With a unanimous and emotional vote, the Board of Education voted Tuesday, December 13 to name the new Career Technical Education and Innovation Campus on 80^th Avenue after long-time superintendent Iver Ranum.

Ranum’s daughter Cheryl and two grandchildren were in the audience for the vote. “On behalf of my family we would like to say thank you,” said Anna Osborn Dolan. “He truly was an inspirational person.”

The first building on the campus will be the old Ranum Middle School, which is in the initial stages of renovation work. This week, the official groundbreaking for the project was moved from December 14 to January 25. See more here. The innovative public/private partnership will help students prepare for jobs of the future in career pathways embedded in CTE curriculum.

As detailed in a presentation by Chief Operations Officer James Duffy, Iver C. Ranum grew up in Westminster, attending Baker, Berkley Gardens and Skinner Middle School. He graduated from North High School in Denver because his own community had not yet built a high school.  Ranum then attended college out of state.

According to Duffy, his break came in 1935 when he was offered a teaching and coaching job at the newly built Union High School:

“His work ethic, outgoing personality, and commitment to the community put him on the fast track to success and in 1940, five years after taking his first teaching job, he was named principal of the school and by 1950 he was named superintendent of the Adams County School District 50 a position he held until 1975.”

During his career, Ranum was always an advocate for higher education in the community and more opportunities for students after graduating from high school. He helped organize the planning and funding for what became known as Front Range Community College. His family says he would be proud to have the new campus named after him. “It’s important to help students find pathways and purpose and this will give them opportunities to pursue a successful future,” said Osborn Dolan.

Since planning for the campus began, school board members and district administrators were adamant that they find a way to honor Ranum. Board President Ken Ciancio, a Ranum graduate, spoke on behalf of everyone:

“The Ranum legacy will continue to live on,” he said.