The Senior

VOICE September 2008

Local Attractions • Scenic Places • History • Money • Health • News

Ghost
Ghost
Town
Town
At Keota
In Northern
Near Greeley
Colorado
Lady
Longs
Moon
Peak
Colorful
Fort Collins
Pioneer
Pioneer
Climbers
Indian
Outlaws
Battles
In Early
Colorado
In Early
Wyoming

Skiing
Cover
Photo:
Steamboat
Springs
Pawnee
Buttes
2 • September 2008 • The Senior Voice

Using an LLC for Estate Planning

By Ron Rutz, Attorney
Legal Correspondent
Q: You have previously written
about Limited Liability Companies
(LLCs) as an estate planning tech-
nique. Would you elaborate?
A: LLCs are rapidly replacing
other traditional estate planning
organizations such as corporations,
limited partnerships, limited family
partnerships (except in Texas), and
certain kinds of trusts.
Some say LLCs were first started
only a few years ago in Wyoming
but have spread to all of the states. It
is generically a partnership but with
corporate attributes such as limited
liability and sometimes status as a
separate taxable entity.
I like to form my LLCs so that
they more closely resemble a corpo-
ration rather than a partnership with
units (shares), members (share-
holders), unit certificates, officers,
annual meetings, etc.
An LLC can be used to reduce
estate tax exposure. By inserting the
proper terms and internal structure,
it is possible to reduce assets value
by up to 40%. Thus, $1 million
worth of land or stock would only
have taxable value of $600,000 if
placed in an LLC.
An LLC can also be used to keep
ownership of an asset together in
one entity, although the entity is
owned by more than one person.
Thus, a vacation cabin inherited by
several people is often set up in an
LLC to provide for future access to
a number of people.
If several people own mineral
rights or production royalties, an
LLC is often used. That way one
entity controls the asset even though
owners may die and pass their
interest on to others.
If an estate has assets like real
estate that cannot be divided equally,
an LLC can provide a mechanism for
distributing ownership shares of the
land. Also, if a beneficiary needs time
to cash others out (like in a farming
situation), an LLC can be used.
Sometimes it is desirable to
delay the sale of assets or provide
benefits after the settlement of an
estate. An LLC can serve as a useful
tool to do that.
But, as with a corporation, an
LLC needs to be crafted to protect
the minority owners. Thus, the LLC
Operating Agreement needs to
address issues such as the duration
and the purpose of the LLC, the
ability of one or more of the owners
to sell before the LLC ends, who
can become an owner in the LLC,
the value of interest for liquidation
or sale purposes, etc.
In conclusion, when two or more
beneficiaries participate in an asset,
the LLC format has proven to be an
easy, flexible and inexpensive
vehicle to use in planning an estate.
________________
Attorney Ron Rutz will answer ques-
tions sent to 2625 Redwing Road,
#180, Fort Collins, CO 80526;
phone 223-8388; email rutz@
ronaldrutz.com ■

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4 • September 2008 • The Senior Voice

Published Locally Since 1980

Ghost Town Near Greeley
VOL. 28, NO. 10

email thevoice@frii.com
www.theseniorvoice.net
PUBLICATION INFORMATION

The Senior Voice newspaper has been

published locally the first of each month
since 1980 for residents age 50-plus.

ADVERTISING
Ad deadline is 20th of month.
For rates, call 970-229-9204;
or see www.theseniorvoice.net.

Wolfgang Lambdin
Advertising Director
Associate Publisher
Fort Collins
(970) 229-9204

SALES OFFICES:

Ft. Collins and Greeley

(970) 229-9204

Loveland and Estes Park

(970) 482-8344

EDITORIAL DEADLINE
Announcements and stories must be
received by the 10th of the month.; ads by
the 20th of the month.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Senior Voice welcomes readers' letters
and contributions. Enclose a self-addressed
envelope and return postage to: The Senior
Voice, 1471 Front Nine Drive, Fort Collins,
CO 80525, or email thevoice@frii.com. The
Senior Voice assumes no responsibility for
damaged or lost material submitted by
readers.
© Copyright 2008
The Senior Voice
EDITORIAL OFFICE:
1471 Front Nine Drive
Fort Collins, CO 80525
(970) 223-9271
email thevoice@frii.com
www.theseniorvoice.net
No material may be reproduced by any
means without permission of the publisher.
Dr. William Lambdin, Publisher
Keota in the early 1900s. Photo Hazel E. Johnson Collection.
By Bill Lambdin
T he ghost town of Keota is north-
east of Greeley on the plains near
the Pawnee Buttes.
It is a little settlement that once
was home to Colorado pioneers. A
post office was established there in
1888, and Ruth Stanley of Greeley
was the last Keota postmaster in 1952.
She said the Burlington Railroad
ran through Keota from 1883 to 1888,
bringing several settlers there. The
town started to grow after 1890 when
a number of homesteaders decided
they could make a living farming in
the area.
“At the peak of Keota’s growth,”
said Stanley, “there were four grocery
stores, three cafes, a bank, hardware
store, drugstore, blacksmith shop and
two churches.”
The town even had a literary
program with meetings held every
two weeks. Nearly all the farm wives
participated. People would walk
several miles to attend ball games and
other activities.
When a school was built, an
Indian skeleton was unearthed. Many
people found artifacts around the
town and at nearby Pawnee Buttes.
The region had been home to
Indian tribes for centuries, and
ranchers later ran thousands of cattle
on the grasslands before homesteaders
arrived.
But dry years, dust storms and a
changing way of life drove most of
the early farmers off the land. Keota
went the way of many pioneer towns
that depended on agriculture. By the
1950s, it was nearly a ghost town.
“It was a little prairie place that
meant many things to the people who
once lived there,” said Ruth Stanley.
They enjoyed a quiet, serene way of
life that has almost disappeared in
America.
The nearby Pawnee Buttes were
famous landmarks to pioneers
crossing the plains in the l800s. Later
they became recognized as one of the
West’s finest fossil areas.
Scientists found fossils of many
animals they hadn’t known existed on
this part of the continent. George A.
Barker, who once taught geology at
Colorado State College in Greeley
(now UNC), took a deep interest in
the Pawnee Buttes and wrote many
articles about them.
He said, “All the country around
them was once at the level of the top
of the buttes and was removed later
by the work of streams, leaving the
buttes as lonely islets of the previous
higher plain. Giant pigs once lived in
this area, and their fossil remains can
be seen in the Natural Museum of
History in Denver.”
Another person who found the
Buttes fascinating was early Greeley
judge George Bradfield. He wrote of
the battles between the Utes and
Sioux tribes in this region, when the
Utes came down from the mountains
to hunt buffalo on the plains.
Many battles took place between
the tribes around the Buttes. Once
nearly 600 warriors were said to have
been killed in a battle there.
The area is a vast, lonely region
reminding us of the awesome
stretches of time that have passed in
northern Colorado.
________________
COVER PICTURE: The Pawnee
Buttes near Keota. Senior Voice
photo. ■

