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Ella and Henry Birk moved to Glenwood Springs
fourteen years ago, just in time to become two of the earliest members
of the 100 Club. Life here proved to be a dramatic change. Both had
grown up and lived in the same neighborhood in the Bronx, New York. They
had known each other as kids but didn’t see much of each other until
after WWII when they spent time at activities sponsored by a local
gymnastics club. Group activities turned to dating, courtship, and
marriage, followed by four children in the next six years. They moved to
Long Island to raise their family.
The one break from city life for Henry came when he joined the army at
age eighteen and volunteered for the 10th Mountain Division, where he
served for three and a half years. The training at Camp Hale was more
than tough. One session required thirty days of outdoor living. At one
point officers said they would return to camp to pick up pay checks. All
the men fantasized about showers and a night in warm barracks. That
never materialized. They were ordered to sleep on the frozen parade
grounds. In the woods they’d at least been able to cut tree boughs for a
mattress under their sleeping bags. One of the highlights of training
was time spent at Mt. Rainier learning ice climbing.
Henry shipped out to Northern Italy and took part in the night climb up
Riva Ridge to take over the Nazi fortifications there. He was awarded a
Bronze Star for retrieving their radio under heavy gunfire from the
Germans.
Busy years for the Birks followed: raising a family, holding down jobs,
maintaining a household. Ella worked in bookkeeping, eventually becoming
a supervisor in the Nassau County Payroll Department, covering 30,000
employees. Henry did carpentry work and installed metal storefronts. He
helped build the huge bronze doors at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Later
Henry ran a shop for the Parks Department, supervising plumbers,
electricians, and carpenters. His responsibilities included maintaining
ice skating rinks and swimming pools. Most of their vacations centered
on ski trips to New England and day trips involving three hour drives to
be there when the lifts opened and the same to get home at night. For
Henry’s 50th birthday, Ella surprised him with a ski trip to Aspen.
In March of the year he was to retire, a visit to Henry’s sister in
Glenwood Springs showed them a new approach to skiing. It sounded even
more appealing when his brother-in-law suggested they play golf after
skiing. Snow at Westbank had disappeared two weeks earlier. The idea of
a possible move was implanted. By then their kids had started settling
in Colorado and Idaho as well. Within the year they purchased a lot and
began faxing house plans to a local builder. They made a quick trip out
to see where the house would sit, deciding to move it back 25 feet to
accommodate a circular driveway. The builder asked them to choose
appliances, cabinets, light fixtures, and floor coverings so he could
proceed to completion in their absence. When they headed back to New
York, decisions had been made, excavation completed, and the foundation
poured. Three months later they returned to their new home, and Ella
faced the task of shopping in a small town for all the finishing
touches.
It didn’t take too long to feel at home with the help of the 100 Club.
They joined the Wednesday skiers and the Monday hikers. Ella and Carol
Fallon were the first two women to earn a thousand mile pin. Henry soon
earned his. They’ve enjoyed many trips sponsored by the club: Copper
Canyon, Green River, Lake Powell, Moab, Denver, and Yellowstone Park.
Ella coordinates monthly ladies bridge parties. They are glad the club
was formed and are happy to be part of it. They feel it is composed of
the nicest people they’ve ever met, with common interests to bring
everyone together.
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