Ron and Bonnie Allison: Dedication to a Family Who Loved Their City

City Clerk Charles Fucci, Mayor Bonnie Allison, King Soopers Vice-President Jim Baldwin, and Police Chief Robert Gordonier shake hands and hold the handle of a tool at the ground breaking of the new King Soopers supermarket in Edgewater, Jefferson County, Colorado. Heavy machinery is behind them. (Photo from Western History and Genealogy Dept., Denver Public Library)

Editor’s Note: As Edgewater’s residents, leaders and businesses change, it’s important to remember those whose hard work and dedication make Edgewater what it is today. The article below was sent to us and we are honored to tell the story of the Ron and Bonnie Allison and their dedication to Edgewater. 

From Keith Daly, Former Edgewater Mayor:

It has been bothering me for some time that the City of Edgewater has never seen fit to recognize the contributions that have been made to this city by the Allison family. This now lays on my shoulders to put what I know into written form. It lays on others to do the right thing.

As I understand it, Ron moved to Edgewater as a young boy. Bonnie and her family, who had just lost her father, came as a teenager. I arrived because of my marriage to Norma Miesner, a teacher at Edgewater High School. Ron and Bonnie were standouts at EHS; Ron a star on the 1953 state champ basketball team, Bonnie a cheerleader and newspaper editor. They married just after Bonnie graduated in 1954.

As new homeowners in Edgewater, Norma and I were invited, as custom dictated, to join the Edgewater Volunteer Fire Department. This organization was a cornerstone of community pride and involvement. Norma and I joined, and attended the annual Christmas party. This was somewhat awkward for Norma, but Bonnie, her former student, introduced Norma to others and a great friendship was born. Bonnie joined Norma on City Council which was a valuable learning experience.

Then Norma encouraged Bonnie to run for Mayor in 1976. Bonnie put her heart and soul into that post until elected to represent our district at the Colorado State Capital. As mayor, she produced an astounding number of improvements to Edgewater, including the following:

• Conversion of the abandoned high school into a senior housing facility
• Development of the former town dump site into the Edgewater Marketplace, a bustling retail center
• Completion of flood control measures which alleviated damaged basements and dangerous drainage conditions which killed a small boy
• Institution of community-building measures such as a senior citizens band, fireworks displays (which lasted 25 years), improvements at Citizens and Memorial parks, and an 80th Anniversary bash

One aspect to Bonnie’s success was her leadership. She was tough enough to replace city employees with better ones, such as Duke Smith, first black police chief. She was king enough to find solutions for citizens who needed help, such as installing wheelchair accessible sidewalks before it became law. And she kept a keen eye for residents who had talent, and recruited them to help Edgewater become a model of civic pride. One example was her daughter, Judy, an award-winning journalist who in her senior year at college researched and wrote a history book about Edgewater. It was used in classes at Metro State for several semesters.

While Bonnie was mayor, Ron was also busy. He helped make so many improvements possible: he was in charge of the fireworks displays, he built the gazebo at Memorial Park, he found and installed a pavilion at Citizens Park.

But Ron also has a long list of contributions. He was a member of the EFD for more than 30 years. He helped organize the local chapter of Jaycees, a business group that provided elbow grease for many city events. He opened the Hall of Games, a spot for teenagers to meet.

In 1982, Norma encouraged Bonnie to run for State Representative. Edgewater had never had one of their own at the State House. Bonnie did us proud. She listened to her constituents who told her never forget where you came from, and always be accountable. She lived up to that in every way. The Sentinel Newspapers named her Woman of the Year.

Then Bonnie sought and won the office of State Senator. Again, she did Edgewater proud. She has a long list of Senate and House bills that were passed under her sponsorship.

While Bonnie was at the capital, Ron was elected Mayor. In another test of strength, Ron fired the long-time city attorney for his over-billing and poisonous attitudes. When the Sentinel newspaper dropped its coverage of Edgewater, Ron stepped up and formed a group of volunteers headed by Judy who put out a weekly edition for 10 years. When the police department could no longer function in a tiny, obsolete space at City Hall, Ron and a friend remodeled a nearby building into a new station that served more than 15 years. The only cost to the city was for materials.

So much of what the Allisons contributed was in community spirit. But so much was also at little or no cost to city coffers.

The real estate market is changing the face and the character of Edgewater. Time will tell if this is for the better. To those of us who called Edgewater home from 1953 until 1993 when Ron and Bonnie moved to Lakewood to take care of Bonnie’s mother, Edgewater was a special place. Every day in so many ways, you could feel the spirit of pride, of optimism, of a can-do attitude that Ron and Bonnie spread over every block. They were Edgewater’s own Superman and Wonder Woman.

The City of Edgewater should publicly recognize and extol their contributions as the gold standard of civic service.

Joel Newton

Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.