Colorful Lady Moon
By Peggy Hunt
N orman Fry was a Larimer
County pioneer who settled in
the Poudre Canyon in 1889 and
left a record of what life was like
then in a book he wrote long ago
with his neighbor Eleanor
Peterson, entitled “Cache la
Poudre: The River.”
Fry was born in England in
1872 and came to Colorado at age
17 to learn ranching.
One of his neighbors along the
Poudre River was Catherine
Moon, a well known and colorful
settler. He told her story:
“Lady Moon gave us a lot to
talk about. She first showed up as
Mrs. Gartman, whose husband had
homesteaded on the Upper Pine
Creek...
“One day Cecil Moon dropped
by. He had come onto the local
scene as a Remittance Man sent
out from England...(Remittance
Men came to learn ranching.)
“It soon became known that
Cecil Moon was the oldest son and
direct heir of his grandfather, Sir
Richard Moon, (and) was in line
for not only a baronet title but also
a considerable estate.
“Kate, too, heard the good news
and...she decided to take a shot at
romance. She made love to the
young Englishman—not such a
hard job as she was a handsome
and well developed Irish lass.
“She divorced her husband and
was married to Cecil...Now we had
Sir Cecil and Lady Moon in the
neighborhood.
“The Moons made a trip back to
England in the early 1900s. Kate
took along her cow pony; and from
the reports that sifted back, she cut a
wide swath through high English
society, finding some other sporty
dowagers to help her stir up scandal.
“To get rid of her, the Moon
family must have made arrange-
ments to pension her off, and back
she came to the United States. Sir
The Senior Voice • September 2008 • 5
Cecil for some time vainly sought
a divorce. Kate was not quite ready
to kill the goose that laid the
golden egg.
“Eventually, however, terms
were generously made, Cecil got
his divorce and returned to
England...Lady Moon and her
affairs degenerated rapidly after
her divorce from Cecil.
“Among the rumors were those
that she and one of her foremen
were in cattle stealing to add to her
revenues, and that they had burned
down her home in order to collect
insurance on it...
“Eventually Lady Moon sold
her property, though for some time
keeping 160 acres on the head of
the Pine. There her men manufac-
tured bootleg whiskey, which she
disposed of in (Fort Collins).
“She died of alcoholic
poisoning, I imagine, in the 1920s.”
Norman Fry told many other Catherine “Lady” Moon
interesting stories about pioneers in later years.
before he died at age 82 in 1954. ■ Fort Collins Public Library.
T he problem isn’t when you’re
together. It’s when you’re not.
If you’re concerned about how well aging parents are coping
with the daily needs of living, having an open, caring
conversation can encourage them to consider their options.
Good Samaritan Society – Communities of Northern Colorado
can help you have that discussion. We’ll help you to understand
what options are available. Your parents can be free to do what
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F ive things to consider
when talking to your parents
To receive a free brochure to help
about moving.
begin this conversation, visit
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Senior Living
Estes Park | Fort Collins | Greeley | Longmont
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6 • September 2008 • The Senior Voice
Perfect Eyeglasses Prescription

“I found my ‘hole in one’

Important Issues
at Kirk Eye Center. The By
State Senator
fit was perfect first time, Steve Johnson
and I see better
than ever.”
— Patty Seaser
P eople often ask me, “What is the
most important issue facing
Northern Colorado?”
past session, I worked on a bipar-
tisan bill to protect our groundwater
from possible uranium mining
Fort Collins Like everyone, I’m worried We have challenges before
about the economy and about good us. One is a transportation system
paying jobs for our region. We don’t that has not kept up with growth.
have to give away the farm to attract Another is the issue of poverty in

P atty Seaser is a busy woman, and searching

for the right eye doctor was a problem. She
tried large and small practices, but didn’t get
an accurate prescription or the attention she
needed. After seeing Kirk Eye Center ads and
a friend’s recommendation, she booked an
appointment.
John W. Colvin, OD &
John D. Kirk, MD, FACS
“I was so impressed with the professional
care of Dr. Colvin and the staff. They really
listen and make you feel as if you are their
only customer. Most of all, Dr. Colvin was
‘dead on’ first time with my prescription.
3650 East 15th Street
Now I am seeing my best – whether it is
Loveland, Colorado
golfing, skiing, or getting up close with
669-1107 reading or needlepoint.”
w w w. K i r k E y e C e n t e r. c o m
good jobs, but we do need sensible
economic development efforts.
One way to do that is by working
for educational excellence.
Whenever a company comes to our
region, I ask them why they chose
Northern Colorado. Invariably they
say because of the great educational
institutions here. We are fortunate to
have excellent public schools and
gems of higher education.
Many of us came here because of
the beauty of the environment. As
more people move here, it will be a
special challenge to maintain the
quality of our air and water. This
Larimer County.
Not all of our citizens are sharing
in the relative good times some of us
are experiencing. Our social safety
net is stretched in a state with a very
tight budget. Services for the elderly
and uninsured are under great strain
as demand increases and state and
federal money often decreases.
But I am optimistic about the
future of Northern Colorado, and I
have hope that we will address our
challenges successfully.
________________
You can call Sen. Johnson in Fort
Collins, 223-8045. ■

Gregory Reicks, DO, Family Medicine – Grand Junction, Colo.

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Food Inspections
A merica’s food safety inspec-
tions are not working, say
researchers with the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health and the Trust for
America’s Health.
Each year, 76 million
Americans (1 in every 4) are sick-
ened by food-borne illnesses such
as salmonella and E.coli. The
majority of our foods are imported
from foreign countries, but less
than 1 percent of it is inspected.
Responsibilities are fragmented
among 15 federal agencies, with
regulations that make little sense,
say researchers. For instance, the
FDA is supposed to inspect pizzas;
but if pizzas have meat in them,
the Department of Agriculture is
supposed to inspect them.
“The major problem with the
current food safety system is that
no one person is in charge,” said
Jeffrey Levi with the Trust for
America’s Health. Food safety is a
minor priority at the FDA and
Department of Agriculture, he said.
Our food supply is vulnerable
Will Duct Tape Cure Warts?
S ome researchers have said that
common duct tape will cure
warts, but a recent study reported
in the Archives of Dermatology
says that is not true.
The average age of this study’s
participants was 54 years, and
most of them had been bothered
by warts for years. Most had also
tried other treatments such as
liquid nitrogen and salicylic acid.
Some of the warts treated with
duct tape cleared up for a while,
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The Senior Voice • September 2008 • 7
Com in g
to the
Lin coln
to terrorist attack, he added; but no
one has done anything about it. In
the past three years, the FDA cut
Cen ter...
600 food inspectors from its staff.
Part of the problem is that the
FDA and other agencies refuse to
release information about their
inspections, said Levi. Consumer
groups like the Food and Water
Watch have to sue government
agencies to get information and
then try to force the agencies to do
their jobs.
A report from Johns Hopkins
criticizes the extensive use of
drugs given animals headed for
the food supply. It also criticizes
large feed lots that crowd together Down By The Riverside
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Most critics say food safety For tickets, call 970-221-6730
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8 • September 2008 • The Senior Voice
Your Questions About Investing
By Scott Burns world for investment opportunities
Financial Writer every minute. The result is a market
that has no undiscovered havens.
Q: I’m 63, and my wife is 60. We
are both retired. Our retirement and Q: As a 56-year-old with 33
Social Security total about $5,000 a years of employment with a defined-
month. We have $220,000 in money benefit plan, my 401(k) ($200,000),
markets drawing 5 percent, which my wife’s 401(k) ($330,000), addi-
are insured by the FDIC. We would tional savings of about $200,000
like to earn about 8 percent on our and no debt, I know we are better off
savings. Any recommendations? than most.
A: Sorry, no recommendations. When I retire at age 60, I have
And if someone tells you he has an two options for survivor benefits
investment that will provide you from my defined-benefit plan, 50
with a safe 8 percent return, grab percent or 100 percent. The differ-
your wallet and run. ence between the two options is a
While all of us would like to find $350 monthly reduction in my
some hidden, safe little gem of an starting pension. Since my wife is
investment, the reality is that 47, I plan to select 100 percent. Is
millions of people are scouring the this a good choice?
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A: Yes. With you retiring at age
60 and with a nine-year age differ-
ence, your pension benefit will have
much less purchasing power when
the issue of survivor benefit comes
around in 25 years or so. The 50
percent survivor benefit would be a
slight cut in living standard on its
own, since one person can’t live for
half the price of two.
Q: My financial planner is
recommending that I move money
from my company-managed pension
fund to a managed account. The fee
for this managed account is 2.5
percent. This seemed pretty high to
me, but he indicated it was within
standard. Can you elaborate on
what fees are considered within a
normal range and what would be
considered high?
A: Annual fees of 2.5 percent are
typical of what “wrap” accounts
seek to charge for relatively small
portfolios.
There is no relationship between
a “normal” fee in financial services
and whether we will benefit as
investors. When people in financial
services set their fees, they set them
to meet their business plan. They
don’t set them to meet our retire-
ment plans.
In general, the higher the fees,
the poorer your long-term results
off investors, these rapidly growing
vehicles often charge 2 percent a year
plus 20 percent of net profits. I think
of them as “vanity capital,” some-
thing that appeals to people who
truly have more money than brains.
Variable Annuities. Due to the
high cost of their chosen distribution
system, this investment product
generally has annual expenses of 2
percent to 2.5 percent and subjects
all earnings to ordinary tax rates
upon withdrawal.
Traditional Investment Counsel
Accounts. Here, investment advisers
will manage portfolios of stocks and
bonds for a decades-old standard fee
of 1 percent of assets.
Managed Mutual Funds. Most
load funds now pay a 12b-1 “trail”
fee that is supposed to support
providing ongoing advice to the
investor. A good adviser can guide
you to a low-cost fund family (like
the American Funds group), and
your long-term cost of advice and
fund management can be as low as
0.6 percent to 0.8 percent.
Lifecycle Managed Funds. This
path, now a common feature of
401(k) accounts, has a wide range of
expenses, but they run from slightly
over 1 percent at T. Rowe Price to
just more than 0.30 percent at
Vanguard.
________________

