Defending Morgridges

Along with Dr. Cynthia Heelan, President of Colorado Mountain College, and Connie Calaway, Chair of CMC Foundation, I helped solicit John and Carrie Morgridge for their substantial gifts to CMC.

John’s father, John Sr., was the founder of Cisco Systems and is a major benefactor to the University of Wisconsin and other educational institutions. John’s mother was a school teacher for many years. So John and Carrie have had excellent examples to follow, and they believe that supporting public education benefits the entire community.

For their continued gifts to CMC, they have asked nothing except that we use their money carefully. When our CMC Board of Trustees offered to name the beautiful, new Aspen Campus building in their honor they, Carrie in particular, quickly said no.

I continued to press the Morgridges to permit us to name the building in their honor. I believed then, and I believe now, that they could set an example to other wealthy people that giving to the common good was the proper thing to do and a way for them to have true happiness.

John and Carrie are an intelligent, caring and unassuming couple. We at CMC appreciate and respect them very much.

Jim Calaway,

Secretary, CMC Foundation