Alumni Spotlight: Thomas Letts' passion for flight

You can tell by the smile on his face when he’s flying, teaching or anywhere near airplanes, Jeppesen employee Thomas “Tom” Letts (’83, PPT) loves flying. Letts and Jeppesen President and CEO Mark Van Tine donated a flyover of Denver to be auctioned off at the Plain & Fancy Ball. We recently chatted with Letts about his life’s passion and why he continues to support Metro State.

Metro State: Why is Metro good for the community?
Thomas Letts: Metro offers something for everybody. All the professors pretty much have lived in the working community, and so when they come back to teach it’s not just been their life ambition to teach; they have actually been out in the world doing what they teach. They can offer insight that other college professors don’t have.

MS: How did Metro State prepare you for your career?
TL: Not only did I have wonderful professors, but I also made connections. The reason I got my first really good job after leaving Metro State was the person who interviewed me was in the social fraternity Alpha Eta Rho (which no longer exists). He was also a Metro graduate. The connections I made at Metro were, have been and still are life-long.

MS: Why are you so passionate about your career?
TL: Flying still has mystery to it. It still has romance to it. When people get married and go on a honey moon. They get on an airplane and fly half way across the world to some exotic place. Every time you get in an airplane there’s a little bit of giddiness. It brings out the kid in all of us. There’s mystique to it. Aviation has made the world a smaller and more global place.

MS: What was your experience at Metro like?
TL: Metro one of the top three colleges for aviation in the States, in my mind. It’s just wonderful. At Metro, I got to know each and every student in every class. I still have life-long relationships with about two dozen people I met.

MS: What are some key pieces of advice you might offer to others who might pursue a similar career?
TL: If we are passionate about what we do, the highs are always higher and the lows are never that low. If we follow our dreams, it doesn’t matter what money we make. It doesn’t matter a lot of things because we are doing what we love. If you follow your dream, you gain eight hours a day back in your life. I truly believe that.

MS: Why do you feel it is important to support events such as the Plain & Fancy Ball?
TL: Metro has basically nurtured careers that have blossomed at Jeppesen. The other thing is that there could be a time when there are not enough pilots to fill pilot positions, and everybody else who works in the aviation industry. It is very important for us to give back to the community in every way we can.

MS: Is there anything I’m not asking you that you want to share with me?
TL: Metro brings together the different generations … everybody there is on the same playing field. They are all there to learn. A lot of times the more senior students had a lot to offer as far as life learning, and for that reason we learned a lot more listening to other people talk about life experiences than we did through the book work we did.

To see more images, click here.

Discovery Flight with Jeppesen Employee Flying Association Veteran Pilot and Metro State Alumni Thomas Letts
Take to the sky for a bird’s eye view of the Front Range with veteran pilot and Metro State alumni Thomas Letts. Letts, a 1983 aerospace graduate and an aviation systems and data analyst for Jeppesen in Englewood, offers this package as an instructor with the Jeppesen Employee Flying Association. He’ll take you up in a JEFA Diamond DA-42 that features a Garmin G-1000 Glass Panel on a “Discovery Flight” from Centennial Airport. You’ll fly around Red Rocks and Golden, over Mile High Stadium, Coors and Elitch Gardens, with a quick tip of the wing to Metro State’s World Indoor Airport, before heading back for a perfect landing at the Perfect Landing restaurant at Centennial Airport for lunch with the pilot. We bet you’ll be inspired to take up flying after this experience!

NOTES: Certificate good for 6 months (Expires March 26, 2011); good for one passenger; flight must be prearranged directly with pilot; flight time and date dependent on weather and availability; preflight and flight time total is approximately 2 hours; lunch with the pilot included

Alumna Linda Garrison donates $1200 Week stay at Suites at Steamboat Spring

Because she is an alum and because the Plain & Fancy Ball is one of the “major fundraising efforts for the College and Alumni Association,” Linda Garrison (’81, JRN) decided to donate a week stay at the Suites at Steamboat Springs. Metro State’s Office of Alumni Relations recently caught up with Garrison to ask her about where she is now and what she is up to.

MS: What is one of your favorite memories of your undergraduate days at Metro?
LG: For awhile I was a music major until I discovered that music theory was just not for me, so many of those memories have to do with music. For instance, singing in the Madrigals in costume; performing a Schubert mass at Immaculate Conception cathedral conducted by Vernon Moody and trying not to choke because I’d just taken a deep breath to sing and inhaled incense; discovering Brahms by singing his Liebeslieder Walzes; listening to Dr. Susan Cable blow everyone away with her performance of Chopin’s Barcarolle. As a journalism major, any class I had with Greg Pearson; and I have very fond memories of my children’s lit class with Ed Low.

