Presenters & Contributors
Nice, Naughty, & Notable
Colorado Springs at 150
Colorado Springs at 150
Presenter & Contributor Biographies
(in order of appearance)
May 22, 2021
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Katherine Scott Sturdevant is Pikes Peak Community College’s senior Professor of History. Her specialties include Colorado, women, American Indians, the West, and family history. She works with many local and national historical organizations. With PPLD Special Collections, she presented, published chapters, and/or served as a volume editor for many of PPLD’s annual symposia proceedings since they began. Kathy has authored two books and many scholarly articles. Federally trained in historical editing, she served on several scholarly journals. She is an advocate of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a social historian, Kathy brings human interest and humor to presentations.
Steve Plutt is an avocational historian who has lived in Lake George, Colorado for the past 47 years. A popular speaker, Steve has presented his research to historical societies and centers throughout the Pikes Peak region, ranging from Cripple Creek, Old Colorado City, Ute Pass, and the Pikes Peak Historical Society, to the City of Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce, the Lake George Charter School and the Lake George Public Library. Steve has restored and stabilized three pioneer homestead cabins and serves on the boards of the Park County Historic Preservation Commission, the Lake George Community Park Association, and the Park County Cemetery. He founded and runs an annual professional barrel racing competition. A past member of the local school board’s Policy Committee, he previously enjoyed leading interpretative field trips for local school children and members of 4H.
Doreen E. Martinez is of Mescalero, Apache and Pennsylvania Dutch lineage. The first of her family to pursue formal education, she is an associate professor in Native American Studies at Colorado State University. Her work focuses on how cultural knowledge is lived and practiced in everyday contemporary locations and situations. Using her formal background in sociology, personal experience, and cultural values rooted in Indigeneity, Doreen has taught indigenous knowledge systems, gender and race theory, research methods, race, class, and gender in the media and many other courses. She works with community projects that range from organizational restructuring for meaningful and impactful ‘inclusion and diversity’ to community engagement with buffalo restoration on the Wind River reservation. Doreen uses a combination of collective principles, natural reason, and decolonial praxis to inform her work. An avid advocate of alliance building and promoting justice, Doreen is committed to promoting better and more informed knowledge of Indigenous cultures that honor our traditions and all our futures.
June 26, 2021
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Susan Fletcher serves as the Director of History and Archives for The Navigators and Glen Eyrie. She is the founder and CEO of History Joy Consulting, an archives and museum consulting firm. Susan earned her MA in History from Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis. She is the coauthor of Exploring the History of Childhood and Play Through 50 Historic Treasures, the co-author of Dawson Trotman in His Own Words, and has written numerous chapters on state and local history for the Pikes Peak Regional History Book Series. In addition to her scholarly work, Susan’s writing appears in Springs Magazine.
Thomas Jacob Noel is Emeritus Professor of History and Director of Public History, Preservation & Colorado Studies at the University of Colorado Denver. Tom is the author or co-author of 53 books and a longtime former Sunday columnist for the Rocky Mountain News and he appears regularly as “Dr. Colorado” on Channel 9’s “Colorado & Company.” Tom completed his B.A. at the University of Denver and his M.A. and Ph.D. at CU Boulder where his mother (a psychiatrist) and grandmother (a teacher) also did their graduate work. Please check Tom’s website: dr-colorado.com for a full resume and updated list of his books, tours and talks where you are most welcome. In 2018 History Colorado appointed Tom the Colorado State Historian.
Eric Swab is married with a son and three grandchildren. As a volunteer for the National Forest, he has researched the Fremont Experimental Forest, the Skelton Mountain Ranch, the Manitou Incline, and the Monument Nursery. He has given numerous talks on his research. He has prepared exhibits for the Old Colorado City Historical Society and the Manitou Springs Heritage Center. He is also engaged in several other research projects focused on his passion for the history of human activity on Pikes Peak. Eric is the author of two published books, "From Utility To Attraction: A History of the Mt. Manitou Park & Incline Railway" and "Fred Barr: Pikes Peak Entrepreneur", and the soon to be released, "The Granite Attraction: Stories of the Pikes Peak Highway and Summit".
July 24, 2021
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Leah Davis Witherow is the Curator of History for the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. She graduated with a B.A. in History and a Certificate in Eastern European and Russian Studies from California State University, Long Beach and an M.A. in History from University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Additionally, she has taught American History at UCCS since 2000, specializing in the history of Colorado, the Progressive Era, Labor and Women. In 2014 Leah was selected as the UCCS College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Outstanding Lecturer of the Year and in 2018 was selected as a “Woman of Influence” by the Colorado Springs Business Journal.
