If you know of a classmate, BHS faculty member or school administrator who has died, please contact suezorichak@hotmail.com. This page was updated March 25, 2008.

Chuck Cassio

Charles J. "Chuck" Cassio, 68, of Wheat Ridge, died March 19 at Collier Hospice.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Mary Cassio.

Survivers include his brothers, Anthony (Joyce) and Joe (Karen).

He was born and raised in Trinidad, Colo. He graduated from Holy Trinity HS in 1958, attended UNC and Adams State Colleges where he earned both BA and MA degrees. He taught band in Trinidad from 1965 to 1968. He then taught instrumental music and was music coordinator in the Boulder Schools until 1983. His bands at Boulder High School received national prominence as well as many Colorado honors. Following his career in Boulder, Charles served as a Fine Arts Consultant for the Colorado Department of Education.

Charles was a hall of Fame Band Director in Colorado, receiving that honor from the Colorado Bandmaster's Assn. in 1990, CMEA in 1996 and Phi Beta Mu in 2000.

Celebration of his life will be held at Wheat Ridge Recreation Center, 38th and Kipling, April 6, from 1-3 PM.

Published in the Daily Camera on 3/23/2008

Kevin Elliott

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Ken Furman

Ken coached the BHS boys basketball team in the early '60s and then remained at Boulder High as a guidance counselor at least through 1977. He also coached the boys tennis team. (Thanks to Stephen Armstrong for this information.)

Erica Hanson

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John Hoback, principal

John Robert Hoback, BHS principal from 1969 to 1978, died March 13, 1990, of cancer. He was 62.

He was born March 2, 1928, in York, Neb., and married Mary Lou Reed on June 18, 1950, in Omaha. He graduated from Doane College in Crete, Neb., in 1950 with a degree in history. He earned a master’s degree in school administration from the University of New Mexico while a member of the U.S. Air Force. Hoback was employed by the Albuquerque Public Schools for 15 years as a teacher and administrator.

He came to Boulder in 1969. After he left Boulder High in 1978, he was a teacher and administrator in the Boulder Valley School District until his retirement in 1988. After his retirement, he was a supervisor of student teachers at Regis University in Denver.

He was active in the chamber and chancel choirs at First Presbyterian Church as a ruling elder. He was a pianist for the Rotary Club and served on the board of directors. He also served for two years as the president of the Interfaith Council of Boulder.

Hoback is survived by his wife, Mary; daughter, Susan; sons Tom, Boyd and Dan; and several grandchildren. (Thanks to Lane McIntosh Claxton for this information.)

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Eric Leigh

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Loraine Lopez

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Tom Mills

Died in a car accident shortly after graduating from Boulder High; need more information.

Nancy Jean Murphy

Nancy died Feb. 8, 2007. She was 48.

She was born on Oct. 14, 1958, in Boulder at Community Hospital. She attended Highland Elementary, Casey Junior High and Boulder High. She was a lifelong resident of Boulder.

She is survived by her daughter, Jewel Marie Carlson, of Casper, Wyo.; her sister, Mary Linda Brown, of Jamestown; and her brothers, James Michael Murphy of Louisville and John Jay Murphy of Boulder. She is preceded in death by her mother, Charlotte Eloise Murphy, and her father Donald Luther Murphy, who resided in Boulder for over 50 years.

A memorial service was held Feb. 19 at Green Mountain Cemetery. Interment followed immediately.

Nancy spent her last days in the loving care of HospiceCare of Boulder & Broomfield Counties. Donations in her memory can be sent to HospiceCare of Boulder & Broomfield Counties, 2594 Trail Ridge Dr. E., Lafayette, CO 80026.

Many thanks to Nancy Goodard Botzum for sending this link to an online guest book for Nancy: http://www.legacy.com/DailyCamera/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=86461741

Pat Patten

J. Allen "Pat" Patten, of Boulder, died Feb. 24, 2007, at Boulder Community Hospital from complications due to pneumonia and chronic asthma.

The son of Estelle and Frank Patten, he was born on March 5, 1920 in Denver. His mother died when he was 2 and his father when he was 11. Pat continued to live in Colorado, in foster homes and state homes, and was able to graduate with academic and athletic honors from Manual High School in 1938.

He entered the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1939 after spending a year to earn enough money to pay his tuition. His time at CU was interrupted from 1942 to 1946 while he served in the Army during World War II, entering as a private and leaving as a 1st Lieutenant. Pat graduated from CU in 1947 with a BS degree in chemical engineering and completed a Masters degree in 1948. During his tenure at the University of Colorado he excelled in wrestling and cross country earning seven varsity letters.

Pat began his service at Boulder High School in September 1948 and retired in June 1984. During those 36 years he was a teacher of chemistry, physical science and geology. He coached wrestling, football, track, gymnastics, and cross country. From 1964 to 1984 he was the athletic director and assistant principal.

Upon his retirement from the Boulder Valley School district, Pat became a licensed agent for securities, investments and insurance with the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. He retired again in 2001.

A master of utilizing a 24-hour day, Pat owned and operated Pat' Fine Foods, a drive-in restaurant located in the Base-Mar shopping center from 1957 to 1967. Additionally he managed the concessions at the University of Colorado for all athletic events from 1950 to 1980.

He served as a wrestling referee and judge at the 1964 Olympics and as a member of the United States Olympic Committee for 12 years. Pat was the innovator, organizer, underwriter and driving force behind the first Junior World Wrestling Championships which were held in Boulder in 1969.

Pat organized the "Sister School Program" which allowed high school students from Boulder to visit Japanese high schools and for Japanese students to Boulder schools. He was instrumental in establishing the first sanctioned high school wrestling exchange program in 1962. In 1968 he was named "Wrestling Man of the Year" by the United States Scholastic Wrestling News.

Pat was named to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2000, the University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

His family and friends will miss his mentorship and frequent lectures on the importance of education, hard work and being both mentally and physically tough. His wisdom, competitiveness and indomitable spirit will not be forgotten. Pat's goal on life was not only to make sure his students excelled in chemistry or his wrestlers won but to make everyone he came in contact with to be the best they could be.

He is survived by his daughter, Judy Patten; son, Scott Patten and his wife, Carol Patten; son, Steve Patten and his wife Liz Patten; daughter, Jan Steger; and seven grandchildren.

Rick Spier

Ricky died Aug. 31, 2002.

That day, he and his wife, Patsy, who were teaching school in West Papua, Indonesia, were ambushed by gunmen hiding alongside a road. When the shooting stopped, three people were dead: Rick, the school superintendent and another teacher. Patsy was shot in the back and almost bled to death. (If you want to learn more, Google is full of information about this incident.)

Ricky attended Casey Junior High and was a standout on the Boulder High baseball team.

If anyone has more information about Rick's early life in Boulder, please contact suezorichak@hotmail.com so I can write a more complete memorial.

Gary Stauderman

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Ken Yordon

Drowned; need more information.