Edward J. Ruetz, Jr.

Ed was born at St. Catherine's Hospital in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 31, 1929 to Edward J. and Lillian A. Ruetz. He was educated at St. Mark's Elementary School in Kenosha, St. Catherine's High School in Racine and Marquette University in Milwaukee. Beginning a career in broadcasting while still in college in 1948, he worked for his home-town station WLIP in Kenosha and from 1950 to 1960, for WRAC in Racine and WMIL in Milwaukee while both were under joing ownership. In 1960, Ed joined sportscaster Bob Martin at KMOR Radio in Littleton as host of the Morning Show and as a newscaster. In 1963 he was hired as a summer replacement by Jimmy Atkins at KOA Radio and became a full-time member of the KOA Radio-TV News staff in 1964. Among other responsibilities at KOA, Ed served as the Legislative and Political Reporter, was the Sunday TV news anchor and was moderator of "Capitol News Conference." His assignments included working as the NBC-KOA Delegation Reporter during the 1968 Democratic and Republican national conventions. In 1972, Ed accepted an offer to become Director of Marketing for Denver Metro Transit, the city-owned successor to the Denver Tramway Corporation, the city's public transportation system, and highly successful predecessor of the RTD. He became a Vice President of ATE Management & Service Company, (operator of some 50 transit systems throughout the U.S.) serving as General Manager of systems in Portland, Maine, Norfolk, Virginia and Lincoln, Nebraska. Other assignments included Director of Marketing for the MTA in Baltimore and Manager of a comprehensive study of the efficiency of transit service in Los Angeles County, California. Ed was able to return to his beloved Denver when he was named Manager of Community Affairs, a public relations position, for the Denver Water Board in 1979, staying there until he retired in December, 1995. His work at the Denver Water Board involved him in the efforts to secure required federal permits for the construction of Two Forks Dam & Reservoir on the South Platte River, which would have given Denver and suburbs significant protection against drought. Throughout his career, Ed received a number of awards, honors, and recognition including: 1961 - Co-recipient of an Associated Press Award for "Outstanding Contribution", along with others on the KMOR staff. 1964 - Named Littleton's "Most Valuable Citizen" by the Littleton Independent newspaper for efforts as Chairman of the Littleton Library Board in securing voter approval of bonds for the construction of the Edwin Bemis Library. 1967- Inducted into Governor John Love's "Brotherhood of Colorado Mountain Men". 1972 - Recipient of a Littleton City Council Award of Honor for service on the city's Library Board from 1963 to 1972. 1972 - Recipient of a unanimous Colorado Legislative resolution for "Fair and impartial" reporting of state governmental issues, becoming the third member of the press in state history to receive such a commendation. 1974 - Honored by a Denver City Council resolution, along with other management staff, for improvements to Denver's public transportation system resulting in national attention drawn to the system's success story. Interests: In his early teens, served as a Bat Boy for the Kenosha Comets of the All-American Girl's Professional Baseball League. Member, Board of Trustees, Colorado Railroad Museum since 1973. Among the founders of the High Line Canal Preservation Association. Avid electric railroad historian and modeller, builder of an HO gauge scale model electric interurban railway at home. Producer of documentary films on the California Zephyr passenger train and other railroad and transit subjects. Producer of the video "The Lives and Times of the 346", the story of an historic narrow gauge locomotive in the Colorado Railroad Museum's collection. Family: Wife - Jnell M. - Married in November, 1977. Son - Jeffrey E. Ruetz - Retired Denver Police detective/commercial pilot. Daughter - Lynn Hertwig - Kaufbeuren, Bavaria, Germany. Son-in-Law - Klaus Hertwig - Kaufbeuren. Grandsons - Michael J. Ruetz, Chicago, Philipp Hertwig, Christian Hertwig, Kaufbeuren. Memorial Service Friday, September 5, 3:00 p.m., Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 3101 S. Wadsworth Blvd. In lieu of flowers, cards or gifts, it was Ed's wish that donations be made to the Colorado Railroad Museum, P. O. Box 10, Golden, CO 80402-0010 or Illinois Railway Museum, P. O. Box 427, Union, IL 60180.