Attitudes at Altitude OCTOBER with Jill Tietjen

The Hall Director for the Aspiring Authors program, Mara Purl, shared with attendees what the Hall had done for 2023 authors who had won scholarships. Two, Vanessa Gomez and Chris Veasey, were able to attend.

As the twelve inductees were introduced, their favorite music was in the background. The dinner crowd of 200 was delighted when Temple Grandin approached the stage with the theme of Star Wars vibrating in the background and as she riveted the crowd with her insights on education.

Archaeologist and adventure writer Kathleen O’Neal Gear, Christian pilgrim Philip Yancey, visionary writer of the American West Patty Limerick, and Dr. Colorado Tom Noel all revealed insights into what generated their writing paths.

Other Inductees included Jeanne Abrams, William Hamilton, Peter Heller, Mary Kelly, and Linda Wommack. Zak Deutschendorf accepted one of two Legacy awards for his father, John Denver.

Legacy recipient Abelardo Lalo Delgado considered El Abuelito (grandfather) of Chicano literature, was represented by his eldest daughter Ana Delgaldo Duran, who escalated the evening to a crescendo close with her father’s insights and the power of family.

The Denver Women’s Press Club showed up in fun bowties to honor inductee Tom Noel.

Barnes & Noble and many of the store managers attended the Hall of Fame Induction celebration. What they didn’t know was that they, too, would be honored by the Hall for its support ... and positioning throughout Colorado.

Wayne Jaco, B&N’s Area Manager, accepted the Community Achievement Award for the team. With him is Milinda Hale – Assistant Manager at Colorado Blvd; Joe Wagner - Manager at Southlands; Randall Williams - Manager at Denver West Village in Lakewood; and Janice Carroll - Manager at Colorado Blvd.

Stephen King

Is the recipient of The National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters and the National Medal of Arts. In all, he has garnered over 100 book and writing awards, including the Grand Horror Master, and he has sold over 350 million copies of his books, several of which have transitioned from print to both television and film.

After living in Colorado for a year to create The Shining, bringing the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park to prominence, he returned to Maine to finish The Stand set in Boulder. His first book received 30 rejections before Doubleday picked it up for $2,500—big money for the trailer-living family of four. It was the paperback deal that racked up a $400,000 advance, which propelled Carrie into the public’s eye and launched his career. Stephen quit his day job. He was inducted into Colorado Authors' Hall of Fame in 2019.

Books of note: Fairy Tale, The Institute, It.

Jill Tietjen

Is ensuring that women are reflected in the historical narrative of the U.S., as evidenced by her nine books, 100-plus eNewsletters, 200-plus articles, five exhibits for Google Arts & Culture, four book chapters and more than 180 blog posts. Her two books in the Her Story Series®: Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America received the Daughters of the American Revolution History Award Medal. Next in the series Hollywood: Her Story, An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies.

Jill is a pioneer for all things STEAM. She has conducted research into historical women around the world for the past thirty years and speaks around the country about women’s contributions to history. One of the top historians of women across all fields of endeavor, she works to bring more visibility to women through her continual nominations of historical and living women for national, state and local awards. Jill is often profiled and quoted in the media, and her articles have been printed in a wide variety of publications. She has received more than 25 awards and honors, was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame, and later served as its president. She was inducted into Colorado Authors' Hall of Fame in 2019.

Books of note:
Hollywood: Her Story, An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies,
Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America,

Women In Engineering Book 9: Recognizing & Taking Advantage of Opportunities

7 Steps to Personal and Professional Success

Jill Tietjen

Over the years of my life and career, I have learned from experience what I now call the seven steps to leadership and personal success. May these help you along your path as well. You must learn to take action. If you don’t believe in yourself and your ideas, who will? You need to effectively communicate— which involves writing, speaking, and, most importantly, listening. Each person and their ideas have value. Have high expectations of others because otherwise, they will perform down to your low expectations. Love and serve others. And remember to always say thank you.

Step One ― Just Do It The most important skill is the ability to take action. I believe with all my heart that every change in the world starts with one person—and you can be that one person. Everything and anything is your job. You don’t have to wait to be empowered. You don’t have to ask for permission. We each are able to grab the ball and run with it. Just do it—and do it now! Candy Lightner founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in 1980 after her 13-year-old daughter Cari was hit from behind and killed by a drunk driver. This is one person with a passion, a sense of purpose, and a stick-to-itiveness that didn’t take no for an answer. Look at the organization she has spawned.

Step Two ― Believe in Yourself and Your Ideas If you don’t believe in yourself and your ideas, why would anybody else? But when you do, people know where you stand, how you will behave, and how you will act. Three of us were leaving the New York Hilton in early July after the Society of Women Engineers National Convention. It was hot and humid. A tremendous downpour soaked the streets. As our cab navigated its way to LaGuardia Airport, the engine heat gauge on the car’s dashboard began to rise. My colleague, Gina, was in the front seat. She said to the cab driver, "Turn the heat on." He looked at her like she had lost her mind. It was summer. It was hot. The rainstorm had just increased the humidity. But I knew Gina, and I believed her. Although I am small, I have been told that I am not intimidating until I open my mouth. I said authoritatively (although I had no idea why), "Turn the heat on." He did, and we made it to the airport without the cab’s engine overheating. We even passed by cabs that had overheated!

