Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
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S mall towns attract mavericks from all walks of life, and one of Aspen's legends is former Sheriff Bob Braudis. The peacekeeper of Pitkin County from 1987 to 2011, Braudis was involved with scandals like the Ted Bundy escape from Pitkin County Court house and, as a young deputy, the investigation of singer Claudine Longet for the murder of Olympic skier Spider Sabich. At 6-foot-6, his large stature mirrors a giant personal- ity and capacity for fair-mindedness, as noted in Douglas Brinkley's 2010 Aspen Peak article: "Hunter S. Thompson used to brag that Braudis was the only US policeman he knew who could 'speak Latin, downhill-ski like the ghost of Jean-Claude Killy, and discuss Aristotle while making pat-down arrests.'" It was the end of an era when Braudis resigned; yet on January 11, 2011, Undersheriff Joe DiSalvo became Aspen's top cop and has since staked his own claim and progressive stance. Approachable yet quick to speak his mind, DiSalvo has been at the center of the marijuana debate and helmed the investigation of a recent shocker, the murder of longtime local Nancy Pfister. W e draw our share of world leaders to our little mountain enclave, yet it's not every day that His Holiness the Dalai Lama may be spotted strolling down Main Street. In collaboration with the Aspen Institute, event cochairs Margot Pritzker and Richard Blum worked with the Conservancy for Tibetan Art and Culture to stage a three-day sym- posium that celebrated and discussed Tibet's history, culture, art, medicine, science, and spiritual practice with his Holiness the Dalai Lama as keynote speaker. Held in the beautiful Benedict Music Tent, the event sold out at lightning speed, with more than 3,000 attendees. Speaking on compassion and universal responsibility, he wore a white Tibetan katak (scarf ) deco- rated by Roaring Fork Valley kids, who also crafted a large backdrop of brilliant Tibetan prayer f lags and drawings. One of his most powerful quotes from the event, His Holiness proclaimed: "Inner peace must develop in the families and start also with individuals. Inner peace cannot come through common law; it must start in the individual's mind. It must also come through leadership—leadership that is truthful, transparent, open." The Dalai Lama on stage at the Benedict Music Tent, July 26, 2008. THE DALAI LAMA VISITS ASPEN, JULY 24–26, 2008 Sacred SEMINAR Changing of THE GUARD FORMER SHERIFF BOB BRAUDIS & CURRENT SHERIFF JOE DISALVO, JANUARY 11, 2011 Former Aspen Deputy Mike Keefe (LEFT) and Braudis practice a roadside sobriety test in 1983. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES (DALAI LAMA). OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY DOUG PENSINGER (HINCAPIE) 152 ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM 148-155_AP_F_Anniversary_V2_SUM_FALL_14.indd 152 5/6/14 4:42 PM