Silvia Pettem was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but moved to Boulder in 1965 to attend the University of Colorado. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University in 1969. She serves on several boards, including the Boulder Sesquicentennial Executive Committee, the Historic Preservation Advisory Board to the Boulder County Commissioners, and the University of Colorado Heritage Center Museum. Silvia has actively written about Boulder’s history for many years, producing books and articles by the truckload.
For over ten years, Silvia wrote a weekly column for Boulder’s Daily Camera newspaper and now alternates the duties with a fellow local historian. Silvia says, “My ‘beat’ is Boulder history, and I write about buildings, places, and historic preservation, but the stories I like the best are the ones on people.” Her books include a wide variety of local history, including the award-winning Separate Lives: The Story of Mary Rippon (CU’s first female professor), Boulder: Evolution of a City and, of course, our favorite, Legend of a Landmark: A History of the Hotel Boulderado– soon to be printed in a newly revised Centennial edition. Also, soon to be released, will be Someone's Daughter: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe.
To learn more about Silvia Pettem, please visit her website.
