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Colfax Avenue Loses a great Mentor
Friday, July 18, 2008
By superadmin :: 107 Views
Wayne Jakino died at home July 16 after a long illness. Funeral services will be Wednesday, July 23rd at 3:00 p.m. at Metro Community Church, 960 Clarkson. There will be a celebration of Wayne’s life on Sunday, August 3rd at 2pm at Charlie's.
Wayne was a very instrumental figure in Colfax on the Hill, Inc. and the community, laying the foundation for the Colfax and neighborhood involvement we are building on today. His charismatic personality was always a welcome addition to any event and his willingness to provide support helped many organizations and individuals achieve the success they know today. He will be missed, but always remembered as his influence is visible throughout our community.
Wayne came to Colfax on the Hill in about 1991, having previously opened a bar/restaurant further east on Colfax in Aurora. He and his partner John King had purchased the site of the former Emerson Street East Sports Bar, and it became Wayne’s task to inform the Colfax merchants, property owners and neighborhoods of his plans to open one of Denver’s first gay bars in the ‘hood. Somehow he managed to not only attain COTH support for his plan but quickly became part of the leadership of COTH and served as its board president for two terms (circa 1994-98). He also joined the board of Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods and helped both organizations over the years to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Colfax and neighborhood community organizations, including the upcoming 11th annual Colfax on the Hill/Charlie’s Golf Tournament. Wayne also was a state and national leader in the gay rights movement and was a co-founder of the International Gay Rodeo Association where he traveled across North America as its spokesman and event announcer.
Former COTH Executive Director Dave Walstrom, who worked closely with Wayne over the years, believes one of Wayne’s great contributions to Colfax and Greater Capitol Hill was the fact that like any other community of individuals, the gay community wanted to improve the quality of life of the place where they live and work. Wayne provided the leadership to put that community service energy in place here. Moreover, Wayne knew that getting divergent lifestyle groups working together on common community goals, problems and projects would, in the process, create friendships and support relationships between them that would provide the glue to hold the community together when times got tough economically, socially, politically. No doubt gay prejudice still exists in Greater Capitol Hill to some extent, but it is hardly an issue these days. More than perhaps anyone else, we have Wayne Jakino to thank for that.
And this remembrance of Wayne by his employee and personal assistant, Jay Mason:
“When I first came to Denver, I was a quiet Indiana farm boy. At the time I was working at a restaurant called Decisions on Colfax. I went to a meeting of the Colorado Tavern Guild and met a man with a voice that had such a passion in it that I had to know him better. When the restaurant closed, Wayne offered to pay me to clean the parking lot for money. Instead of making me feel like a "parking lot cleaner", he worked with me to realize the strengths I had within me. Soon after, I started working as his secretary and personal assistant. Over the years, I had the privilege of meeting people from the Governor to the amazing people at Colfax on the Hill. Wayne once told me that the most important thing anyone can do is to have a charitable heart and to "find your voice". I think what he was telling me was in fact, the most important thing you can do is "help someone else find their voice" and I will do my best to continue his work in his honor. ”
In lieu of flowers, Wayne’s friends are in the process of establishing The Wayne Jakino Scholarship Fund. Once the details of the scholarship fund are learned, COTH will post a notice on our website for those who would like to make a contribution. |
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