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will be. Here’s a list of typical fee Scott Burns is a financial writer for
levels: the Dallas Morning News and other
Hedge Funds. Designed for well- papers. ■

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 The Senior Voice • September 2008 • 9

First Settlement in Colorado

By Peggy Hunt

B ent’s Fort was the first perma-

nent settlement in Colorado
and served the earliest mountain
men and pioneers in the state.
It was located on the Santa Fe
Trail, the main route used by fur
trappers and traders here for
nearly 50 years from the early
1800s.
William Bent, his brother
Charles, and a trader named Ceran
St. Vrain, built the fort about 1834
on the banks of the Arkansas River
in southeastern Colorado, between
the present-day towns of Las
Animas and La Junta.
William, born in 1809, had
come to Colorado as a trapper at
age 15 and built a small trading
post near what is now Pueblo. A
Cheyenne Indian, Yellow Wolf,
convinced him that a better loca- An early artist’s drawing of Bent’s Fort in 1845. Colorado Historical Society.
tion would be farther east on the The Bent brothers and Ceran As the Santa Fe Trail became a William Bent saw that the West
plains where he could trade with St. Vrain managed to establish a major trade route, huge freight was changing. The life the fur
Indian tribes that followed the large trading empire along wagons lumbered into Bent’s Fort. trappers knew was disappearing.
buffalo migrations. Colorado’s front range, building Indians traded buffalo hides that The U.S. government was making
William married the daughter additional forts at several loca- were made into warm robes on the treaties with the tribes but
of a Cheyenne medicine man and tions. One was Fort St. Vrain south East Coast. Soldiers bought breaking them as soon as it was
spent part of each year living with of Greeley. supplies and danced with Indian convenient.
her tribe. His friendship with the For years, their forts were the girls. Bent tried to sell the fort to the
Indians ensured that several tribes major gathering places for lonely When the Mexican-American military, but negotiations dragged
would trade at the fort and that it trappers who came down from the War broke out in 1846, Stephen on so long that he simply aban-
would seldom be attacked. mountains to trade their beaver Kearny brought 1,600 soldiers to doned it in 1849. Some said he
The fort served as a rendezvous pelts for whiskey and supplies, and Bent’s Fort before attacking Santa deliberately blew it up to keep the
point for trappers like Kit Carson, celebrate with friends. Fe and making New Mexico part military from using it.
soldiers and travelers. In its Sounds of laughter echoed of the United States. Kearny then He spent much of his later life
heyday, it employed about 100 across the clear night air on the appointed Charles Bent the first negotiating with government offi-
people. plains. Campfires lighted the U.S. governor of New Mexico. cials for fair treatment of Indians.
Its formidable adobe walls weathered faces of the men who For years, Bent’s Fort was a The old fort was later rebuilt
were three feet thick and 14 feet first saw the Rocky Mountains in thriving, bustling place on the and now stands as a National
high. The inside compound meas- their wild, untamed state. Bent’s plains of Colorado. But the Historic Site. Nearby you can see
ured about 140 feet by 120 feet, Fort was the closest thing to home demand for beaver pelts and other wagon ruts cut deep into the Santa
with corrals and other buildings many of them would ever see after hides began to diminish in the Fe Trail by pioneers who sought a
extending from the sides. coming west. 1840s. new life in the West. ■

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10 • September 2008 • The Senior Voice

About Health Insurance Colorado Crosswords By Tony Donovan

By
U.S. Senator
Ken Salazar

S ome would have us believe that

our healthcare system ranks
among the best in the world, but the
improve access in rural communi-
ties, and we passed an expansion of
the Children’s Health Insurance
numbers tell a different story. Program (CHIP).
We rank in the bottom half of Unfortunately, the president
developed nations for life vetoed that proposal.
expectancy and have an infant I recently introduced legislation
mortality rate more than twice our that aims to give consumers tools to
peers. make better-informed health care
With average insurance decisions. The Consumer Health
premiums at $12,000 a year, the Education and Transparency Act of
costs of health care are crippling 2008 would give consumers a guide
family budgets. Over 47 million to what is in an insurance plan and
Americans go without health insur- what is not.
ance, 9 million of whom are Just like when you buy a car and ACROSS 2. San Miguel County site is a mining
children. can find basic information about the 1. Tunnel and railroad man community with a name of a biblical
7. ___ Lake off Hwy. 14 is located at origin
These are signs of a broken product in a standard format, you 3. This post originally protected settlers
Woods Landing turnoff
health care system. should have a concise list of what’s in 14. “They’re not dead, they’re only playing along the South Platte River stage route
Our work in the Senate Finance a health plan. This is one of several like it.” 4. Gator’s foe (abbr.)
Committee has been focused on provisions in the bill that aims to give 15. “Chill out!” 5. “Cheer up! It can’t be ___ ___ as
protecting health care access. We did consumers information they need to 16. Bushes that!”
this for retirees by fighting off make health care decisions. 17. Ouray’s people 6. Under the ___ Sun
19. “Op ___ “ 7. The Rams, in Ft. Collins, briefly
proposed cuts to the Medicare and ________________ 8. Part of a “Dead Man’s Hand”
You can call Sen. Salazar’s Fort 20. Be on stage
Medicaid programs. 9. The “___ Cabrini Shrine” in west
21. Urn contents
We recently passed legislation to Collins office at 224-2200. ■ 22. Spanish force in 1588 Denver
24. Avalanche org. 10. Rifle dimension
27. Winter highway hazards 11. Yale students
31. Constantly nag 12. Prime follower
33. Points a gun 13. Good wintertime crock pot meal
18. Seat or use follower
35. Peace symbol
23. Off roader
37. Famous Ft. Morgan resident who went
25. Chief Left ___ (Niwot)
missing in WWII
26. Stranded motorist’s haven on I-70 dur-

Need
39. Sophia’s hello
ing many winters
41. American ___.
27. Computer user’s acronym
42. Octagonal directive 28. Caesar’s time to worry in March
43. Martin of the Nuggets

A 45.
48.
53.
Word before Castle or Raymer
Hearty
Shoes for Elvis or Pat
29.

