Vail Daily letter: Tribute to Gerald

I settled in the Vail Valley in 1971 and met a fun-loving, albeit sometimes intimidating, guy named Gerald Gallegos. For whatever reason, a friendship that started at the Nu Gnu nightclub on Gore Creek Drive survived almost 40 years.

For a while, he lived across the street from me, and I remember marveling at the guy who used to hitch a cement mixer to the back of his BMW and work his tail off in good weather and bad.

I reminisce quite often about the early days of Vail and look back with fondness.

But Gerald possessed a quality few of us recognized. He didn’t look back. He was focused on the future and zeroed in on exactly what he wanted.

He became an entrepreneur and never looked back as he built a business second to none in this quaint little Tyrolean village nestled high in the Rockies. He looked beyond the village, beyond the valley, beyond the county and beyond the state of Colorado.

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He used that vision to employ scores of individuals who might otherwise never realize their dreams, without being a part of his. He became a philanthropist, a doer, and although he would deny it, he became a mover and a shaker. But he shared his wealth, his knowledge, his humor and his kindness with thousands of children through the years and asked nothing in return.

The tributes to him will be many. I will remember the guy who always met me with a smile and who was so proud of his own family. I will remember the guy who was always there to help whenever anyone asked.

I will remember the icon who came from humble beginnings to forge a legacy that will live forever in this valley. Godspeed, good friend.

Craig Struve

Edwards