Pat Grant, the National Western Stock Show's chief executive, salutes Citizens of the West Tom and Becky Kourlis, and their children: Stacy, Kate and Tommy. Photo by Steve Peterson, Special to The Denver Post
Beef. It’s what’s for dinner, and it has been for each of the 32 meals that have been held in honor of the men and women named Citizen of the West.
It was served this year, too, only instead of a big ole slab of prime rib or a grilled New York strip, it came in the form of a filet mignon topped with red wine sauce that was snuggled up next to a lamb chop.
“History is being made tonight,” master of ceremonies Dan Ritchie advised the 800 guests as they prepared to dig into a meal that also included Greek salad, oregano risotto, grilled mushrooms, green beans and roasted Mediterranean vegetables. “It’s the first time in dinner history that lamb has been served.”
Which might not seem like such a big deal, except for the fact that one half of the couple being honored this year, Tom Kourlis, is a sheep rancher from Craig and asked that lamb be included. Kourlis, state agriculture commissioner during Gov. Roy Romer’s administration, also is the son of Greek immigrants, which no doubt inspired the rest of the entree choices. Dessert, traditionally chosen by the honoree, was Geneva’s Famous Chocolate Date Cake with carmelized pecans and chocolate sauce, prepared from a recipe handed down from the late Ann Love, mother of co-honoree Rebecca Kourlis.
Ann Love and her husband, former Gov. John Love, were Citizens of the West in 1989.
The Citizen of the West Dinner is the social centerpiece of the National Western Stock Show and is a benefit for the National Western Scholarship Trust. The 2010 edition was held at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center and planned by an arrangements committee headed by Brooke Fox and a steering committee directed by Tom Stephens and Nancy Petry.
Dan Ritchie, the master of ceremonies, was Citizen of the West in 1998 and was chancellor of the University of Denver in 2006 when Becky Kourlis, whose law degree is from Stanford, stepped down as a Colorado Supreme Court Justice to establish the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, a “think/do tank” headquartered on the DU campus. Ritchie is now chairman of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
The Kourlis children — Stacy, who is in graduate school; Kate, who works in finance in New York City; and Aristhithis (Tommy), who turns 14 this year — presented the working branding iron and Stetson hat(s) that symbolize the honor.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, U.S. Sen. Al Simpson, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White, and Bill Coors also are former Citizens of the West, as is former University of Colorado president Hank Brown, who attended with his wife, Nan. The Browns were seated with 2006 honoree Sue Anschutz-Rodgers and a group that included Lucette and photographer Fred Larkin and Colorado Historical Society president Ed Nichols and his wife, Meg.
The well-wishers ranged from previous honorees to past and present lawmakers and Becky Kourlis’ college roommates.
Gov. Bill Ritter and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper both spoke, as did Pat Grant, president and chief executive officer of the National Western Stock Show, and Becky Kourlis’ brother, Dan Love.
Phil and Nancy Anschutz were on hand for the festivities; so, too, were Terrance Carroll, speaker of the State House of Representatives; Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey and his wife, Maggie; Terry and Betsy Considine; Newell and Judy Grant; Patty Barnard; Don and Mary Elliman; Bob and Claudia Beauprez; Mike and Jane Norton; Scott and Lori McInnis; Harold and Diane Smethills; Jim and Marsha Lyons; Bruce and Bev Waddle; Kelly Brough; Joan and Wayne Allard; Bob and Annabelle Deline; Eileen Honnen; Skip and Jane Netzorg; Sally Hopper; Hassan and Sheila Salem; Zee Ferrufino; Marty and Suzie Erzinger; Charlie and Diane Gallagher; Frances Owens; Chris and Sarah Hunt; Gordon and Sally Rippey; Leo and Carole Hayward; Crissie Snow; Anita and Dr. Joseph Becky; Kathleen Kelble; Doug and Nancy Jones; Mark and Regina Musyl; Jim and Shery Galbreath; Art and Baba Bosworth; Joy Burns; Troy and Allison Eid; Tim and Libby Brown; June Harper; Bruce and Lorrie Schroffel; John and Carole France; Trygve and Vicki Myhren; Ron and Cille Williams; George and Pam Beardsley; Dave and Carolyn Wollard; Laura Barton and William Matthews; Ellie Caulkins; Jim and Tinka Kurtz; Floyd and KK Ciruli; Shari Shink; Jon and Liz Lorenz; Frank DeFilippo; and Eddie, Dick, Marcia and Susan Robinson.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, GetItWrite on Twitter