People

: Gilbert Gordon; He was born in the Denver, Colorado area to Israel and Carrie Gordon, Russian immigrants. He grew up in Trinidad and worked in the Gordon Store, a family business that later became a chain with many stores in Colorado and other Western states. His family was active in the area’s Jewish community. In 1923, he was asked to join the youth organization Demolay, sponsored by the Masonic Lodge. Some of the other members, who were also KKK members, tried to prevent his acceptance. He moved to Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1929 to open another branch of his family’s store. While there, he met Mary Tananbaum, his future wife. He then opened a Gordon’s in Grand Junction in 1931, moved to Durango and opened a store there in 1936, and moved back to Grand Junction in 1945.

: Gilbert Limberg; He was born in Missouri. His father, a farmer, died when Limberg was one year old. His mother had two sisters in Grand Junction, Colorado, and so the family moved there in 1903, when Limberg was nine. They lived in boarding houses that his mother ran, and then moved to a farm on Old River Road, where the family raised and sold vegetables. He attended the Lowell School and then the Franklin School. At the age of seventeen, Limberg left high school and took a job in the tool shop of the Denver and Rio Grande railroad. After four years, he apprenticed as a boilermaker. When the machine shop closed down, the machinery was sold to McCrary Welding, where Limberg came to work. He married in 1920.

: Gilbert Riley "Gil" Wenger; An expert on the archaeology of Mesa Verde. He was born to Martin G. Wenger and Annie (Ebersol) Wenger in Grand Junction, Colorado. He grew up in Grand Junction and in Salt Lake City. He served in the US Air Force during World War II and was awarded the Purple Heart. He attended the University of Denver, where he received a B.A. and Master’s Degree, before launching his career with the National Park Service. He worked at several national parks before serving for fourteen years as the Chief Archaeologist at Mesa Verde. He wrote the books, Story of Mesa Verde National Park (1980, 1991) and Archeological Techniques Used at Mesa Verde National Park (1982). He retired to Grand Junction in 1982 after a 33 year career. He died at the age of seventy-seven. *Some information for this biography was taken from Gilbert Wenger’s obituary in the Daily Sentinel (July 21, 2000). **Photograph from the 1948 University of Denver yearbook

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