30.
Town between Gilcrest and Brighton on
Hwy. 85
Ooze

Wheelchair
31. Denver mayor, to friends
56. Chemo fashion? 32. Feign or stratagem
57. Health ins. alternative 34. ___High Stadium
SHOP WEDNESDAYS, WHEN THE 58. Lighthouse apparel, often 38. Diarist Anais___.

Ramp? CURRENT WEEK’S AD AND THE

PREVIOUS WEEK’S AD OVERLAP.
61.

63.
Grain or wheat remaining after washing
to remove the starch
Room with flora
40.
44.
46.
Roadside mine (abbr.)
Twenty-___ ___ salute
Joe___Reservoir near Cameron Pass
ENJOY A DAY OF VIRTUALLY 64. “Not this one! The ___ ___!” 47. Earl Grey, for one
TWICE THE AMOUNT OF SAVINGS. 65. Summer virus threat
Call 66. Sen. Lott and others
49.
50.
Peeping Tom
Tired
970-377-2282 All Natural Meat, Fresh DOWN
51.
52.
Ring or dial follower
Long___ Reservoir in RMNP
Seafood and Produce. 1. ___Pass is in southern Colorado 53.
54.
Elton John and Michael Caine
Apartment or condo section
Fort Collins No Preservatives Added. ANSWERS 55.
59.
Actress Moore
Consumed
Lion’s Club Consistently Checked 60. Caviar
for Antibiotics. 62. Actress Mary___(Where Eagles Dare)

Pharmacy and Post Office

at Our Store. Colorado
2601 S. Lemay Avenue Crosswords
are created exclusively
At Drake Road, for The Voice by Tony
Fort Collins Donovan, who lives in Loveland.
Phone 282-8003
 The Senior Voice • September 2008 • 11

Early School Days “When I moved to Fort

Collins, I wanted a dentist
By who uses the latest
Arlene
Ahlbrandt
techniques for pain-free,
quality dental care. I found
this with Drs. Missirlian
and Ferguson.”
“They are excellent.”
– Peggy Lambdin
Fort Collins

Where Compassion
Meets Integrity
New Patients Welcome

A one-room school in about 1908. Courtesy Arlene Ahlbrandt.

S ome people might remember a

one-room school.
At one time, a teacher could get
Children usually walked a mile or
so to school. Some rode a horse or
buggy. There was a often a barn or 3950 John F. Kennedy Parkway
Fort Collins • 970.267.0993
Alissa R. Ferguson, D.M.D.
a certificate with a short course. shed behind the school—along www.fortcollinsdentalarts.com
H. Arthur Missirlian, D.D.S.
Some teachers’ colleges, called with the outhouses. ■
“normal schools” like the one in
Greeley (now UNC), issued
certificates with two-year degrees.
Some young female teachers
found conditions harsh and the life
lonely, with strict rules for
behavior. They were not allowed
to smoke, drink liquor, go into
pool halls or do many other things.
They did the janitorial work—
brought in coal for the pot-belly
stove, water from the well or
cistern, and performed other
chores.
The textbook in the early 1900s
was the McGuffey Reader. It not
only taught children to read, it also
taught discipline, patriotism,
morals, and some Bible lessons.
William H. McGuffey pub-
lished the first of four readers in the
late 1800s. His brother Alexander
McGuffey had the fifth and sixth
editions published. Between the
late 1800s and 1920 over 120 mil-
lion copies of the readers were
sold.
Teachers often rang a bell to
call students to class. Some
schools had a bell on top of the
building, and every student wanted
to pull the rope that rang the bell.
There were no hot lunches.
Kids carried lunch pails (made
from lard or syrup buckets).
12 • September 2008 • The Senior Voice

Historic Figure By
Margaret
Laybourn

F rancis E. Warren was probably

the most powerful politician
who ever held office in Wyoming.
He arrived in Cheyenne in 1868,
a bold and brash young soldier who
had won the Medal of Honor during
the Civil War. He found farming in
Massachusetts too tame and came
West to find fame and fortune.
And find it he did! When he died
in Washington, D.C., in 1929, he
had served in the United States
Senate longer than any other member
and he had amassed a fortune.
As a young man in Cheyenne, he
went into the mercantile business,
which prospered due to the amount
of merchandise needed in the
growing city. When he was just 31
years old, he was elected mayor of
Cheyenne. In 1890 he was elected
the first Governor of the State of
Wyoming.
He served as governor only three
months when he was elected to the
United States Senate, serving until
1893 when he lost his seat due to his
support of the cattlemen during the
Johnson County War. He regained his
seat in 1895 and served until his
death.
After the death of his wife,
Warren’s beautiful daughter Frances
became his hostess at his home and
at his office. She married Captain
John J. Pershing in 1905 in a cere-
mony that was elaborate even by
Washington standards. Wyoming’s Francis E. Warren.
Several years later President
Theodore Roosevelt promoted San Francisco while her husband
Pershing from captain to brigadier was in the Mexican War. She and the
general over 900 senior officers children are buried in Cheyenne’s
and put him in command of World Lakeview Cemetery.
War I army forces. His father-in-law, Warren Air Force Base was
Warren, was then chairman of the named for the powerful politician in
powerful Military Appropriations 1930, and his legacy lives on to this
Committee. day in legislation he passed that gave
Warren’s daughter and her three large landholders irrigation and
young children died in a tragic fire in reclamation rights. ■

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It Wasn’t Lady Luck That Destroyed Him
By Bill Lambdin
B ulkeley Wells had money,
good looks and any woman he
wanted in early Colorado—but he
messed with the wrong women.
He graduated from Harvard with
an engineering degree in 1893 and
married the beautiful Grace
Livermore of Boston. Her millionaire
father made Wells manager of one of
his investments, the Smuggler-Union
Mine at Telluride, Colorado.
Bulkeley Wells. Colorado Historical Society.
The mine produced millions of
dollars in profits. Wells visited it only
occasionally, preferring to live among
high society with his wife in Boston.
They had four children.
On one of his visits to Telluride,
miners were angry during a strike and
tried to assassinate Wells. They put a
bomb under his bed. It went off, blew
the wall out of the side of the house,
and knocked Wells into the yard. But
he somehow escaped injury.
He returned to the East and later
became involved in a high-stakes card
game at a wealthy men’s club in New
York. He won, and one of the men
was impressed by Wells’ cool manner
as a gambler.
The man was New York million-
aire Harry Payne Whitney. He liked
Wells’ engineering and mining experi-
ence and decided to put him in charge
of several mining ventures in the
West.
For 20 years, Wells served as
director of at least 60 mining compa-
nies for his father-in-law and Harry
Whitney in Colorado, Nevada and
California. He was riding high and
making millions.
But he had two dangerous weak-
nesses—women and gambling.
While married to Grace in Boston,
he maintained a longtime affair with
Mrs. Crawford Hill in Denver. She
was married to one of the wealthiest
men in Colorado, but that didn’t
matter. In fact, her husband seemed
not to care. She had a life-size portrait
of the handsome Wells prominently
displayed in her home.
Mrs. Hill was the leader of Denver
society and a frequent visitor to the
East. Eventually word got around of
her affair, and Wells’ wife found out.
She divorced him, and her father
immediately withdrew financial
support from Wells, who had begun to
take risks in mining ventures and was
losing heavily.
He lost $5 million trying to revive
the famous old Comstock Mine in
Miles City, Montana. He established
the First National Bank in Telluride,
and it went broke, as did most of his
other ventures.
After his divorce, Mrs. Hill in
The Senior Voice • September 2008 • 13
Denver expected Wells to marry her Wells couldn’t take it. He had a
because her husband had died. Instead lovely wife, but he was headed for
he married a younger woman,
Virginia Schmidt, a beautiful blonde
from Nevada.
bankruptcy. In 1931 he went to his
office, took a pistol from his desk,
and shot himself.
Mrs. Hill was furious and He left a note to his closest friend:
remarked to a friend, “I’ll break him.” “As a result of all my difficulties and
And she did by convincing Wells’ worries, my mind is bound to go…Do
only other financial backer, Harry what you can for Mrs. Wells.”
Payne Whitney, to withdraw support It wasn’t Lady Luck that
and cancel Wells’ positions with destroyed him. It was the other
various mining companies. women. ■
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September Income for Life
October Beyond Boundaries
November Charitable Gifting/Legacy Planning
December Energy within Your Portfolio
January Retirement Income Solutions
February Tax Effective Money Management
March Investment Fundamentals
April Your Portfolio & the U.S. Dollar
May Retirement Plan Distributions
June Estate Conservation
July Long Term Care
August Retirement Investment Strategies
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Weds. February 18th at 6PM
Weds. March 18th at 6PM
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14 • September 2008 • The Senior Voice