Eric Metzger grew up in Littleton CO and has spent much of his life along the Front Range preserving and interpreting cultural resources in both non-profit and for-profit organizations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a master’s degree in museum administration from Harvard University. Before joining the McAllister House Museum as Executive Director, Eric was the Director of Education and Museum Services at the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.
Gregory James Atkins: Originally from Oklahoma, Greg earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Oklahoma Panhandle State University, a master’s degree in history from Oklahoma State University, and a PhD in history from Washington State University in 2019. From 2008 to 2012, he lived in Colorado Springs and worked as a high school history teacher and adjunct history instructor. He is currently assistant director of FHSU Online at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. Greg is working on a book about how Colorado Springs carved out a national reputation over the last 150 years.
August 28, 2021
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Rick W. Sturdevant joined the U.S. Air Force History & Museums Program in 1984 and became deputy director of history for Air Force Space Command in 1999, United States Space Force in 2019, and Space Operations Command since 2020. He serves on the editorial board of Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly and is editor of the International Academy of Astronautics history series. Rick’s professional honors include the Air Force Exemplary Civilian Services Award (1995-1999), the American Astronautical Society (AAS) President’s Recognition Award (2005), and election as an AAS Fellow (2007).
Mark James, A photographer for almost fifty years, Mark James has served as a photojournalist, documentarian, commercial photographer, gallery owner, curator, and landscape photographer. In 1995, Mark was awarded a residency at Rocky Mountain National Park and began his present and continuing exploration of the landscape with a pinhole camera and black & white film. Since 2017, Mark has photographed Pikes Peak and the surrounding area as an ongoing study of how the Colorado wilderness landscape may have appeared two centuries ago when his ancestor, Edwin James, explored the land. Mark exhibits his photographs in museums and has a traveling exhibit organized by the Dubuque Museum of Art titled Remnants of the West: Edward Curtis and Mark James. In general, Mark’s work is rooted in both American and photographic history.
Katherine Scott Sturdevant is Pikes Peak Community College’s senior Professor of History. Her specialties include Colorado, women, American Indians, the West, and family history. She works with many local and national historical organizations. With PPLD Special Collections, she presented, published chapters, and/or served as a volume editor for many of PPLD’s annual symposia proceedings since they began. Kathy has authored two books and many scholarly articles. Federally trained in historical editing, she served on several scholarly journals. She is an advocate of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a social historian, Kathy brings human interest and humor to presentations.
(in order of appearance)
May 22, 2021
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Katherine Scott Sturdevant is Pikes Peak Community College’s senior Professor of History. Her specialties include Colorado, women, American Indians, the West, and family history. She works with many local and national historical organizations. With PPLD Special Collections, she presented, published chapters, and/or served as a volume editor for many of PPLD’s annual symposia proceedings since they began. Kathy has authored two books and many scholarly articles. Federally trained in historical editing, she served on several scholarly journals. She is an advocate of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a social historian, Kathy brings human interest and humor to presentations.
Steve Plutt is an avocational historian who has lived in Lake George, Colorado for the past 47 years. A popular speaker, Steve has presented his research to historical societies and centers throughout the Pikes Peak region, ranging from Cripple Creek, Old Colorado City, Ute Pass, and the Pikes Peak Historical Society, to the City of Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce, the Lake George Charter School and the Lake George Public Library. Steve has restored and stabilized three pioneer homestead cabins and serves on the boards of the Park County Historic Preservation Commission, the Lake George Community Park Association, and the Park County Cemetery. He founded and runs an annual professional barrel racing competition. A past member of the local school board’s Policy Committee, he previously enjoyed leading interpretative field trips for local school children and members of 4H.
Doreen E. Martinez is of Mescalero, Apache and Pennsylvania Dutch lineage. The first of her family to pursue formal education, she is an associate professor in Native American Studies at Colorado State University. Her work focuses on how cultural knowledge is lived and practiced in everyday contemporary locations and situations. Using her formal background in sociology, personal experience, and cultural values rooted in Indigeneity, Doreen has taught indigenous knowledge systems, gender and race theory, research methods, race, class, and gender in the media and many other courses. She works with community projects that range from organizational restructuring for meaningful and impactful ‘inclusion and diversity’ to community engagement with buffalo restoration on the Wind River reservation. Doreen uses a combination of collective principles, natural reason, and decolonial praxis to inform her work. An avid advocate of alliance building and promoting justice, Doreen is committed to promoting better and more informed knowledge of Indigenous cultures that honor our traditions and all our futures.
