Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee and Harold Pinter. In his […]
Wendy Calvin (BS ’83) has a passion for science. Director of the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy in Reno, Nev., Calvin believes geothermal energy will help solve the global environmental crisis. Founded in 2002, the Great Basin Center is part of the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering […]
Jami Duffy’s message is simple: Career options exist outside traditional paths. She should know. She’s taken traditional, wadded it up, kissed it goodbye and tossed it in the trash. But back in 2000, when she entered the University of Denver, Duffy (BA ’03) admits she was on that traditional path. […]