Text by Scott Condon
Images by Jim Paussa
When photographer Jim Paussa moved to Aspen permanently in 1998, he became fascinated with the people and events that helped reshape the former mining town into a top ski resort. So he approached some of its central characters to see if he could take their portraits. “I asked people when I photographed them, ‘Who else should I photograph?’” he says. “It was very organic. I didn’t have any preconceived notions of my version of Aspen history.”
Paussa is proud of the photographs individually, but he believes they work best as a group. “The photos have more power when you put them together,” he says. “So when you see all the pictures in one place, these people come back to life. The power of what they did, what Aspen used to be—you feel it. It’s palpable when you look at all of them and see how they contributed to make something big.”
The Centenarian
Aspen legend Klaus Obermeyer turned 103 years old in December 2022, marking the centennial anniversary of his first time skiing in Bavaria. It was there, at age 3, that he MacGyvered his first set of skis by nailing his shoes to boards from an orange crate, foreshadowing his many innovations to come. Obermeyer moved to Aspen to teach skiing in 1947 and began tinkering with ski clothing and gear to keep his clients returning for more lessons. For a student who didn’t have warm enough clothing, Obermeyer fashioned a parka out of a blanket his mother sent with him to the United States. He would soon go on to launch Sport Obermeyer, a skiwear company credited with numerous alpine inventions— the nylon windshirt, high-altitude sunscreen, dual-layer ski boots, to name a few—that he continues to oversee. Obermeyer is admired among Aspenites to this day for his eternal optimism, healthy lifestyle, and unwavering pleasantness.
The Aviator
Betty Pfister had the distinction of being one of the unsung heroes of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, who flew U.S. military aircraft during World War II. She served in the ferrying division, transporting aircraft and testing planes that were repaired after damage in combat. She formed the Pitkin County Air Rescue Group in 1968, which initiated searches for downed aircraft and lost adventurers in the mountains around Aspen, and she served as its president until she retired in 1991. Pfister was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame in 1984 and received the Congressional Gold Medal alongside her fellow WASPs in 2009.
The Innovator
It’s hard to imagine anyone bringing more smiles to the faces of kids and parents in Aspen than Nick DeWolf. As co-creator of the famed dancing water fountain on the Hyman Avenue Mall, which he programmed to never repeat a pattern, DeWolf has been inspiring joy (and keeping kids guessing where and when the water will spout) on the streets of Aspen since the fountain was built in 1979. A computer whiz who earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at age 19, DeWolf was a pioneer in his field, and his work in semiconductors led to advances in the computer industry.
The Entrepreneur
It would have been easy for George Stranahan to sit back and live a life of leisure, Aspen style, as heir of the Champion Spark Plug fortune. Instead, he dedicated himself to enriching the lives of countless others in the Roaring Fork Valley. His philanthropic endeavors were many and varied, spanning his move to Woody Creek in 1956 and his passing in 2021. He founded a school, a physics center, a community hub, and several nonprofits, including organizations dedicated to social justice and the Roaring Fork Valley’s immigrant community. Of all his myriad ventures, which also included a craft brewery, the state’s oldest whiskey distillery, and the fabled Woody Creek Tavern, the physicist said his role as an educator was most important.
The Architect
Sam “Coondog” Caudill looked every bit the mountain man that he was. The renowned architect and conservationist was best known for holding the Colorado Department of Transportation’s feet to the fire when it expanded Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon. He initially opposed the project, then led a citizens’ advisory committee to mitigate its impacts on the environment during construction, which was completed in 1992. He moved his architecture business to Aspen in 1952, and his firm designed several prominent buildings, including the Pitkin County Library, Pitkin County Jail, and a renovation of the Hotel Jerome.
The Public Servant
Concerned that development pressure would “cover us with a solid mass of condos,” as she was quoted upon her induction into the Aspen Hall of Fame in 1992, Eve Homeyer campaigned for and was elected mayor of Aspen in 1970. But becoming Aspen’s first female mayor was far from her only accomplishment. She led the effort to buy the land that became the municipal golf course and successfully lobbied for two one-penny sales taxes to preserve Aspen’s open spaces and operate the local bus system. During her campaign in 1970, she pledged to give up driving if she was elected. She more than kept her promise, walking and riding the city bus well after she exited office in 1973.
The Maverick
At 6 feet 6 inches tall, Bob Braudis had an imposing physique and a disarming demeanor that served him well as Pitkin County sheriff for 24 years. Approachable by all and popular with most for his live-and-let-live attitude, he was revered by locals for his dedication to peace. He believed in settling non-violent crimes through care and compassion rather than hardcore policing and alienated the Drug Enforcement Administration for refusing to participate in undercover stings. He was as friendly with dishwashers at the local restaurants as he was with movie stars. Braudis could have been sheriff for life, having cruised to victory in six elections until resigning in 2011 after a health scare.
The Raconteur
Bil Dunaway was known as the voice of Aspen for doggedly covering the stories and issues of the town for almost 40 years as the owner and an editor of The Aspen Times. Prior to his longtime post at The Times, Dunaway fought for the U.S. Army’s storied 10th Mountain Division during World War II and traveled extensively after the war, participating in the first-ever ski descent of the north glacier of France’s Mont Blanc in 1953. His love of skiing attracted him to Aspen in 1956, where he broke a leg during a ski race on Aspen Mountain. While recuperating, the journalist by training visited The Aspen Times and agreed to purchase the paper. His coverage in the coming decades forced more open city governance and sounded a clarion call over controversial topics, including exposing a rat-infested water storage system.
The Patroller
Patty Spilsbury was one of the first women to work on the Aspen Mountain Ski Patrol. “I was tired of waiting tables. Lucky for me it was a time when they were being forced to hire women,” she said of joining the ranks in 1981, when there were just three other women on the patrol. “It was a little rough, but fortunately some others paved the way.” She adjusted to working in the male-dominated environment and served on the patrol for 33 years before retiring in 2014. As an avid skier, serving on the ski patrol was a dream job, especially on Aspen Mountain. “It’s the mothership,” Spilsbury said.
The Educator
After graduating from college in 1973, Aspen native Willard Clapper returned home to teach elementary and middle school, becoming immensely popular among his students by the time he retired from full-time teaching in 2001. (He continued teaching the after-school program he co-founded in 2000 to foster civic engagement and environmental stewardship among high school students.) Clapper’s other passion was serving as a volunteer firefighter. He served every position except chaplain in his 35 years with the department. An estimated crowd of 1,000 people attended his memorial service at the Aspen Fire Station in 2014.