DEL NORTE — Rio Grande Hospital will be holding their fourth annual fundraising dinner and auction, “Keeping the Dream Alive,” from 5:30-7 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Del Norte Schools bus garage.

The dinner will be donated once again this year by Ron Martinez of Mountain View Restaurant and tickets are on sale at Rio Grande Hospital and Clinics.

The event will feature an auction with donated items from businesses, as well as a delicious BBQ meal.

Included during the festivities will be an opportunity for the first fifteen $1,000 contributors to choose a special gift basket, made available through donations from local businesses.

New this year will be a sale of T-shirts which will have business sponsors featured on the back of the shirts.

Any local businesses interested in sponsoring the event are asked to call Arlene Harms 657-4104.Each sponsor will also have a table for recognition at the event.

In honoring Dr. Norman Haug’s Dream, the Rio Grande Hospital and Clinics will recognize three individuals this year who have generously contributed to the Hospital over the past and have helped to keep “The Dream Alive.” Those honored for their generosity will be John Graeser, Bill Sherman and Larry Schuman.



John Graeser

John Graeser was born in Flushing, N.Y. in Queens County on June 11, 1921. His father, a prison guard at Sing Sing Prison, was shot and killed in a prison uprising when John was about a year old. His mother, who emigrated from Germany through Ellis Island, came west to Colorado by train when John was about a year and a half old. John’s mother met and married Mr. Graeser, John’s stepfather, after they arrived in Colorado. The family lived in Monte Vista for approximately five years, before moving to the Rock Creek area. He attended school in Monte Vista. John’s teenage years were spent on the ranch at Rock Creek. John helped his stepfather on the ranch, doing a variety of jobs.

In June of 1947, John married Mary Lou Johnson in Monte Vista. In the fall of 1947 the newlyweds moved to Phoenix, Arizona where John picked oranges and drove a tractor, cultivating cotton. In 1948 John and his wife returned to Colorado. They were married for 45 years before Mary passed away.

Through the years John has hauled hay, coal, and potatoes. He has worked in the logging industry, both in the mill and as a logger. In addition, he has been employed by Rio Grande County, grading roads, and has driven ore trucks in Mineral County for the mining industry.

In 1953 John hauled logs for the construction of the South Fork Community Building. He was among the first to haul logs for the construction of the Beaver Creek Youth Camp. He has assisted in building many cabins in Dakota Park.

In 1957 John was working at the lumber mill in South Fork when the mill property caught fire. John and Boyd Brown, who were volunteer firemen, helped fight the fire until it was contained. Shortly thereafter, John built the mobile home park across from the mill where he lived until recently.

In 1970 John went into business for himself, doing backhoe and excavating work. He continues to operate his business today.

John Graeser has donated land on several occasions, both during the initial hospital construction and recently as well. His contributions have been valued in kind at $645,400. John has also served as a Board of Director for the past 7 years, a charter member of the Volunteer Fire Department of South Fork and a charter member of the South Fork Kiwanis. John is a retired board member for the Greater South Fork Community Foundation. A cancer survivor, John has been an exemplary member of the Rio Grande Hospital Board of Directors, even attending a board meeting in a wheelchair after major heart surgery. John’s term on the Hospital Board will end in October 2010, after seven years of dedicated service. 



William “Bill” Sherman

William Henry Sherman was born and raised in Del Norte where he lived until he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1944. He served in the Navy until 1946. He was commissioned and served aboard the USS Shangri-La, an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific. After his service, he returned home to Del Norte and worked in the grocery business at Sherman’s Market until 1974. He then worked at the Del Norte Potato Growers for one year until he began work at the Monte Vista Coop where he worked as a Transportation Director for 28 years until he passed.

Bill never met a stranger and was always willing to help if he could. Through the years, Bill became a friend and strong supporter of Rio Grande Hospital. He often told people that he intended to help the Rio Grande Hospital. Bill directed his entire estate to a trust, naming Rio Grande Hospital as the sole beneficiary. This generous gift allows the Hospital to purchase equipment with money dispersed from the trust each year. It also allows the Hospital to match funding for other grants.

Bill died Jan. 30, 2008 due to injuries suffered in a car accident. True to his word he is helping the Rio Grande Hospital, keeping the dream alive providing health care to the west end of the San Luis Valley.



Larry P. Schuman

To dream is a beginning, but to dream and to act upon that dream is to accomplish great things. Larry P. Schuman not only had many dreams for his life but also for his family, his community and for the Rio Grande Hospital. He worked hard and thought outside the box to accomplish many of those dreams and to help keep the dream alive for the success of not only the Rio Grande Hospital but also the health care of this community.

Larry was born Sept. 7, 1935 in South Whitley, Ind. He was raised on a farm and dreamed of growing up to be a farmer. As a young boy he was diagnosed with rheumatic fever, which caused heart issues for the rest of his life. Larry met and married his wife of 53 years, Nancy Rager on Nov. 7, 1954. Together they had 5 children, 14 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. At the age of 21 he suffered a heart attack that effectively ended his dream of being a farmer. However it did not end his passion for life. If anything, it made him more aware of living each day to the fullest and to go after fulfilling his dreams even when he had to acquire new ones.

After his heart attack, Larry decided to enter the medical field. He attended Elkhart University in Indiana and became a Medical Technician finishing at the top of his class. He got his first job in Orville, Ohio where he took X-Ray training and also became an X-Ray technician. Then in 1962 Larry became the Lab and X-Ray Supervisor for McCray Memorial Hospital in Kendallville, Indiana where he dedicated his services for the next 17 Years. Larry was very active in this new community as a 4-H leader, youth baseball coach and a volunteer Santa Claus.

Every summer, Larry and Nancy would pack up the kids, extended family and friends and head out west for a family vacation. It was through these special vacations that Larry fell in love with the mountains and it became a dream of his to one day live there. In 1979 his dream came true when he took a position as the Lab Supervisor of the St. Joseph Hospital in Del Norte. He loved the mountains, the area, the people and the community.

Larry quickly assimilated into the Del Norte Community and continued not only dreaming but also making his dreams come true when he built his own home in the mountains with the help of family and friends. He and his wife became Youth Group leaders of the Pioneer United Church where he served on various boards. He helped establish the Rio Grande County Health Fairs, as well as doing volunteer work for the Catholic Sisters of St. Joseph Hospital.

Then in 1993 the St. Joseph Hospital closed. Feeling an obligation to his family, his fellow employees, and the community, Larry, along with several others in the community purchased the lab and continued to provide services to people throughout the valley. As Lab Supervisor of this privately owned business, he thought outside the box. He approached area doctors, clinics, nursing homes and even veterinarian clinics soliciting to do their Lab work. He was able to keep the Lab going until the new Rio Grande Hospital absorbed it. Larry continued on as the Lab Supervisor of the new Rio Grande Hospital where he was very instrumental in designing the new Laboratory making sure that it had state-of-the-art equipment.

He did everything he possibly could to help keep the dream alive of quality healthcare in the laboratory, the hospital, and our community until he died on Aug. 7, 2008 in the very hospital he had dedicated so much of his life to. Larry dreamed big dreams, then went out and worked hard, took chances, and together with the help of family, friends, fellow colleagues, and co-workers accomplished great things.

For the complete article see the 07-29-2010 issue.

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