November Program: ‘Boulder’s Boys’ of the Great War.
November 21 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm MST
BGS Annual Meeting & Program
“Remembering (and Researching)
‘Boulder’s Boys’ of the Great War.”
Presented by Gail Elias
Intro: A little bit of history of the WWI Memorial Towers at Nine-Mile Corner (Hwy-287 and Arapahoe Rd) and the process by which the information on the 50+ men from Boulder County who died in Great War (WWI) was unearthed.
About the Presentation: The two stone pillars at the intersection of Highway 287 and Arapahoe Road were built to honor the men and women from Boulder County who served in the Great War (WWI). They were the gateway to the “road of remembrance.” As a part of CDOT’s Mitigation Working Group, Gail became involved in the effort to preserve and protect this memorial. Her job in this public education effort was to explain why the pillars were important and historical.
Curiosity got the best of Gail. She wondered just who these 1,500 men and women who served were – and what happened to them – especially those who didn’t come home. Gail wanted to learn about them and tell their stories. What resulted is a book that combined genealogy, historical research, investigating a couple of very cold cases, and some very, very good luck. In this presentation, she will give you a brief overview of how those pillars came to be where they are and then focus on 5 representative “stories.” For genealogists, what may be more interesting (and potentially useful than the history) to understand where and how she found enough information about these men to craft a narrative about their lives.
Meet Our Speaker – Gail Elias:
Gail Elias, a BGS member and serving as BGS Newsletter Editor, is a New York State kid who came to Colorado for grad school and saw no reason to go back to Buffalo. She has a BA from Wells College, Aurora NY and an MPA from CU Boulder. She served as Director of Administration at the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office from 1979-1983 and as a partner in a criminal justice planning firm from 1984-2017. She has authored a number of technical publications on planning in justice systems through the National Institute of Corrections.
Gail, a self-titled “genealogy geek,” has been a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution since 1963 and was elected Regent of the Indian Peaks Chapter (2021-2023). In that role, she served as a member of the Mitigation Working Group, charged by the Colorado Department of Transportation with developing recommendations regarding the World War I Memorial at the intersection of Highway 287 and Arapahoe Road in East Boulder County. To help people understand the importance of these two towers as a memorial, she looked for ways to tell a story about what and who they represent. “A Soldier’s Story” came from that effort.
In-Person Meeting Venue Information:
This month’s meeting is an in-person meeting starting at 6:30 pm (Mountain) at the Broomfield Community Center:
- 6:30 pm – Informal meet and greet with members and guests
- 6:40 pm – Annual Membership Meeting with reports and recognitions
- 7:00 pm – Program presentation by invited speaker
Guests and non-members are more than welcome to join us for this presentation. If you have questions or need more information, please contact Cindy, Director of Membership here. She will be more than happy to assist you.
Please join us in-person for we are looking forward to connecting with you!
