Sue Anschutz-Rodgers (born 1936)
[ is an American ]ranch
A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most ofte ...
er, conservationist, and philanthropist. Owner of the Crystal River Ranch in Roaring Fork Valley
The Roaring Fork Valley is a geographical region in western Colorado in the United States. The Roaring Fork Valley is one of the most affluent regions in Colorado and the U.S. as well as one of the most populous and economically vital areas of th ...
, Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
, she is a strong proponent of conservationism and preservation of the heritage of the American West, and helped implement the legal concept of conservation easement
In the United States, a conservation easement (also called conservation covenant, conservation restriction or conservation servitude) is a power invested in a qualified private land conservation organization (often called a "land trust") or gover ...
s in the state. She is the chair and president of the Anschutz Family Foundation, which funds nonprofits, and also heads the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Fund, which funds projects promoting women's self-sufficiency. She is an active member of many state and national boards. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame
The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes women who have contributed to the history of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of 2020, 170 women have been inducted.
History
There was a short-lived recogniti ...
in 2008 and the Colorado Business Hall of Fame in 2017.
Early life and family
Sue Anschutz grew up in Russell, Kansas
Russell is the most populous city in and the county seat of Russell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,401.
History
In 1865, the Butterfield Overland Despatch established a short-lived st ...
, the daughter of Frederick and Marian Pfister Anschutz. Farming was part of her family's history, as her great-grandfather, Christian Anschutz, was one of the German farmers brought to Russia by Catherine the Great to increase the yield in the Volga River
The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchme ...
valley.[ Anschutz eventually left Russia for America and started a farm in Kansas.]
Frederick Anschutz began buying up ranches in the 1950s and tapping them for oil reserves, netting him his fortune.[ As a girl, Sue accompanied her father on the inspections of his oil fields,][ and learned to handle horses, brand cattle, and bale hay from the ranch hands.] She has one younger brother, Philip, a billionaire philanthropist who heads the Anschutz Foundation.
Career
Like her father and brother, she is a graduate of the University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...
, attaining her bachelor's degree in education in 1955. She began working as a teacher, returning each summer to spend time with her family at their ranch.[
In 1987, she acquired ownership of the Crystal River Ranch in ]Roaring Fork Valley
The Roaring Fork Valley is a geographical region in western Colorado in the United States. The Roaring Fork Valley is one of the most affluent regions in Colorado and the U.S. as well as one of the most populous and economically vital areas of th ...
, which her father had purchased in 1966.[ Under her direction, the ranch's holdings grew from one bull and 33 cows to 1,700 head of cattle by 2008.][ In keeping with her drive for conservationism, she installed a self-propelled water system that does not use electricity or fossil fuels.][
Anschutz-Rodgers is a strong proponent of conservationism and the preservation of the heritage of the American West. She spearheaded the effort to implement ]conservation easement
In the United States, a conservation easement (also called conservation covenant, conservation restriction or conservation servitude) is a power invested in a qualified private land conservation organization (often called a "land trust") or gover ...
s in Colorado, a legal concept that shields ranchland from future real estate development
Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...
.[
]
Philanthropy
When her father endowed the Anschutz Family Foundation in 1982, she became its executive director, president, and trustee.[ , she continues to serve as chair and president.][ From the initial endowment of $4.5 million, the foundation's assets increased to $55.5 million as of 2016, and it has awarded more than 9,000 grants worth $52.6 million in the area of human services.] In the early 1990s, Anschutz-Rodgers created Colorado Rural Philanthropy Days to encourage other philanthropists to fund nonprofits in the rural sector.[ She also heads the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Fund, which funds projects promoting women's self-sufficiency.
In 2003, she and her brother Philip donated $2 million toward a new exhibition gallery at the ]Denver Museum of Nature and Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipal natural history and science museum in Denver, Colorado. It is a resource for informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help mus ...
. In 2013 she endowed a $2 million chair in retinal diseases
The retina (from la, rete "net") is the innermost, light-sensitive layer of tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focused two-dimensional image of the visual world on the retina, which then ...
at the University of Colorado School of Medicine
The University of Colorado School of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Colorado system. It is located at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado, one of the four University of Colorado campuses, six miles east of downtow ...
. In 2018, she made an additional gift to the Department of Ophthalmology and University of Colorado Hospital which led to the designation of the program as the UCHealth Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center.
Other memberships
Anschutz-Rodgers has been an active member of numerous boards at the state and national levels, including the Aspen Valley Land Trust, the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust, the Colorado Conservation Trust, the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center is a research center and "living classroom" located in southwestern Colorado, US, which offers experiential education programs for students and adults.
Crow Canyon is a center for archaeological research, educa ...
, the Denver Police Foundation, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Jane Goodall Institute
The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is a global wildlife and environment conservation organization headquartered in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1977 by English primatologist Jane Goodall.
The institute has offices in more than twenty-five coun ...
, the United States office of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy of Kenya, and the National Fish and Wildlife Organization.[ She is the first woman to be named to the nine-member executive committee of the National Western Stock Show.]
Awards and honors
In 1997, Anschutz-Rodgers was honored as one of the Denver Women of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of Colorado. She was the recipient of the Citizen of the West award of the National Western Stock Show
The National Western Stock Show is an annual livestock show and festival held every January at the National Western Complex in Denver, Colorado since 1906.
The show’s original purpose was advertised as showings to demonstrate better breeding ...
in 2006, becoming the first woman to earn that honor. In 2012, she received the George E. Cranmer Award from Colorado Open Lands for her contributions to land preservation.[ Also in 2012, the Denver Rescue Mission honored her as one of the four "Women Who've Changed the Heart of the City". In 2013, she received the Russell Thayer Tutt Award from the ]El Pomar Foundation
El Pomar Foundation is a private, general purpose foundation established in 1937 by Spencer and Julie Penrose. With a mission to “enhance, encourage, and promote the current and future well-being of the people of Colorado,” El Pomar Foundatio ...
for "exceptional leadership in the nonprofit sector".
In 2008, she was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame
The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes women who have contributed to the history of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of 2020, 170 women have been inducted.
History
There was a short-lived recogniti ...
.[ In 2017, she was inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame.]
Personal life
Anschutz-Rodgers is divorced and has three daughters.
References
External links
"National Philanthropy Day Colorado 2016" (video)
"Sue Anschutz-Rodgers" (video)
University of Colorado Advancement
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anschutz-Rodgers, Sue
1936 births
Living people
People from Russell, Kansas
Ranchers from Colorado
American women philanthropists
Philanthropists from Colorado
University of Kansas alumni
People from Denver
American women farmers
American people of German-Russian descent
21st-century American women