Rio Blanco County commissioner Ken Parsons was honored with the Dan Noble award by Club 20 at its spring meeting last weekend in Grand Junction.
“It’s certainly an honor to be recognized by peers and people you work with,” Parsons said. “I’m humbled.”
Dan Noble (who died Nov. 9, 2002) was the majority leader in the Colorado Senate from 1979 until his retirement in 1986. Noble, a resident of Norwood, represented the western slope for 16 years starting in 1970 with primary legislative concerns of higher education, tax policy, highways, water and natural resources.
Last year’s winner of the Dan Noble award, former state senator Al White, currently the state’s director of tourism, presented Parsons with the award for his outstanding public service to western Colorado at the awards and recognition banquet at the Two Rivers Convention Center.
Parsons’ service as a Rio Blanco County commissioner since 2005, along with his service to his country in the Air Force, were noted. Parsons spent a number of years as a logging engineer with Halliburton, was the program director of the petroleum technology program at Colorado Northwestern Community College in 1985 and served on the local school board. It was also mentioned that he is known for his work on GIS mapping, being extensively involved in Colorado Counties, Inc., Associated Governments of Northwestern Colorado and the Rangely Junior College District board, as well as Club 20.
Parsons said policies and procedures were discussed Friday and the educational portion of the spring meeting was held Saturday. Speakers included Gov. John Hickenlooper, Division of Natural Resource director Mike King and Al White, among others.