MS: Where has your path taken you from graduation day until now (major milestones)?
LS: As a journalism major, I anticipated always working as a writer, which I did for years. I worked for several community newspapers and later edited some magazines. What I didn’t anticipate was my second career in media relations, or my third in fundraising. Nor did I anticipate that about a year after graduating from Metro, I would move to Southern California in order to get a job. I ended up having a great public relations career out there, won some awards and was accredited by my professional society. I also gave birth to two of my three children before coming back to Colorado in the late 1980s. Then, when my kids were small, I was able to freelance and eventually got into grant writing for nonprofits, which led me into my career as a fundraiser. Most recently, I was vice president of a consulting firm in Denver which specialized in assisting nonprofits throughout the West with major gift and capital campaigns.

MS: What brought you back to Metro State?
LG: My former boss decided to close the firm and go into semi-retirement, so the office closed in January 2010. I’d been looking for a job already, and heard about a position at Metro State’s development office that seemed to fit very well with my background and experience. I applied, and when I was offered the position, I was very excited. It feels as if I’ve gone full circle to come back to the place which really launched me professionally and gave me the opportunity to achieve a baccalaureate degree.

MS: Why did you donate to the Plain & Fancy Ball?
LG: I believe in giving back, and so it was natural to do something for Metro State, which has done so much for me.

MS: Why is this event important to the community?
For one thing, it’s not your usual old black tie gala. It’s fun, it’s lighthearted and most of all, it does a tremendous amount of good in terms of raising much-needed funds for scholarships and various programs throughout Metro State. Anything that benefits Metro State automatically benefits the community. A lot of people don’t know that Metro State educates more undergraduates than any other college or university in Colorado. That’s really significant, especially when you consider how many of these people enter the workforce as skilled professionals. Also, I know that even though Metro State is very affordable, for many of us, it was still a stretch to get the needed funds to pay tuition, books, fees and the likes. I had student loans, a Pell grant, worked work-study and two other jobs. My student loans took almost 10 years to pay off. How much better would it be for a student to graduate without that debt burden because of scholarships. Some people mistakenly think that a place like Metro State doesn’t need to raise private money, but consider that Colorado ranks 48 out of the 50 states in terms of financing education AND Metro State receives less funding than any other state college or university. So raising money is incredibly important.

Is there anything I’m not asking you that you want to share with me?
Any suggestions about what to wear to the Plain & Fancy Ball?

Alumna donates gift baskets to Plain & Fancy Ball

Diana Lynn Leistikow (’89, BEC) dreamed about running a business making gift baskets. And though she currently is a residential realtor working primarily with buyers at Home Real Estate, Centennial, she still loves making gift baskets. When the opportunity arose to support student scholarships by donating items for the Plain & Fancy Ball auction, she jumped at the chance to make more gift baskets. Leistikow has donated three baskets including a Burts Bees products, a picnic basket that includes a gift certificate to King Soopers, and a sailing-themed basked. When asked why supporting the college is important, Leistikow stated, “I didn’t go to college until I was 33, and it was a big eye opener for me going from business to college. It’s a big challenge for women, especially single moms, to go back to school. So anything I can do to help people is rewarding to me.” If you would like to contact Leistikow, please call her at 303-808-4038.

Submit a photo to the Plain & Fancy Ball Facebook Photo Contest to win $600 in prizes, including:
1. Two tickets to the ball.
2. Gift certificate for four to alumni-owned OiNKs! BBQ + four tickets to a Metro State Music Event.
3. Gift certificate for for to D'Vine Wine + four tickets to any Metro State athletics game.

Plain & Fancy Ball Auction Item feature: "A Dining Six-Pack"

We have brought in more than 170 items for the silent and live auctions for the Plain & Fancy Ball, many of which were donated by alumni. I'll be featuring a half dozen of these alumni over the next two weeks. Other generous donors include various Metro State College of Denver departments. This is one of my favorites: A Dining Six-Pack

6 guests, 6 courses, 6 wines, 6 o'clock
A 6-course dinner prepared in your home by the students and faculty members of the Hotel, Tourism and Event Management Department. This item includes all food, labor, china, glassware and silverware. The estimated value is $850.00, and this is what it includes:

First Course: Assorted bouches, goat cheese with smoked salmon and boursin cheese with carmelized onions and balsamic reduction. Prosecco Sparkling Wine.

Second Course: Shrimp Madagascar--Shrimp sauteed in butter and olive oil, flamed in Pernod, topped with whipping cream, and finished with tomato concasse and minched chives. Pinot Grigio.

Third Course: Plated Ceasar salad with garlic-anchovy vinaigrette, parmesan cheese and croutons. Sauvignon blanc.


Fourth Course: Steak Oscar--seared tenderloin steak, topped with crab, asparagus and Bearnaise sauce and roasted fingerling potatoes dredged in salt, pepper and garlic. Malbec.

Fifth Course: Tabaleside bananas foster, served over vanilla bean ice cream.

Sixth Course: Stilton Blue cheese, toasted almonds

Terrance Carroll already posed for the Plain & Fancy Ball contest. Now it's your turn!

Want to win two tickets (worth $300) and join Speaker Terrance Carroll at the Plain & Fancy Ball? All you have to do is post photos of you or your friends in plain and/or fancy clothes on the Alumni & Friends Facebook page. You won't want to miss the wackiest event of the year. Terrance Carroll has already posed for a Plain & Fancy Pix. Why don't you?

