When Ed Estlow came to the University of Denver in 1939, it was the beginning of a relationship that would last more than 75 years.
A standout athlete and scholar during his time at DU, and later chair of the Board of Trustees and founder of the University’s Edward W. and Charlotte A. Estlow International Center for Journalism and New Media, Estlow (BA ’42) left his mark on campus. In September, Estlow was named an honorary life trustee, an honor that was recognized Jan. 16 in a special board meeting.
“I have been chair of the board going on five years and I’ve been on the board for 17 years, and I have found Ed’s wisdom really helpful,” says current chair Trygve Myhren, president of Myhren Media Inc. “We’re celebrating him and everything that he has done for the University.”
Part of that celebration involves naming the garden between University Hall and the Anderson Academic Commons in honor of Estlow and his wife, Charlotte, who died in summer 2013. Estlow met Charlotte Schroeder (attd. 1941–42) on the DU campus in 1941. The two were married in 1944. Charlotte founded the Estlow Center along with her husband and served as a member of the University’s Women’s Library Association (now the University Library Association) for many years.
Former CEO of the E.W. Scripps Co., Ed Estlow retired from the media giant in 1985 and returned to his home state of Colorado, where he chaired DU’s Board of Trustees for five years, ending his term in 1990.
“He was a steady hand when DU needed a steady hand,” Chancellor Emeritus Daniel Ritchie, who served on the board alongside Estlow, told the University of Denver Magazine in 2012. What’s more, Estlow’s investment in the institution grew out of his personal experience at DU. “Ed is quintessential DU,” Ritchie said. “I think his blood is crimson and gold.”
Read more about Ed Estlow in this magazine profile from 2012.