Donald ‘Don’ B. Larson ’88, MS ’91 of Grand Junction, Colo., died February 6, 2009. Born in Inglewood, Calif., in 1965, Don received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Mines and, in 1991, moved to Wolfurt, Austria, to work for Doppelmayr Seilbahnen as a project engineer, where he enjoyed hiking, mountain biking, skiing and traveling around Europe. After returning to Colorado a year later to work for Poma of America, he joined Tramway Engineering in 1998, and then opened a consulting business, Ropeway Technical Services, in 2003. In 2008, Don received the Robert Lesage Award for contribution and devotion to the ski industry. He played the saxophone and electric bass, and enjoyed hiking and climbing, summiting 17 of Colorado’s 14-ers. Don is survived by his wife, Gretchen; daughter Elisabeth; son Tyler; father David; and mother Toni.
I extend my deepest sympathy to all of Don’s family. While I never knew Don, I am very familar with Robert Lesage, who’s name in on the award the Don received. Robert Lesage was my father. Anyone who wins an award named after my Dad has to be a first class engineer, because my Dad always had the highest standards while looking for simple common sense solutions. An to bring the circle closed, my dad was also a Mines graduation, earning an EM degree in 1948, and I earned a bachelors from Mines in 1979. I am sure the Don, and with my dad, will be missed and his legacy felt for a very onlg time. May God help you find peace with his loss.