Stories About Early Greeley

(Editor’s Note: Greeley historian
Hazel E. Johnson wrote the
following story years ago.)
By Hazel Johnson
During his editorship of the
New York Tribune, he received a
manuscript from a middle-aged
lady poet. The poem was so infe-
rior that Greeley scrawled his
personal rejection, advising the
exclaimed breathlessly. “It took me
some time to make out your letter.
But now that I have, I’ve decided
to accept your proposal of
marriage.”
Greeley was extremely proud

H orace Greeley was noted for

his deplorable handwriting
even before he helped found the
woman to stick to wifely chores.
Several days later, he received a
phone call from the would-be poet:
of the New York Tribune, and woe
to anyone who said anything
against it. One morning while on
town of Greeley in 1870. “Oh, Mr. Greeley,” she vacation, he was seated at a hotel
idly scanning the columns of his
Tribune.
Rocky Mountain Travel King A stranger next to him
expressed disapproval of the paper.
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“I used to read that sheet, but
now I subscribe to a decent paper,”
said the stranger. “I feed the
Tribune to my goat. That’s all it’s
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CALL FOR SPECIALS! Greeley regarded the man with
scorn and said, “Is that so? Well, Horace Greeley in the late
24 DAYS SOUTH AMERICA & PANAMA EXPLORER sir, you keep reading your other 1800s. Hazel Johnson Collection.
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Sail San Francisco to Rio de Janiero. One early Greeley resident said, certainly had it. ■
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OCEANVIEW (G) $1,525 PP • BALCONY $2,125 PP Max Clark’s.”
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time he went to California to see
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INSIDE (M) $997 PP • BALCONY (BF) $1,497 PP federal income tax. He had the
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idea that his tax had to be paid
ALASKA ON SALE FOR SUMMER 2009 from Greeley. This time there was
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to Alaska). Hosted Alaska Tour – June 1, 2009 While in California, he received
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damned if I pay my taxes till I get

Indian Battles
in Early Wyoming
By Bill Lambdin
H ere are some of the important
Indian battles in early
Wyoming.
1854, August 20, Lakota warrior
High Forehead shot an old, lame
cow for food. It belonged to a white
man with a wagon train passing by
Fort Laramie on the Oregon Trail.
Lt. John Grattan went out with 30
soldiers to arrest the Indian. An
argument grew heated, and
Grattan’s troops opened fire.
Several hundred Indians
responded, killing Lt. Gratten and
all 30 of his men. Chief Brave Bear
was the only Indian killed.
The incident might have been
caused by two things: Lt. Grattan
was young, inexperienced and
eager to show that he could deal
with Indians. His interpreter,
Auguste Lucien, hated Indians and
might have distorted remarks made
on both sides. The interpreter also
might have been drunk.
1854, November 13, after Chief
Brave Bear was killed in the above
battle, his brother Red Leaf and
some braves wanted revenge and
headed for the Overland Trail. Near
present-day Torrington, they
encountered a stage coach and
attacked it, killing three men and
taking a metal box containing
$20,000 in gold. The money was
never found.
1865, July 26, near present-day
Casper, about 1,000 Cheyenne and
Lakota warriors attacked Lt. Caspar
Collins and 25 troops sent out from
a post called Platte Bridge to
protect a wagon train. The Indians
killed Lt. Collins and four other
soldiers. More soldiers were sent
from the post, and the Indians
killed six of them. The rest of the
troops retreated to safety behind the
post walls. The town of Casper was
named for Lt. Caspar Collins (with
a spelling change). He might have
escaped death that day if he had not
stopped to help a soldier during the
attack. The soldier’s horse was
shot, and Collins was helping him
onto his own horse when the
Indians caught up with them and
killed them.
1865, July 26, the same day as
the above attack, the army wagon
The Senior Voice • September 2008 • 15
train Lt. Collins was sent to protect
was attacked a few miles to the
west. Sgt. Amos Custard (not
Custer) was in charge of the
wagons and 25 soldiers. He was
told by a passing patrol that Indians
had attacked the Platte Bridge post,
but he stubbornly replied, “We’re
going to Platte Bridge in spite of all
the redskins this side of hell.”
That was a deadly bit of
bravado. Warriors killed Custard
and all of his men except three.
Some of the soldiers were tortured
horribly before dying.
1866, July 20, about 50 warriors
attacked Lt. George Templeton and
29 soldiers who were escorting
some wives and children of soldiers
to Fort Phil Kearny north of Casper.
Templeton was scouting ahead
when the warriors shot him in the
back with an arrow. He managed to
get back to the wagons and help
defend against the attack.
The warriors might have killed
them but, fortunately, another
wagon train with Capt. Thomas
Burrowes and 47 men happened to
come along. Only two soldiers were A monument stands at the Fetterman Massacre site north
killed in the battle. of Casper near where Fort Phil Kearny was located.
1866, December 21, the Fet -
Wyoming History Museum.
terman Massacre occurred north of
Casper near Fort Phil Kearny when Custer’s defeat at the Little Big lodges and supplies were
about 1,000 warriors led by Crazy Horn, the army was determined to destroyed, their families would
Horse attacked Capt. William punish the tribes. Col. Ranald die in the winter. The soldiers scat-
Fetterman and his 80 soldiers. Mackenzie and 1,100 soldiers tered the warriors and burned the
Fetterman had been ordered by the found Chief Dull Knife with 200 entire camp. Historians said that
fort commander not to go beyond a Cheyenne tepees and 400 warriors night the temperature dropped to
certain ridge, but he did in eager- camped near the Powder River 30 degrees below zero and 11
ness to pursue a band of warriors, north of Casper. Indian babies froze to death.
who led him into a trap. Fetterman The troops attacked; and the Atrocities on both sides made
and every one of his 80 men were warriors fought ferociously on a the Indian wars as despicable as
killed. A monument still stands at very cold day, knowing that if their any other war. ■
the battle site.
1867, August 2, north of Casper
near what is now the town of
Story, Chief Red Cloud and
hundreds warriors attacked troops
and civilians who were cutting
wood for Fort Phil Kearny. The
intense fighting lasted for hours,
during which seven soldiers and
civilians were killed; Indian casu-
alties were approximately 30. All
of the whites probably would have
been killed if more troops had not
arrived with a canon from Fort
1525 Riverside, Suite-B
Kearny. The battle was known as
Fort Collins
the Wagon Box Fight.
1876, November 25, after
16 • September 2008 • The Senior Voice
Influence Peddling
By Bill Lambdin
D rug companies should not be
allowed to influence medical
research at universities or bribe health-
care providers so they will prescribe
certain drugs.
That’s the recommendation of the
Association of American Medical
Colleges. The recommendation came
as a response to recent reports in the
Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA) and other publi-
cations that show how some academic
researchers and providers are influ-
enced by drug companies.
Conflicts of interest can “distort
decision-making and create the percep-
tion among colleagues, students,
trainees and the public that practi-
tioners are being ‘bought’ or ‘bribed’
by the industry,” said the Association
report.
JAMA researchers found that some
university professors are indeed being
bought. Some put their names on arti-
cles that were written by Merck
employees extolling the virtues of the
drug Vioxx, which was later found to
cause heart attacks and withdrawn
from the market by the FDA.
The professors allowed the articles
Why do advertisers
choose The Senior Voice?
“We have advertised with The Senior Voice since
it began in 1980, and we’ve had excellent results.”
— Sylvia Mucklow, Rocky Mountain Travel King
Advertisers know it pays to reach
Senior Voice readers.
Serving all of Northern Colorado
and Southern Wyoming since 1980.
The largest senior publication in the area.
Fort Collins/Greeley (970) 229-9204 • Loveland/Estes Park (970) 482-8344
to be published under their names in
respectable medical journals, a delib-
erate deception in the view of JAMA
editors.
“When integrity in medical science
or practice is impugned or threatened—
such as by the influence of
industry—patients, clinicians and
researchers are all at risk for harm, and
public trust in research is jeopardized,”
said the editors.
The Association of American
Medical Colleges says drug companies
spend billions of dollars trying to influ-
ence doctors with free trips, consulting
fees, etc. In fact, drug companies spend
more on that than on research and
advertising.
Rob Restuccia directs a nonprofit
group that wants to eliminate such
conflicts of interest. “Most medical
schools do not have strong conflict-of-
interest policies,” he said.
He hopes recommendations from
the Association will encourage univer-
sities to not allow professors to be
influenced by drug companies.
But some people doubt that will
happen. Former Merck executive Roy
Vagelos said university professors like
the benefits drug companies offer and
will resist change. ■
Medicare Part D Premiums
T he average monthly premium
for Medicare Part D will
increase to $28 in 2009, say
federal Medicare officials.
Part D is the Medicare program
that covers prescription drugs. The
$28 premium is $3 more than the
average premium paid by partici-
pants in 2008.
It is possible for some people to
pay a lower premium if they are
willing to shop around among the
many drug companies offering Part
D coverage.
Gap in Medicare Coverage
I n 2007, about 3.5 million Medi-
care participants reached the so-
called “doughnut hole” (coverage
gap) for Part D drug coverage that
required them to pay all of their
drug costs, according to research by
the Kaiser Family Foundation.
That was 26 percent of all Part
D participants who filled a
prescription in 2007. About 22
percent remained in the gap and
paid all of their drug costs for the
remainder of the year. Only 4
Sylvia Mucklow
Medicare officials said the
increase is 37 lower than they
projected in 2003 when Part D was
introduced. That is due in part to
competition among drug compa-
nies, they said.
“Part D continues to come in
under budget, achieve consistently
high satisfaction rates, and with it
millions of Americans are living
healthier lives,” said Kerry
Weems, administrator for the
Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services. ■
percent reached the point at which
coverage resumed and Medicare
again began paying for most of
their drugs.
Many who reached the gap
stopped taking their medicines,
said researchers. Those most
affected had chronic diseases like
Alzheimer’s and diabetes.
The study did not include low-
income participants who receive
subsidies and don’t face a gap in
coverage. ■
 The Senior Voice • September 2008 • 17

