Gordon Culver Obituary

Prominent Colorado Springs civic leader Gordon Culver passed away April 7 at the age of 97. Culver was a spokesman for the eight-member committee influential in locating the Olympic Training Center to Colorado Springs in 1978. He was president of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce for two terms in 1973 and 1974 during a period of exponential business growth in Colorado Springs.

Assigned to the initial cadre at the Air Force Academy, Culver, a command pilot with over 5000 flying hours, was Director of Protocol from 1955-1963 and 1965-69. His vast knowledge and experience of the Air Force Academy's initial years provided historians of the Friends of the Air Force Academy Library with valuable information and insight of the Academy's formative and fledgling years. Culver was an honorary director of Friends of the Air Force Academy Library.

Upon USAF retirement as a Lt. Colonel, he joined the First National Bank of Colorado Springs (now Chase) as director of business development, completing his duties as senior vice president in 1984. During that time Culver served as chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs committee, cochairman of the Committee for Downtown Development, president of the Colorado Springs Industrial Foundation and the Colorado Springs Choral Society; director of the Pike's Peak Advertising Club, City Ad Hoc Development committee, trustee for the United Way, the Colorado Springs Industrial Foundation, Community Planning and Research Council, Lodgers and Automobile Tax Advisory Committee, and Urban Renewal committee, executive committee of the Downtowners; and advisor to Workout Ltd. and Junior Achievement.

Born March 21, 1920, in Dickinson, North Dakota, he was the eighth of 10 children born to Edward Delos "Ned" Culver and Elizabeth Emeline "Bessie" Culver. He married Thelma (Peg) Pelikan on Nov. 9, 1940, rearing four children and living happily until her passing in 2002. Gordon is survived by daughter Karen and husband Donald Main of Longmont; son Dr. William and wife B. J. of Loveland; son Dr. Robert and wife Lynn of Atlanta, Ga.; daughter Kay and husband William Richardson of Colorado Springs; 10 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held 1 pm, Saturday, April 22, at Sunrise United Methodist Church, Colorado Springs. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Gordon's name may be made to Sunrise Church, Friends of the Air Force Academy Library, or Wounded Warrior Project, (www.woundedwarriorproject.org). Inurnment will be at the USAFA cemetery.