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November \| December 2003 Volume 77 Issue 6

News To Use

Finding College Tuition Assistance

Estimates of college costs for a full-time student run from $10,000-$100,000 per year.

Although the majority of scholarships are from the federal government and are merit and/or need-based, millions of dollars are available to students from private sector scholarships. Much of such aid goes unused because parents and students do not know how or where to apply.

There are numerous firms that provide, for a fee, lists and/or help in finding the right scholarship for your child. One private company is U.S. Commission for Scholastic Assistance, which has a list detailing nearly 1,000 scholarships. For information on obtaining this list send a self-addressed, stamped, business size, #10 envelope to: The U.S. Commission for Scholastic Assistance, P.O. Box 3209, Fairfax, VA 22038-3209; or go to www.uscfsa.org.

Similar companies can be found at findaid.org; college-scholarships.com; and collegescholarships.com.

(This is not meant as a AAA endorsement of these companies.)

Colorado Street Stories: Aspen's Hyman Avenue

Just about everybody who passes through Aspen hits Hyman Avenue. It's one of the great concourses of Aspen's downtown pedestrian mall, a spot for shopping, dining and partying. Celebrities and garden-variety skiers stroll through, and summer visitors are serenaded by music students.

David Mark Hyman would likely approve of his namesake street as a world-class destination. Hyman was one of the first speculators in Aspen's silver mines. Site unseen, the Cincinnati lawyer bought seven-and- a-half mining claims that included the town site.

In the summer of 1880, Hyman traveled to Colorado to inspect his investment. He took the train to Buena Vista, then hiked over Independence Pass. Hyman recounted the journey: "As we reached the top of the mountains that gave us a view of the place, we were all astonished and delighted with what we saw. You could not help but exclaim what a beautiful site for a town."

Hyman rode an 11-year silver boom and survived the bust of 1893. He sold building lots in town for $10. Little did he know that someday Aspen property would rank among the most valuable in the world.

The real estate boom that has occurred since the 1960s was fueled, of course, by Aspen's renaissance as a ski resort.

And Hyman Avenue is one of the town's picturesque assets. Its distinctive brick pavers originally covered the streets of St. Louis about a century ago. They were transplanted to Aspen in 1976.

As for Hyman, he continued to visit the town until his death in 1925. But he never considered Aspen home.

—Ron Rudolph

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