Local Events and Exhibits Changes Needed at the FDA?

Historic Homes Tour
• 24th annual Fort Collins historic
homes tour, September 13, 10 am. For
tickets and information, call 484-7137.
Red Feather Lakes Library
• Travelogue “Song of Ireland” by
Betty Sailors, September 11; author
Marilyn Colter, September 13; log
cabin chinking by Red Feather
Historical Society, September 20; care-
giver presentation, September 25.
Ongoing programs on computers; knit-
ting; writers’ group; art; book
discussions; healthy eating; and more.
Call 881-2664.
Waterworks Tour
• Fort Collins Historic Waterworks
building tour, plus gold panning and
other demonstrations. September 13,
2005 North Overland Trail, 10 am.
482-7201.
Wyoming Historical Society
• Annual meeting at Gillette,
September 5-6. Public is welcome to
attend several historical presentations.
Call 307-682-2694; email doliv-
eria@vcn.com. For futuremeeting
dates more information, email
lfabian@wyomingwireless.com. ■
T he FDA is “too cozy” with the
drug companies it is supposed to
regulate, says Sen. Chuck Grassley
(R-Iowa).
He and some other congressmen
like Rep. John Dingell (D-Michigan)
want legislation that would require the
FDA to fine drug companies for safety
violations, regulate drug advertising,
inspect drug-making facilities, and do
other things to protect the public
interest.
“There’s a total inability of the FDA
to carry out its mission,” said Grassley.
He and others want a new FDA director
who will make the agency independent
of the industries it regulates.
Pharmaceutical companies are
fighting changes wanted by Grassley
and others. Bill Tauzin, president of
the Pharmaceutical Research and
Manufacturers of America, told the
Wall Street Journal there is no need
for major changes at the FDA. But he
said he doesn’t want “embarrassing
hearings in Congress.” ■

Research on Angioplasty
D rugs alone may be as effective as
artery-opening angioplasty for
many people with non-emergency heart
disease, according to a recent report in
the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers compared the two treat-
ments in nearly 2,300 non-emergency
patients who had stable coronary
disease. They concluded that angio-
plasty patients had a higher quality of
life for a few months after the surgery;
but beyond that time, patients who did
not have the surgery and just took
medicine did as well. Those patients
also avoided the risks typically associ-
ated with surgery.
Angioplasty costs much more than
treatment with medicines alone, and it
appears to offer no significant gain in
years of survival or quality of life, said
researchers.
Lead researcher for the study was
Dr. William S. Weintraub, chief of
cardiology at the Christiana Health Care
System in Delaware. ■

