GEORGIA NELSON/ PART FOUR
Two tidbits. . . as always with gratitude to the ladies who compiled the school’s history for the 50th and 75th-anniversary celebrations.
1. “According to architect Edward White, Jr., who later designed several Graland buildings with his partner, Victor Horbein, the school also purchased land across Clermont Street to build a house for Georgia Nelson. After several alterations over the years, the rambling Colonial clapboard still stands at 4501 East Ellsworth Avenue. Graland families, Andrew & Candy Roberts and Jack & Natalie Fox, have since owned the house.”
I wish the school could have purchased the house when the Foxes decided to sell it last year. My dream was to turn at least part of the house into a “museum” for the archives. It was a nice dream for a while -- houses are not cheap in this area. If you did not know about this historic house, it is on the northeast corner of the street from Hamilton East. Take a field trip.
2. Georgia Nelson’s brother, Elmer, was the school’s receptionist during its early days. Anne Waring Maer, an alumna and the school’s first librarian, noted many years ago that, “He sat in a small office with a glass door and answered the telephone. Children loved him so much-- if they got a little cut, they’d ask him to bandage it.”
In 1955 the school honored Elmer Nelson when it named its new gymnasium, the Elmer Nelson Memorial Gymnasium. It cost $175, 600. The new Fieldhouse has a plaque that pays homage to Mr. Nelson’s memory -- the Elmer Nelson Court.
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
