by Fred Hernandez
All good things come to an end and for Silver Cliff town, one definitely “good thing”, officially came to an end at the end of November with the retirement of one who served not only Silver Cliff with distinction, but the entire community of Custer County. Yes, it was the retirement of Roger Camper who joined the town of Silver Cliff in June of 2010. For more than a decade Roger unselfishly served the people of the town as the Building and Zoning Officer and often helped in other tasks as needed.
On November 30th, the town celebrated his retirement with Roger, and his wife Pam, at the local Mexican restaurant Imperio Azteca. Town Clerk Ileen Squire had prepared several gifts for him which he unwrapped to the delight of everyone present. With about thirty guests in attendance, Roger enjoyed the warm friendship and gratitude they offered as well as appreciation for his service from town trustees Jake Shy, Troy Bomgardner and this writer. Silver Cliff town Mayor Harry “Buck” Wenzel expressed his sincerest appreciation, not only of the years of serving the town, but the cordial friendship he shares with Roger. The mayor’s statement embodies what everyone felt when he said and we quote:
“The Town of Silver Cliff will never forget the amazing dedication, care and countless contributions that Mr. Camper gave to our town, its residents and builders during his career with us. His skills, abilities and historical knowledge were second to none. We wish him the best in his retirement and will miss his energetic, positive and “can-do” attitude!”
We recall, for the record, one truly remarkable achievement of Roger as Building and Zoning officer of the town was the extensive and complex work done on the town’s museum. The original building was erected in 1879 and was in dire need of refurbishment. Through Rogers continuous efforts at research and his broad knowledge of construction and building materials he painstakingly found the modern day equivalents of the materials needed, and necessarily approved by the Historical Society, to bring the ancient building back to its new life span of another century. In addition, the museum now has a nice pavilion and an area where visitors can rest and recreate.
Indeed Roger’s contri-bution not only to Silver Cliff but to the county as a whole goes back to his days of pioneering the establishment of what is now the Wet Mountain Fire District. His tireless efforts as a one man fundraising committee, countless hours
of hard work and single minded determination to create what is now one of the best fire fighting organizations in southwest Colorado. Roger will conceivably always be remembered as the “father” of the Custer County Fire Department.
We wish Roger all the very best in his retirement; that he may have all the time he needs to enjoy his family and we pray for his good health and happiness always.
And so, until we meet again, the town of Silver Cliff wishes Roger a fond ‘adieu” and may God be with you in all your future endeavors.