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18 • September 2008 • The Senior Voice
Blood Clots After Surgery
P eople who have surgery in a
hospital might possibly be at risk
of having a blood clot later at home
that could be very serious, according
to research reported in the American
Journal of Hematology.
Blood blockages in veins are a
much bigger problem for surgery
patients than previously thought, said
researchers who studied several
million patient records. Any surgery
can cause blockages if patients are not
given preventive treatment. The rate
of problems is especially high for
patients who have hip and knee
surgery, or any orthopedic surgery.
About 9 out of 10 orthopedic
surgery patients are “at risk,” said
researchers. Of other surgery patients,
the study said nearly 25 percent were at
“high risk” of having blockages, and
17 percent were at “very high risk.”
Previous research had not
connected deaths at home with block-
Car ing for seniors since 1971 ages from a previous surgery, but this
study said the association is likely and
that more patients should be given
970-488-3777 www.columbinehealth.com
preventive treatment before they leave
Research on Medicare Part D
4TH L
UA
Admi
Expo ssion to
FREE
is FR
EE!
T he Medicare Part D drug program
has helped many retirees, but not
enough, say some analysts.
ANN Parki
ng! Many low-income retirees still
cannot afford their medicines, espe-
cially those who reach the coverage
gap that requires them to pay all of
their drug costs between $2,250 and
$5,100. Few can afford to pay the
Wednesday, October 15th nearly $3,000 required before Part D
9 am to 4 pm picks up again and covers most of
their drug costs.
First National Bank Exhibition Building That’s the conclusion of a recent
at the Ranch Complex
• Over 70 informational booths.
(Call 461-2609 for vendor information)
• Flu shots provided by RVNA
Study of Lasik Surgery
• Fashion Show
• Free concert by the New Horizons
O fficials with the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration say they
will examine patient satisfaction with
Band LASIK surgery (laser-assisted in-situ
keratomileusis) after nearly 150
• Medical Identity Theft seminar by people complained to the FDA about
Nancy Teksten problems with the procedure between
1998 and 2006.
Presented by:
It is used to reshape the eyes’
corneas, making them less dependent
on glasses or contact lenses.
Complaints involve blurred vision,
double vision, glare, and pain.
FDA official Daniel Schultz said
a hospital.
Deaths at home are often diag-
nosed as heart attacks. But when
researchers looked to see if the
deceased people had a recent surgery,
they found that those who did might
have died because of a blocked vein.
They concluded that the cause of
death among people who die at home
is, in many cases, misdiagnosed.
“The mass of outpatients who
develop pulmonary embolism had
been hospitalized or had some
medical procedure during the past 90
days,” said researchers.
The blockages often occur in leg
vessels (deep vein thrombosis) or in a
lung artery (pulmonary embolism).
Other studies have said that up to 10
percent of in-hospital deaths may be
caused by pulmonary embolism.
Researchers said the risk factors
include any surgery, a hospital stay of
two days or more, any operation
involving anesthesia, and being older.
The study was conducted by
researchers at the University of
Massachusetts Medical School. ■
survey of over 24,000 retirees reported
in the Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA).
“This study reveals that the federal
government has more work to do to
assure that the Medicare Part D
program meets the needs of the most
vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries,”
said Gail Shearer with Consumers
Union. “It is unacceptable that the
sickest beneficiaries may not be
filling prescriptions...because they
simply can’t afford to.” ■
by far most people who have the
procedure are satisfied with it. Those
who complained sometimes said they
thought their surgeon should have
told them they were poor candidates
for the procedure, or warned them of
possible side effects.
The FDA’s study of patient satis-
faction will involve the American
Academy of Ophthalmology, the
National Eye Institute, and the
American Society of Cataract and
Refractive Surgery. ■
 The Senior Voice • September 2008 • 19

Treatment of Heart Failure Women Doctors More Attentive?

S ome researchers say an extract
from the leaves of the hawthorn
tree might extend the lives of
patients suffering from congestive
heart failure.
The study was presented at a
meeting of the American College
of Cardiology. The extract is a
natural antioxidant that has been
used in parts of Europe for patients
whose hearts cannot pump enough
blood to the body’s organs.
Researchers said patients who
received the extract had a 20
percent reduction in cardiac-related
deaths. “It postpones death of
cardiac cause after 18 months and
sudden cardiac death in an impor-
tant subgroup of patients,” said Dr.
Christian Holubarsh, lead investi-
gator of the study that was
sponsored by the Germany-based
Dr. Willmar Schwabe Group.
The hawthorn tree originated in
Europe and also grows throughout
north America. ■
F emale doctors seem to do a better
job of getting their patients to
control blood pressure and choles-
terol than male doctors, according to a
research report from the American
College of Cardiology.
This was true for both male and
female patients. In the study,
researchers examined the records of
over 6,000 patients. About 70 percent
of the doctors studied were men; 30
percent were women.
Researcher Journath Gunilla said
the reason women doctors are more
successful might be that they are
more likely to prescribe lipid-
lowering statins for patients. Women
doctors also might have better
communication skills and more effec-
tive people skills than male doctors,
Gunilla said. They also might simply
be more attentive.
Whatever the reasons, “Female
physicians more often reach their
treatment goals,” said Gunilla. ■

DISCOVER
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20 • September 2008 • The Senior Voice

CALL TO SCHEDULE A FREE ESTIMATE

Invest in Annuities?
By Scott Burns
Financial Writer
Don’t get caught on that dangerous ladder again this fall. Q: I wonder if single-premium imme-
Clogged gutters can do expensive damage to your roof. diate annuities (SPIAs) are for me. I
am 75; my wife is 73. We have no
With Gutter Topper on your home two things will happen: debt, $850,000 in IRAs (mostly in the
(1) your guttering will do what it is supposed to do and (2) most American Fund family) and $150,000
importantly you or someone else won't be injured. in a ROTH, again with American. We
also have $150,000 in CDs and
money markets in taxable accounts.
We live decently on Social
Security, pensions and my IRA
minimum required distributions. I
don’t feel I can think long-term invest-
ments; so I want to avoid some market
We can provide no interest, risk. SPIAs have come to my attention
no payments for up to 12 months
via an AARP offer with NY Life. I am
same as cash.
considering spreading some of my
funds around in laddered SPIAs.
Is this a good idea? Most financial
advisers I have spoken with jump
immediately to variable annuities
(with “living benefits”), I suspect due
to larger commissions.
A: You’re on the right track and,
yes, the sales people who promote the
living-benefit route are receiving
handsome commissions. You can
reduce your risk and possibly increase
your estate by doing exactly what you
suggest: laddering a number of single-
premium life annuities.
While the principal will be gone,
your current monthly payments will
increase. Less (or none) of your
required minimum distributions will
need to come from liquidating equity
investments. You’ll get the security of
a solid monthly income, and your
equity investments may grow with
less risk of being sold in a down
market.
Research has shown that using
some amount of SPIAs is a good
option for all households, including
those with a desire to leave some
money to heirs.
As I pointed out in an earlier
column, the expenses of a popular
living-benefit product are so high that
you’d be far better off dividing your
existing money between a life annuity
and regular low-cost mutual funds.
________________
Scott Burns will answer some ques-
tions of general interest sent to
scott@scottburns.com. ■

Study of
Medicare’s
Website
M ost people who use Medicare’s
website find it confusing, say
researchers at the University of Miami.
They asked over 100 computer-
literate people age 50-plus to do
things on the website like enroll in the
Medicare Part D drug program and
select a drug plan that would fit their
needs. Compassionate care
Over 72 percent of participants had
trouble performing that task. When for the whole family,
asked to select a home health care plan
based on the website’s information, 84 when and where
percent had trouble sorting through it is needed the most.
Medicare’s information.
ALL HOME SERVICES The researchers concluded that the
Keep Your Home: website is of little value to most
Medicare beneficiaries. Other
• Beautiful • Comfortable • Functional analysts reached the same conclusion.
(970) 663-3500
“ You move nothing, we do it all.” Robert Hayes, president of the www.hlchospice.org
Medicare Rights Center (a consumer
PAINTING - TILE - DRYWALL - CARPENTRY
advocacy group), said part of the
Installations - Repairs - Consulting problem is that the entire Medicare
Steve Kiefer program is too complicated for most
Americans—including
MASTER CRAFTSMAN
congressmen—to understand.
218-0792
A COLORADO PIONEER FAMILY
Federal Medicare officials did not
agree with the researchers’ conclu-
sions. ■
 The Senior Voice • September 2008 • 21