IT’S BACK! “DENVER’S MOST OUTRAGEOUS BLACK-TIE AFFAIR”

What …
President Stephen & Ruthie Jordan are proud to bring you the 45th Anniversary Edition of the Plain & Fancy Ball.

Back since 2006 and celebrating the 45th anniversary of the college, the Plain & Fancy Ball has a long-lived tradition of fun and eccentricity – while at the same time raising funds in support of one of Denver’s premier higher education institutions. The evening promises to be full of dinner, dancing, and auction bargains galore!

When …
Date – Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 6 p.m.
Silent Auction/Reception
Dinner & Fun Games
Live Auction
Entertainment & Dancing with the Mary Louise Lee Band

Where …
The Plain & Fancy Ball will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at Invesco Field at Mile High on the Club Level. This ballroom features beautiful views of the Auraria campus and will accommodate our goal of 800 attendees.

Attire …
Anything goes – everything from evening gowns and tuxedos to shorts and t-shirts. But everyone must wear their Plain & Fancy Bow-Tie. You’ll be presented with your tie upon entrance to the ball – the fun part is choosing where to put it! Past year’s eclectic range of ties have included one-of-a-kind ceramic works of art to special commemorative 25th anniversary editions.

Who Comes …
The history of the Plain & Fancy Ball is rich with notable figures. Each year a deserving individual (or individuals) is named the "Plain and Fancy Person of the Year.” This coveted award is given to those “…whose words and actions best reflect the ideals of the Metropolitan State College of Denver and its service and commitment to the greater Denver community.” The Persons of the Year for the 45th anniversary include Terrance Carroll, (Speaker of the House of Representatives in Colorado), Pat Cortez, (Sr. Vice President, Wells Fargo Bank), Leo Kiely III, (CEO, Miller Coors and former MSCD Foundation Board Member), Adele Phelan, (Chair, Metropolitan State College of Denver Board of Trustees), and Raymond Sutton, Jr. (Managing Partner, Baker & Hostetler and past Chair, MSCD Foundation). Also being honored, posthumously, is Harry Gianneschi, the first Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Metropolitan State College of Denver and the founder of the Plain & Fancy Ball.

Who Benefits …
Since 1988, hundreds of thousands of dollars has been raised for scholarships, academic programs and for moving our academic departments forward as we prepare our students to enter the workforce. Proceeds from this year’s event will benefit Metro State academic and non-academic programs, and as many deserving students, through scholarships, as possible.

What Sells …
Cumulatively, more than 2,000 items have been donated to the silent and live auctions at previous Plain & Fancy Balls. Gifts have included an automobile, vacations, diamonds, sports memorabilia, fine dining and even a “bit” part in a movie!

How to Participate …
Underwriting Opportunities and Corporate Tables
Corporations have the opportunity to underwrite a portion of the ball, with sponsorship tables ranging from $3,500 to $25,000. Each level offers a unique promotional package with ten seats per table. Corporate packages can also be customized for specific benefits (golf cart transportation to the Invesco entrance, an auction paddle marketing opportunity, etc.).
Individual Tickets
Individual tickets can be purchased for $150 each.

Who to Thank …
The 45th Anniversary Edition of the Plain & Fancy Ball is being facilitated by the Metro State Alumni Association, whose vision is: “To be a network of connected alumni who call others to action in support of the College.” However, the event is a collaborative fundraiser for the institution. The 45th Anniversary Host Committee is chaired by Metro State President Dr. Stephen Jordan and his wife Ruth.

About Us …
Metropolitan State College of Denver is Colorado’s premier urban institution. Each semester, more than 23,000 students enroll at the College, and more than 280,000 individuals have taken classes at Metro State. The Alumni Association boasts over 65,000 graduates of which 80 percent remain in the greater Denver metropolitan area to live and work. For more information on the 2010 Plain & Fancy Ball, please visit www.mscd.edu/plainandfancy or call 303-556-8320.

Metropolitan State College of Denver's Plain & Fancy Ball

Plain & Fancy kickoff event a huge success

Metro State College of Denver held its Plain & Fancy kickoff event April 1st at the Curtis Hotel. According to Lauren Schwartz, events and outreach manager for Metro State, the purpose of the kickoff event was to "announce the Plain & Fancy honorees, and to honor the people who committed to be on the host committee." The host committee is responsible for helping to raise money for the event by selling tables and identifying sponsors or by comitting to buy a table.

"The event was a great success," added Schwartz. "It's a lot of fun and it's a taste of what is yet to come." The Plain & Fancy Ball is an event that supports the entire College, raising fund primarily for scholarships.

Honorees this year include: Speaker of the House Terrance Carroll, Pat Cortez, Leo Kiely III, Adele Phelan, Ray Sutton Jr. To see videos of the event, visit our Facebook Fan page. If you are interested in purchasing a ticket, donating an item for the auctions, sponsoring a table, or just reading more about the event, click here.

In this short video, Alumni Association Board Member, RC Montoya (1993, Technical Communications)talks about why the Plain & Fancy Ball is important.