Aspen Hall of Fame Announces 2009 Inductees
Metcalf and Davis bound for Aspen Hall of Fame

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marjorie DeLuca
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Metcalf and Davis bound for Aspen Hall of Fame

The pioneer of Aspen’s musical theatre and a long-time local philanthropist and active and dedicated community member have been selected as this year’s Aspen Hall of Fame honorees, it was announced this week.

Frank “Mead” Metcalf and Marian Lyeth Davis will be inducted into the Aspen Hall of Fame on Saturday, Jan. 31, at Aspen Meadows’ Doerr-Hosier Center. Tickets, invitations and RSVP cards will be mailed during the last week of December. Reservations, at $100 each, may also be made after January 1 by downloading the RSVP form from http://www.aspenhistorysociety.com/halloffame.html. The deadline for reservations is January 23.

“It is an honor to have the privilege of recognizing two such outstanding citizens who have given so much of themselves to this community for over 50 years,” said Aspen Hall of Fame President Sue Helm.

Metcalf was founder and owner of The Crystal Palace, a true Aspen landmark that opened its Hyman Ave. doors on July 1, 1957. The Crystal Palace, a venue for cabaret dinner entertainment and satiric musical revues, operated continuously for 51 years, hosting its final revues on April 12, 2008. In a town where the average life expectancy of a restaurant is just three years, this is quite the accomplishment. Metcalf purchased a second dinner theater in the ’80s, called The Grande Finale.

Mead was born in St. Louis to “tone-deaf” parents, as he once described, but the youngster did not inherit his parents’ lack of musical talent. By the age of four he was playing the piano by ear.

During the ’50s, Metcalf served in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany. He began as a clerk, but once his prowess on the piano was discovered, Mead spent two years entertaining the enlisted men. It was the start of a long, successful career as a musical entertainer.

A graduate of Dartmouth College, this preeminent music patron is also known for his antique car collection and his business acumen. A past president of the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, Mead also served on the Board of the Music Associates of Aspen, annually hosted the benefit for The Aspen Camp School for the Deaf and contributed his talents to the Winterskol celebration.

Mead and his wife Diane Kelly Laughlin recently purchased a house on a Crested Butte golf course, where his primary residence will be.

When Marian Lyeth Davis moved from Houston to Aspen in the early 1950s , she asked around for the location of the Episcopal Church — only to find that one didn’t exist. Thus Marian, a native of Texas, founded the Aspen Episcopal Church with long-time local Peggy Rowland.

Marian was born to J. Robert Neal and Marian Holt Seward, owners of the Cheek-Neal Coffee Company that would eventually become Maxwell House Coffee. After her presentation as a debutante in Houston, she became active in the Civic League. Her activism continued to grow in Aspen.

The first honorary trustee of Les Dames d’Aspen, Marian has served the community well through her volunteerism on boards ranging from Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Aspen Valley Hospital, Aspen Music Festival and School, Aspen Historical Society and the Aspen Valley Medical Foundation. A long-time “Blue Lady” at Aspen Valley Hospital, she also served on numerous Aspen non-profit boards and has been a generous contributor to Aspen organizations.

She is the honorary director of Seniors Independent and a member of the President’s Club of the Aspen Valley Medical Foundation. Marion also gave an easement to Pitkin County for the creation of the Hunter Creek Trail.
The land for Rubey Park, Aspen’s downtown transit station, was donated by Marian’s family and her husband, Bill Rubey. Throughout the years, she has enjoyed entertaining friends at her summer garden parties and New Year’s Day Black Eyed Pea party. Marian lives in the same house that she has for decades, located at the base of Red Mountain.

Said HOF President Sue Helm: “We know Mead from the laughter and fun at the Crystal Palace, but most never see his support for the music and theatre in the community and the schools. Marian’s dedication to the hospital volunteers, the Aspen Music Festival, and Christ Church has been given with the same graciousness as she has lived her life.”