The Strange Story of Slim Hecox

By Bill Lambdin

T he Paradox Valley west of

Telluride, Colorado, was one of
the last vestiges of the Old West.
Outlaws frequented the place even
in the early 1900s because it was
so isolated and far from the law.
It was where Slim Hecox made
a fatal mistake in 1921. He was a
watchman at a mine and thought
of himself as a gunslinger, wearing
a .44 six-shooter and always brag-
ging about how fast he was.
He also said he was related to
Wild Bill Hickok and that his last
name of Hecox was an altered
spelling of that famous gunman’s
name. People who knew Slim said
he was a good shot, but they
doubted most of the stories he
told—like being a Hickok relative
and a former member of the Jesse
Early settlers in western Colorado. Colorado Historical Society.
James gang.
Slim always wore a money belt When Slim sat down by the was sentenced to life in prison. He had been made to fit the body
that contained about $3,000. window—bang! A bullet went later escaped and was never caught. without a head.
Locals could verify that because through his head. The gang then Locals dug up Slim’s body, They put it in the crook of his
he showed the money to people cut off his head, took it with them intending to put his head back arm—so it looked as if he was
when he was drunk, according to and left the body. where it belonged. But they holding his head in his arm.
historian Wilson Rockwell. Local people buried the head- couldn’t. His cheap wooden coffin It was strange. ■
His friends tried to convince less body. Some lawmen later
him not to wear the money belt, arrived and eventually caught the
but he ignored their advice, patting thieves, who explained why they
his six-shooter and saying, “Old had cut off Slim’s head and buried Substitutes
Slim can take care of himself.” it in a ditch miles away.
But that turned out to be an They intended to take over the Can let you down
empty boast when a gang of
thieves headed by Jim Gassoway
valley, they said, by killing or
scaring off the settlers. They
Quicker than a
befriended Slim and accompanied
him to his cabin one night. While
decided that their identifying mark
would be cutting off the heads of
Strapless gown
some of them sat inside with him,
one stood outside next to a
their victims, and Slim happened
to be the first.
– Burma Shave
window. The gang leader, Jim Gassoway,

Sign of Age:
You tell a friend
you’re having and
affair, and she
asks if you’re
having it catered.
22 • September 2008 • The Senior Voice
Research on Colon Cancer
S ome researches believe that blue-
berries contain a natural
antioxidant that might help prevent
colon cancer, according to the
American Chemical Society.
Blueberries contain the antioxidant
pterostilbene, which is also found in
red wine and grapes. But blueberries
contain higher amounts of the antioxi-
dant than grapes. Other studies have
claimed that pterostilbene might also
lower cholesterol levels.
Colon cancer is the second
leading cause of cancer-related deaths
Are There Benefits to Chocolate?
J ust as we were celebrating the
news that chocolate is good for
us, a report in the medical journal
Lancet says maybe it’s not.
Only very dark chocolate that is
likely to be bitter tasting contains
enough antioxidants to be benefi-
cial, says the report. Most milk
chocolate contains very few antioxi-
dants; white chocolate contains
none. That means the bad calories
and fat may outweigh the good
things.
Some previous studies had said
See it on the web at
www.theseniorvoice.net
Serving Northern Colorado since 1980.
THE AREA’S ONLY
LOCALLY OWNED SENIOR NEWSPAPER
In news stands and on the web at
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call 970-229-9204 in Fort Collins.
in the United States. Researchers
generally link it to a diet that is low in
fruits and vegetables but high in
meats and saturated fats.
Researchers in this study,
conducted at Rutgers University,
suggested including more blueberries
in diets.
“This study underscores the need
to include more berries in the diet,
especially blueberries,” said Dr.
Bandaru S. Reddy, chemical biologist
at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
■ Retirement Benefits” is available
the antioxidants (called flavonoids)
in dark chocolate improved the
function of blood vessels. But again
that was only dark chocolate
containing antioxidants.
Manufacturers usually add ingre-
dients like sugar that make
chocolate sweet tasting, and those
ingredients diminish the beneficial
effects. Researchers suggest we buy
chocolate with the fewest added
ingredients.
Many chocolate lovers will prob-
ably just ignore the study. ■
About Your Social
Security Benefits
By Michael Hollis, Director
Social Security Office, Greeley
W hen is the best time to start
receiving Social Security
benefits?
We have published a new fact
sheet to help you make the deci-
sion. “When To Start Receiving
online at www.socialsecurity.gov/
pubs/10147.html.
Things to consider are your
current cash needs, health, whether
you plan to work after you retire,
future financial needs, and the
amount of your benefit and other
income such as pensions and deduc-
tions from retirement funds.
About one out of every four 65-
year-olds today will live past age 90,
and one out of 10 will live past age
95. If you decide to retire early, say
at 62, you’ll get your benefits
sooner; but you’ll get a reduced
benefit for the rest of your life.
Your decision can affect your
family, too. If you die before your
spouse and dependent children do,
they may be eligible for survivors’
benefits. If you took early retire-
ment, their payments would be
based on your reduced benefit
amount.
When you reach your full retire-
ment age, you can work and earn as
much as you want and still receive
your full Social Security benefit
payment. If you are younger than
full retirement age and if your earn-
ings exceed certain dollar amounts,
some of your benefit payments
during the year will be withheld.
And when thinking about Social
Security, don’t forget Medicare. You
should sign up for Medicare three
months before reaching age 65, no
matter when your full retirement age
is—even if you decide to delay
retirement benefits. Otherwise, your
Medicare insurance, as well as
prescription drug coverage, could be
delayed, and you could be charged
higher premiums. ■
 The Senior Voice • September 2008 • 23

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

A t a high school, some students
played a prank by letting three
goats loose inside the school. They
painted numbers on the sides of
the goats: 1, 2, 4. The principal
spent all day looking for goat
number 3.
Sister Mary Katherine entered
the Monastery of Silence.
The priest said, “Sister, this is a
silent monastery. You may not
speak until told to do so.”
MORRISON’S
Sister Mary Katherine lived in
the monastery for five years before
the priest said to her, “You have
been here five years. You may
speak two words.”
She said, ‘“Hard bed.’”
“We’ll get you a better bed.”
After another five years, the
priest said, “You may say another
two words.”
“Cold food.”
“We’ll get you better food.”
On her 15th anniversary at the
By
Gaylord
monastery, the priest said, “You
may say two words.”
She said, “I quit.”
“It’s probably just as well,” said
the priest. “You’ve done nothing
but complain since you got here.”
Why men get along better with
dogs than with wives:
The later you come home, the
more excited dogs are to see you.
Dogs don’t care if you call
them by another dog’s name.
They like it if you leave things
on the floor.
A dog’s parents never visit.
If a dog has babies, you can
give them away.
How do you keep your husband
from reading your email? Name
the folder “Instruction Manual.”
Why does it take a million
sperm to fertilize one egg? They
don’t ask for directions.
She said, “Every time I hear the
dirty word ‘exercise,’ I wash my
mouth out with chocolate.”
Two little boys were in a
hospital, lying on beds next to
each other outside the operating
room.
The first kid asked the other,
“What are you here for?”
“To get my tonsils out.”
“I had that done when I was

MEDITATIONS Morrison If a dog leaves, it won’t take

half of your stuff.
No person is useless. He can serve as a bad example. George stepped out of the
shower and said to his wife, “It’s
A young man worked as a janitor, collecting dirt. With that training, he too hot today to wear clothes.
now writes political speeches. What do you suppose the neigh-
bors would think if I mowed the
Some soap operas need to be cleaned up. lawn like this?”
She said, “Probably that I
Make a list of friends. Forget your enemies. ■ married you for your money.”
four. They put you to sleep, and
when you wake up they give you
lots of Jell-O and ice-cream. It’s a
breeze.”
The second kid asked, “What
are you here for?”
“A circumcision.”
“Wow, good luck! I had that
done when I was born, and I
couldn’t walk for a year!” ■

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24 • September 2008 • The Senior Voice

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