Changing Times

They’re baaaacckkk!

With a combined total of nearly 30 years of Museums of Western Colorado experience, there could be no better team to welcome back than Mike Perry and Kay Fiegel as we enter a time of transition and change.

For those not familiar with these names… Mike Perry was our executive director from 1984-1990, and again from 2003-2013. Under his direction, the Museum continued to grow our sites from the one building regional history site in the Whitman Building to the multi-site institution that we are today. Mike also wanted to share the rich paleontology that is here in the valley. Under his leadership and a lot of support from volunteers, the museum opened Dinosaur Valley in the Reed Building, where it stayed our paleontology museum until the move to Fruita in 2000.

In the mid 1980s, Mike also started our dinosaur digs program that has grown to international appeal and brings in participants from as far away as Australia and Japan. The program has unearthed such finds as the largest, most complete Apatosaurus femur (on display at Dinosaur Journey) and a rare Apatosaurus skull. Little known fact about Mike – as well as being a peak bagger, he is cycling across the country. He dipped his bike front wheel in the Pacific and has been cycling in sections to the Atlantic. Ask him about his experiences on the road sometime!   

The second half of our team, Kay Fiegel, wore many hats – and shone in every one. From 2002 until she retired in 2015, Kay was everything from volunteer coordinator to human resources to marketing to Cross Orchards site manager to associate director. Somehow she magically balanced many of those at once leading some to think she had a clone. She led many of our trips and was particularly drawn to those in the San Juans as she grew up in Telluride. After retirement, Kay served as interim director for John McConnell Math and Science – now EUREKA! Kay has the biggest heart and would bend over backwards to help people she loves. She’s opened her home up many times to people who have needed a place to stay for a while – Hotel Fiegel is quite a comfy place to stay. 

Both Mike and Kay are dedicated to the museum and the community – and are having great fun working together again. They appreciate the fantastic things our staff does and, together with the staff, Mike and Kay hope to reorganize the inner workings of the museum, renew partnerships, programs, and grow our membership base in preparation for a new executive director.

Welcome home, Mike and Kay!