June 26, 2021
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Susan Fletcher serves as the Director of History and Archives for The Navigators and Glen Eyrie. She is the founder and CEO of History Joy Consulting, an archives and museum consulting firm. Susan earned her MA in History from Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis. She is the coauthor of Exploring the History of Childhood and Play Through 50 Historic Treasures, the co-author of Dawson Trotman in His Own Words, and has written numerous chapters on state and local history for the Pikes Peak Regional History Book Series. In addition to her scholarly work, Susan’s writing appears in Springs Magazine.
Thomas Jacob Noel is Emeritus Professor of History and Director of Public History, Preservation & Colorado Studies at the University of Colorado Denver. Tom is the author or co-author of 53 books and a longtime former Sunday columnist for the Rocky Mountain News and he appears regularly as “Dr. Colorado” on Channel 9’s “Colorado & Company.” Tom completed his B.A. at the University of Denver and his M.A. and Ph.D. at CU Boulder where his mother (a psychiatrist) and grandmother (a teacher) also did their graduate work. Please check Tom’s website: dr-colorado.com for a full resume and updated list of his books, tours and talks where you are most welcome. In 2018 History Colorado appointed Tom the Colorado State Historian.
Eric Swab is married with a son and three grandchildren. As a volunteer for the National Forest, he has researched the Fremont Experimental Forest, the Skelton Mountain Ranch, the Manitou Incline, and the Monument Nursery. He has given numerous talks on his research. He has prepared exhibits for the Old Colorado City Historical Society and the Manitou Springs Heritage Center. He is also engaged in several other research projects focused on his passion for the history of human activity on Pikes Peak. Eric is the author of two published books, "From Utility To Attraction: A History of the Mt. Manitou Park & Incline Railway" and "Fred Barr: Pikes Peak Entrepreneur", and the soon to be released, "The Granite Attraction: Stories of the Pikes Peak Highway and Summit".
July 24, 2021
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Leah Davis Witherow is the Curator of History for the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. She graduated with a B.A. in History and a Certificate in Eastern European and Russian Studies from California State University, Long Beach and an M.A. in History from University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Additionally, she has taught American History at UCCS since 2000, specializing in the history of Colorado, the Progressive Era, Labor and Women. In 2014 Leah was selected as the UCCS College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Outstanding Lecturer of the Year and in 2018 was selected as a “Woman of Influence” by the Colorado Springs Business Journal.
Eric Metzger grew up in Littleton CO and has spent much of his life along the Front Range preserving and interpreting cultural resources in both non-profit and for-profit organizations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a master’s degree in museum administration from Harvard University. Before joining the McAllister House Museum as Executive Director, Eric was the Director of Education and Museum Services at the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.
Gregory James Atkins: Originally from Oklahoma, Greg earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Oklahoma Panhandle State University, a master’s degree in history from Oklahoma State University, and a PhD in history from Washington State University in 2019. From 2008 to 2012, he lived in Colorado Springs and worked as a high school history teacher and adjunct history instructor. He is currently assistant director of FHSU Online at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. Greg is working on a book about how Colorado Springs carved out a national reputation over the last 150 years.
August 28, 2021
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Rick W. Sturdevant joined the U.S. Air Force History & Museums Program in 1984 and became deputy director of history for Air Force Space Command in 1999, United States Space Force in 2019, and Space Operations Command since 2020. He serves on the editorial board of Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly and is editor of the International Academy of Astronautics history series. Rick’s professional honors include the Air Force Exemplary Civilian Services Award (1995-1999), the American Astronautical Society (AAS) President’s Recognition Award (2005), and election as an AAS Fellow (2007).
Mark James, A photographer for almost fifty years, Mark James has served as a photojournalist, documentarian, commercial photographer, gallery owner, curator, and landscape photographer. In 1995, Mark was awarded a residency at Rocky Mountain National Park and began his present and continuing exploration of the landscape with a pinhole camera and black & white film. Since 2017, Mark has photographed Pikes Peak and the surrounding area as an ongoing study of how the Colorado wilderness landscape may have appeared two centuries ago when his ancestor, Edwin James, explored the land. Mark exhibits his photographs in museums and has a traveling exhibit organized by the Dubuque Museum of Art titled Remnants of the West: Edward Curtis and Mark James. In general, Mark’s work is rooted in both American and photographic history.
Katherine Scott Sturdevant is Pikes Peak Community College’s senior Professor of History. Her specialties include Colorado, women, American Indians, the West, and family history. She works with many local and national historical organizations. With PPLD Special Collections, she presented, published chapters, and/or served as a volume editor for many of PPLD’s annual symposia proceedings since they began. Kathy has authored two books and many scholarly articles. Federally trained in historical editing, she served on several scholarly journals. She is an advocate of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a social historian, Kathy brings human interest and humor to presentations.
