CRIS DOBBINS PAPERS

Cris Dobbins (1904-1979), a native of Colorado, was born in Englewood to Julia and George Dobbins. Dobbins and his older brother, George Dobbins, attended Englewood Public Schools. Following his graduation in 1921, Dobbins enrolled in a cement chemistry course through the International Correspondence School. Between 1922 and 1927, he earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Denver.

In 1919, at the age of 15, Dobbins began his lifelong business and personal relationship with the Boettcher family. That year, he took a part-time position as an office boy in Charles Boettcher’s Colorado Portland Cement Company. After high school, Dobbins began his steady advancement in the company, from office boy to Chairman. Between 1923 and 1930, working full time for Charles Boettcher, he held several positions including sample boy, physical tester, junior clerk, and clerk at the Colorado sales order desk. In 1930, Charles Boettcher promoted him to Assistant Sales Manager for Colorado. In 1943, he became the Assistant to the President. When Charles Boettcher died in 1948, the Board appointed Dobbins Executive Vice President and General Manager. In 1952, the Board elected him President. Dobbins became the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 1968. He stepped down as CEO in 1971, but remained active as the Chairman of the Board until his death in 1979.

In 1944, the Boettcher Foundation, established in 1937 by Charles and Claude Boettcher, nominated Dobbins to its Board of Trustees. From 1957 to 1963, he served as the Board’s Vice Chairman, and in 1963, he became the Chairman. He held the position until 1979. During Dobbins’s tenure as trustee, he participated in the presentation of the Boettcher Mansion to the State of Colorado to be used as the Governor’s home. He also served on the boards of other Boettcher firms: Boettcher Realty Company (later the Brown Palace Hotel Company), President; Cement Investors, Inc., President; General Securities Company, President; American Crystal Sugar Company, Chairman of the Board; and the Potash Company of America, Chairman of the Board.

Throughout his career, Dobbins served on numerous other corporate boards. The 1967 edition of Standard and Poor’s Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives lists him as one of the busiest board members in the country. At the time, he was a member or officer of 25 organizations. Among the boards on which he served are the following:

Portland Cement Association: Board of Directors (1948-1968), Chairman of the Board (1959-1960)

Denver Museum of Natural History: Board of Trustees (1951-1979), Executive Committee (1966-1979), Honorary Trustee (February-June 1979)

Colorado and Southern Railway Company: Board of Directors (1954-1979)

Burlington Northern Railroad: Board of Directors (1964-1975)

American Mining Congress: President (1969-1970), Director (1972-1974), Honorary Director (1976-1979)

Other boards on which Dobbins served include the American Smelting and Refining Company, The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (Denver branch), United Banks of Colorado, United Bank of Denver, and the Denver Chamber of Commerce. He also acted as Director of the National Western Stock Show.

Dobbins earned several awards because of his extensive participation in corporate and philanthropic affairs. Among his honors are the Regis College Civis Princeps Award (1954), University of Denver College of Business Administration’s Distinguished Alumni Award (1967), the General Rose Hospital Award of Honor (1966), University of Denver’s Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws (1967), American Society for Testing and Materials Award to Executives (1973), and the National Conference of Christians and Jews Brotherhood Award (1978).

Throughout his lifetime, Dobbins was an active member of many organizations. He was a Boy Scout, an organization to which he remained loyal all his life. In 1928, Dobbins joined the Boy Scouts Executive Board of the Denver Area Council. In 1957, he received the Silver Beaver award, the highest honor an adult Scout can earn. In 1985, the Boy Scouts of America honored him by establishing the Cris Dobbins Boy Scout Camp, located near Kiowa, Colorado. Other organizations Dobbins joined include the De Molay Legion of Honor for Boys, Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity, Denver Athletic Club, Mile High Club, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, and the Tower Club.

Dobbins married Elvira (Vivi) Bjork Dobbins of Englewood, Colorado in 1930. They had three children, Christopher (“Kit”) Dobbins, Michael A. Dobbins, and Felicity Anne (“Cici”) Dobbins Butler.