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• 1 2017-11-05T11:51:28-08:00 Dedication Ceremony at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center 11 gallery 2017-12-03T20:41:52-08:00

  
  
  Dates

  June 24, 1967
   

  Context

  
  Beaver Meadows Visitor Center was unveiled to the public on June 24, 1967. The building was a part of the Mission 66 initiative to make the National Parks more accessible to the public. The construction of Beaver Meadows was the embodiment of Mission 66 goals coupled with the unique design of renowned Frank Lloyd Wright architectural firm, Taliesin. The exterior was designed by Taliesin architect, Thomas Casey and the interior furniture and colors were chosen by Olgivanna Lloyd Wright, who carried on Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural legacy after his death. Both contributors to Beaver Meadows can be seen at the Taliesin West headquarters in the attached photo. Casey is second from left and Wright is second from right.
  
  Sadly, Olgivanna Lloyd Wright was not able to attend the opening ceremony. Her telegram informing Novak of this can be seen in the attached photo.
  
  Congressman Wayne Aspinall gave the Dedication Speech in which he recommended the entire building be named after Enos Mills, the “Grandfather of Rocky Mountain National Park.” His speech can be seen in the attached link. This recommendation caused a stir amongst Rocky Mountain Park officials who instead elected to name the audiorium within the visitor center in Mills’ memory.
  Both the invitation and the brochure from the Dedication Ceremony can be seen in the links attached.
  
  Wayne Aspinall's Speech at the Dedication Ceremony (Collection 1192 Series 002.1 folder 406) || Dedication Program (ROMO 21599 HQ Dedication)

  
  Related Objects to Explore

  
  Drape; Krueger Stackable Folding Metal Chair; Oak Bench; Oak Arm Chair;
   

• 1 2017-11-05T11:38:10-08:00 Wayne Aspinall 10 plain 2017-12-03T20:42:31-08:00

  
  Role

  Colorado Congressman who gave dedication speech for Administration Building
   

  Dates of Involvement

  June 24, 1967
   

  Context

  Congressman Wayne Aspinall was chosen to deliver the opening speech at the dedication ceremony of Beaver Meadows Visitor Center on June 24, 1967. In this speech, “Parks & People: Past, Present and Future” Aspinall recommends that the Headquarters Building be dedicated to the passed Enos Mills, the “Father of Rocky Mountain National Park”. In October of 1967, following the Beaver Meadows Dedication Ceremony, the acting Superintendent requested park officials forgo naming the entire structure after Mills, but instead name the auditorium “Mills Auditorium.” The proposed plaque text can be seen in the attached document.

  
  Within his opening speech, Aspinall also discusses the friction between conservationist goals of environmental protection and the contrasting National Park Service mission of providing “enjoyment for the people”. He effectively sums up Mission 66’s intention of accommodating growing American interest in National Park visitation when he says, “The time to begin to plan [for the future] is now.” However competing goals of conservationists and the American public would plague Mission 66 throughout its construction and beyond. A full transcription of his speech can be seen in the attached link (ROMO Archives, 1967).

  Education

  Aspinall studied at the University of Denver until World War I, at which point he enlisted in the war and served as a corporal staff sergeant in the Air Service of the Signal Corps. After the war, he returned to University of Denver where he graduated in 1919. He continued his work in law and graduated from Denver Law School in 1925 and began practicing in Palisade, CO the same year (Colorado Encyclopedia, 2017).

   

  Career

  A Democrat, he was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives and the State Senate and served as minority and majority leaders in the Senate in the 1930s and 1940s. In the 1960s, Aspinall’s preference for dams and water reclamation projects would earn him criticism of the growing environmentalist movement. In the 1970s, he resumed his law practice in Palisade, CO until his death in October of 1983 (History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, 2017).
  
  Beaver Meadows Construction Features Report (Final Enviro Assessment Beaver Meadows) || Enos Mills Auditorium Memo (Collection 1192 Series 2_1 Folder 317_2)   ||  Wayne Aspinall's Dedication Speech for the Administration Building (Collection 1192 Series 002.1 folder 406 Speech)

  Related Objects to Explore

  Krueger Stackable Folding Chair; Oak Bench;