Louis Dwight Mikkelsen

We recently attended two community programs, held just a few days apart. One was about “fake news,” and the other was about senior bullying. Two very different topics, but they share several characteristics in common. They are both problems, they are both dangerous, and they both reflect a polarization of people. And, they both require us to be knowledgeable, thoughtful, and pro-active. Louis Dwight Mikkelsen was born in Gunnison, Colo., on April 11, 1929 to Meryle and Louis Mikkelsen. Early on, Louis had an interest in sports and education, and eventually got both his undergraduate and Master's degree in education from Western State College in Gunnison. While at Western State, Lou lettered in both basketball and football. In 1950, on a bus trip from Gunnison to a football game in Canyon City, Colo., on Monarch Pass, the bus lost its brakes. With the expert skill of the bus driver shouting instructions to the football team to move from side to side to balance the bus, the bus and team made it safely to Salida, Colo. The team then selected Lou to represent them when he and the bus driver flew to New York City to appear on the nationally broadcast program "We the People" to tell the story of their miraculous escape from disaster on Monarch Pass. In 1951, he joined the Marines and fought in the Korean War where he achieved the rank of captain. During his service, he married Joan DeVinny, and they had a daughter, Marcia. In 1954, Joan tragically died in childbirth, along with twin babies. Lou was teaching in Olathe, Colo. when he met the sister of one of his students, Ira Sue Pendergraft. Lou and Sue were married Nov. 12, 1955, a marriage that would last nearly 62 years. They had three children, Susan, Les and Jim. The family camped in the summer, and skied weekends in the winter. After teaching and coaching positions in Cortez, Colo., Grove, Okla., and Montrose, Colo., the family moved to Colorado Springs where Lou joined the fi rst staff at Mitchell High School when the school opened in 1965. Lou advanced to several different positions, coach, history teacher, Dean of Boys, assistant principal, and principal. All four Mikkelsen children attended Mitchell and each one could always expect a subtle wink whenever passing their dad in the halls. Taking an early retirement from Mitchell in 1985, Lou and Sue moved to Eureka, Mont. where Lou became the superintendent for the school district there. Several years later, they then moved to Cheyenne, Wyo. where Lou was a principal in an alternative high school. Moving back to Colorado, Lou permanently retired in 1994. He and Sue spent time between Calhan, Colo. and Gunnison, Colo. In addition to the four children, Lou and Sue have eight grandchildren, Arnie, Bobby, Holli, Korri, Taylor, Rizza, Van and Danny. They also have eight great grandchildren, Jaydrik, Koda, Sophie, Lila, Aubrie, Lilly, Max and Makenna. Husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, Lou will remain a part of the family and friends he leaves behind. His kindness, warmth, gentleness and amazing sense of humor we will cherish always.