Former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm remembered for bold leadership, landmark legislation at memorial service

Former three-term Colorado Gov. Richard “Dick” Lamm wore galore hats passim his years of nationalist service, allowing himself and his ideas to germinate on the way, colleagues and loved ones said astatine his memorial work Tuesday.

A mates 100 radical gathered astatine the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum to commemorate the beingness of the 38th governor, who died successful July astatine the property of 85. Lamm served arsenic a Democratic politician from 1975 to 1987. Those who spoke recalled his enactment arsenic a legislator (1966 to 1974) and his landmark termination legislation, his clip arsenic politician advocating for biology issues, his teaching benignant astatine the University of Denver, and his beingness arsenic a husband, begetter and grandfather.

Lamm was calved successful Wisconsin, and helium served successful the Army earlier moving to Colorado successful 1961. Before getting elected, helium worked arsenic a lawyer for the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission successful 1962 earlier opening his ain practice. He is besides known for his enactment to halt the 1976 Winter Olympics from being held successful Colorado.

“He gave himself support to evolve, to adapt, showing the people of genuine leadership,” Gov. Jared Polis told attendees. “The politician that came into bureau successful 1974 was antithetic than the 1 who near successful 1987 and antithetic than the prof known to galore of his students astatine (the University of Denver).”

Mark Leffingwell, Daily Camera file

Former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm is pictured successful his bureau successful Denver connected Nov. 20, 2014. Lamm died Thursday, July 29, 2021, astatine the property of 85.

An illustration of that, Planned Parenthood of the Rockies CEO Vicki Cowart noted, was erstwhile Lamm worked with advocates to person restrictions successful his ain termination measure — the archetypal successful the federation astatine the clip to legalize it successful definite cases — deemed unconstitutional.

“He watched approvingly this his aged instrumentality was removed from the books …,” Cowart said.

In his eulogy, erstwhile Denver Mayor Wellington Webb noted however ironic it was that helium was among those who walked retired during Lamm’s archetypal inauguration due to the fact that of a deficiency of diverseness wrong the governor’s cabinet. Webb aboriginal ended up moving for and becoming friends with Lamm, and Lamm appointed Black and Latino leaders during his presumption arsenic governor.

“Dick was genuinely Colorado: independent, tough, strong, complicated, unpredictable, kind-hearted,” Webb said.

Those who worked with oregon studied nether Lamm credited him with being bold, and said helium wouldn’t hesitate to propulsion a “verbal bomb,” arsenic his erstwhile Lt. Gov. Gail Schoetler called it, into a conversation. But they added that helium was ever consenting to perceive to others’ ideas.

“Gov. Lamm changed the people of my beingness with the unfastened mode that helium approached the kinds of conversations that rapidly go dogmatic for astir different people,” said erstwhile pupil Allie Moore.

She added that though helium was known for controversy, “he was ever moving to physique a schoolroom successful a satellite wherever his students could speech openly astir truly hard societal problems, and they tin compassionately and curiously perceive to the perspectives of radical they disagreed with.”

Lamm was known to marque arguable comments, often prompting backlash adjacent from supporters, arsenic helium did aboriginal successful beingness erstwhile helium made derogatory comments astir contention and migration successful speeches and publication helium authored.

His family, however, recalled him arsenic a antheral who was a doting begetter and gramps who loved his household unconditionally. His girl Heather described however helium fto his kids conscionable beryllium themselves, ever made clip for them and helped them beryllium open-minded.

Lamm’s woman of 58 years, Dottie, shared the communicative of however they met and however her hubby had changed implicit the years and adjacent began to constitute poesy successful his aboriginal years. Dottie Lamm, who herself ran for U.S. Senate successful 1988, said adjacent though the couple’s enactment connected civilian and reproductive rights, planetary warming and wellness attraction would sometimes person nationalist oregon adjacent planetary implications, “our roots and our launchpads remained heavy close here,” ever considering Colorado home.