EDWARD CONNORS

CONNORS--Edward Phillips. Outdoorsman, athlete, coach, teacher, mentor, traveler, tour guide, environmentalist, gardener, art historian, musician and more, Edward P. Connors lived life with passionate enthusiasm and loved nothing more than sharing his adventures with others. Born and raised in Lake Forest, Illinois, he attended Fessenden School, Taft School, Yale University, and Harvard University. After teaching at the Harvey School, and Lake Forest Country Day, he moved with his equally adventurous wife, Hope, to Colorado to teach at Kent Denver School from 1964 until 1993. Always hoping to improve the world he lived in, and leave it a better place for future generations, he felt his greatest accomplishment was his tireless work leading to Congress designating, in 1975, the Weminuche Wilderness Area in Southern Colorado. From the late 1960s through the 1970s his activism included heading up the Colorado Open Space Council, and the Rocky Mountain Center on Environment. In 1971 he was named Environmentalist of the Year by the Colorado Mountain Club. His other favorite achievement came in the 1980s when, representing the Denver Botanic Gardens as a Lifetime Member of the Board of Trustees, he collaborated with other leading institutions to create the 7-county Scientific and Cultural Facilities District insuring secure financial support for local educational organizations. His expansive curiosity was always rooted in a fascination for history, particularly of art and world cultures, while the splendors and diversity of the natural world filled his imagination with wonder. Understanding the past, he worked for a better future creating a healthier, more loving and accepting world in which to live. Sharing his classroom over the years with more than 2,400 young minds inspired him daily, and the successes and creativity of his former students gave him great pride. Coaching young men and women in football, skiing, ice hockey, and lacrosse, he was one of the first coaches to introduce boys and girls lacrosse in schools west of the Mississippi. His family includes his wife of 63 years, Hope Stout Connors; his children Timothy Phillips Connors and wife Kendra Connors, Andrew Lamarche Connors and husband Remy Rotenier, and Hope Bayard Connors; and his grandchildren, Hamilton Phillips Connors, Lachlan Cryder Connors, and Hope Balsam Brown. A celebration of his life will be held at 11am on Saturday, October 8 at the Denver Botanic Gardens.