Step Three ― Communicate People can’t read your mind; you must communicate. In order to communicate effectively, you must remember the three components—writing, speaking, and, most importantly, listening. You must communicate with integrity—telling the truth, which builds trust and provides the basis of all relationships. The seeds of trust are the same as the seeds of friendship. Listen, remember the little things, keep promises, clarify expectations, be loyal, admit when you are wrong, and admit when you don’t know.

Step Four ― Value Each Person and Their Ideas Each person has value, and their ideas have merit as well. Treat everyone as an equal, treat them as you wish to be treated, value them personally, and listen to their ideas. Remember that a team with a diversity of thought and experiences will have better results and make better decisions.

Step Five ― Have High Expectations My experience demonstrates that people perform up to high expectations and down to low expectations. People want to be challenged, to push a little harder, and to have the feeling of success associated with meeting high, but not unreasonable, expectations. My friend Chris, whom I met in college, was born with spina bifida. At birth, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is bad, he was an 8. His parents were told he would not live. Then they were told that he would not walk—but outfitted with special crutches, he did walk. He graduated college with a B.S. in electrical engineering. Later, he was the state, regional, and national Big Brother of the year. He retired recently from his career in the defense industry. Why did he succeed? High expectations. He had high expectations from his parents, from his siblings, and from his doctors. And yes, I’m sure those high expectations led Chris to have high expectations for himself. No, it wasn’t easy. He says high school was awful. But college and life have been good. High expectations can be life-changing.

Step Six ― Love and Serve Others This step ties directly to step four. When you genuinely care for people and demonstrate this through your actions, helping them with problems and listening to them, the love and service they will return can be amazing. You will be more effective if you value everyone around you and appreciate each of their efforts. Charles Plumb, a military pilot in Vietnam, was shot down and spent six years in a Viet Cong prison. After his release, Plumb was at a restaurant when a stranger came up to him and said, "Plumb. I’m so glad to see you’re alive. I packed your parachute, sir." Plumb thought about this a lot and realized that without the effort of this stranger, a member of his support team, he would not be alive. He became a motivational speaker with the theme "Who packed your parachute?" Think about this metaphor and remember to appreciate those who support you—those who pack your parachute.

Step Seven ― Say Thank You. What do people—and employees—want? More than money, they want appreciation. A thank you. A pat on the back. A gold star. Recognition for a job well done. An atta-girl or an atta-boy. Remember to say thank you. A handwritten thank you note is important and is often a differentiator. The time spent saying thank you is always repaid, many times over.

You can be successful in your life and career. These steps: just do it, believe in yourself and your ideas, communicate, value each person and their ideas, have high expectations, love and serve others, and remember to say thank you, will help propel you.

Jill Tietjen is an award-winning author, international speaker, and electrical engineer. She is a recognized advocate for women in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and has spent more than 45 years in the electric utility industry. She was inducted into the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame in 2019.

Starts at 5 pm Wednesday MT on October 11th. Click on link

https://bit.ly/AuthorTalkHappyHour

... your passcode is Hall

Who Is Patricia Raybon?

✔ She pulls your imagination in and writes fiction and nonfiction.

✔ She writes about faith factors during the day and mystery at night.

✔ She dives into the rich history of Colorado—the good, bad, and sometimes very ugly, weaving it and intrigue into her storylines.

✔ She sells out in every bookstore she is featured in.

✔ She is a Christy Award-winning Colorado author, essayist, and novelist.

✔ She’s published eight books, all to reader and reviewer acclaim.

✔ Discover how you embrace her fans and readers with her exclusive Reader’s Club.

✔ She was inducted into the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame in 2021.

It's a great author stop and awe time with the Inductees of the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame. All sessions will be recorded, and registrants will receive the replay ... and they are FREE.

Listen in. Join in the conversation. Have fun. Ask Patricia your questions.

Attitudes at Altitude’s promises to our readers…

We celebrate the outstanding authors inducted into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame. They are the first in the United States with a connection to Colorado to have been honored as published authors highlighting the impact and breadth of their work.

The next Induction will be on September 15, 2025. Put the date on your calendar. The venue is the DoubleTree Hilton Denver Tech Center in Greenwood Village.

• Each month, past Inductees are featured with their backgrounds and latest books.

• One of our past Inductees will offer their sage advice on "how they do it"—whatever "it" is.

• You will be the first to hear about planned Hall Events. Meet a favorite author ... or a new one that has delivered mega hours of reading enjoyment ... one that has made an impact on society or their field.

Support the Hall

The Colorado Authors' Hall of Fame celebrates the accomplishments of living and deceased authors who have been connected to Colorado—their words, wisdom, accomplishments, and the life-changing impact their works create. The result: their legacy lives on.

The Hall is an all-volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that honors and celebrates authors connected with Colorado by birth, residence, temporary residency for writing encouragement and support, writing about elements within Colorado, or placing storylines in or about Colorado.

Authors’ words have immense power and impact on changing others’ lives. They solve problems, bring awareness to a topic, and provide hours of pleasurable reading. It’s the power of their words.

Your financial assistance through donations and participation at events supports the bi-annual Induction Gala in odd-numbered years, the Aspiring Author Scholarships, and the general operation to bring these events to the public.

Please support the Hall for this year going forward.