Warren A Spaulding

Warren A Spaulding was born in Eustis, FL on the fourth of July, 1930, to Max and Marion Spaulding. The original Yankee Doodle Dandy, as a young boy Warren thought the parades and fireworks were all for him.

When Warren was five the family moved back home to Woodstock, VT and he attended schools there graduating third in his class from Woodstock High School in 1947. His attention to excelling at academics carried through grammar school and into college where he eventually earned two master’s degrees and his Ph.D. After high school, he enrolled at Norwich University where he performed in the band, played bugle calls, and was a member of the local Army National Guard Unit (Army Reserve/National Guard). After one year, and frequent trips to her Senator’s office, Warren’s tenacious mom can be credited with securing his appointment to the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point. He played trumpet in high school and in a dance band called the Lamplighters which he said became known as the Lamplickters because the “h” got left off the signage. Not surprisingly, Wuzee a nickname he was given by his classmates for his initials WAS, graduated in the top 8% of his class at West Point.

Warren chose the Air Defense Artillery as his branch of service and was initially assigned to a battery at Niagara Falls, NY where he lived with his wife Jan. Their first date was Woodstock High School’s senior prom in 1947. She changed her mind at the last minute and cried when her mom Ruby told her she had to go and could not disappoint that nice young man. They were married two weeks after graduation in 1952. After NY, his next tour of duty was Pusan, Korea and then Okinawa, Japan where Jan and their first daughter Lynne joined him after a long year of living with family in Bridgewater.

Warren and the family returned to the U.S. where he attended the University of Michigan and in 1956, after receiving his Master’s of Science in Engineering, they all moved back to New York so Warren could teach at West Point. Their second daughter Sara was born there in 1958, and after the Artillery Advanced Course, the family moved to Germany where he served as battery commander and S-3 officer in a heavy artillery battalion. Daughter Mimi was born in Schwabisch Hall in 1961 and the family developed many lifelong friendships with the other families of Warren’s fellow soldiers. In 1963, Warren was selected to the United States Air Force (USAF) Global Strike Command and Air Command Staff College where he became a distinguished graduate. This was followed in 1964 by an assignment as a technical liaison officer in the Defense Atomic Support Agency at Sandia Base, NM. In 1967, he newly organized and commanded a heavy artillery battalion at Fort Carson, CO, and then headed back east in 1968 with an assignment as a staff officer in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel Department of the Army (ODCSPER). In 1968, as a Lt. Colonel, he became the commander of the northernmost heavy artillery battalion in South Vietnam where although not shared with Jan or his girls, his duties often required that he travel in an open helicopter between fire bases. Returning to the U.S. in 1970, Warren was promoted to Colonel and in 1974, moved to Boulder Colorado where Warren because the Professor of Military Science at the University of Colorado. Before leaving Virginia, Warren did battle with the University of Virginia over a promise made to those attending Mary Washington that they would be automatically admitted to UVA. Lynne’s future hung in the balance and Warren wasn’t having it. He was convincing and Lynne stayed behind to attend at UVA and later graduate in nursing while the family headed west. In 1975, Warren was selected to attend the Naval War College in Newport, RI which thrilled the two younger girls. Who wouldn’t want to move to the beach? Warren retired from the Army in 1979 and joined the staff at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO. He eventually became the Registrar and when he retired again, was selected as the Associate Dean of Students. Warren’s decorations include the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters and both the Army and Navy Commendation Medals. He was a Distinguished Graduate of both the USAF Combat and Global Strike Command and the Naval War College. In addition to a Master’s of Science in Engineering, Warren had a Master’s and Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Colorado.

After his second retirement, Warren was active on various volunteer boards of directors including serving as Senior Warden and vestryman of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, as President and Secretary of the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum Board, for Leadership Golden, the Golden Good Government League, Vice Chair of the Auraria Higher Education Center in Denver, and on the Golden Rotary. Into his 80s, he continued to teach at the Colorado School of Mines and became of Moderator of the McBride Honors Program in Public Affairs. He and Jan hosted trips with students each year to Washington D.C. to visit various embassies and members of Congress. In 2001, when the School of Mines began work to develop a Petroleum Institute in the United Arab Emirates, Warren was asked to become its first Registrar and Acting Director of Student Affairs at the age of 71. He and Jan spent six months initially in Abu Dhabi in 2001 and traveled back multiple times as the school got up and running.

Warren loved to learn and to teach and that passion shone through in everything he did. In addition to his academic achievements, he shared a love of mystery/action novels with his oldest daughter and would often consume one cover to cover in a 24-hour period. His mornings were never off to a good start unless the newspaper was there with his breakfast so he could devour both, and later complete the crossword puzzle, in ink. He pursued his Ph.D. while serving as the Associate Dean and College Registrar at CSM, which he found to be a pleasure, not a chore. He instructed throughout his career and especially enjoyed teaching communications courses at Colorado School of Mines during his lunch hours when he was Registrar, and after retirement teaching military ethics courses for ROTC students at both CSM and CU Boulder. He was the best of fans as both a daddy and as Pop Pop no matter the weather or the distance attending soccer games, cross country meets, swimming meets, band performances, theater performances and the occasional ballet performance. He was a cheerleader, a mentor and sometimes a tough but compassionate critic. He also thoroughly enjoyed staying active; biking and skiing with his wife Jan into their 80s and showing the students at CSM how it was done in the school racquetball courts even after reaching 70. Warren and Jan also took multiple trips to Europe, spent many winters skiing with old Army friends, took numerous European and U.S. river cruises, traveled to Istanbul, and camped and hiked through Colorado with their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Warren was extremely proud of his wife, his three daughters, their husbands, and his four grandchildren- not only for what they have achieved but for who they are. And he treasured the time he spent with them and his great grandchildren. He was an exceptional man, an amazing teacher and a loving brother, father, husband, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, and friend to so many. We will miss him.

The Celebration of life is planned for July 1, 2022, at 10 a.m. at Calvary Episcopal Church in Golden 1320 Arapahoe St, Golden, CO 80401 to be followed by a brief reception in the parish hall. The family asks that anyone wanting to remember Warren make a donation to Calvary Episcopal Church in his honor.