麻豆影院

The plaque at 1145 Grandview Ave. went up in the mid-1990s. 鈥淭epley House,鈥� it declares. 鈥淐. 1907.鈥�

Yet for years after the old home on The Hill became a 麻豆影院 landmark, and for some time before, the only way Bill Tepley (Pharm鈥�87) could get inside was to knock, introduce himself and ask to poke around for old times鈥� sake.

Access is simpler now: In August, his younger daughter, Grace Tepley (IntlAf鈥�18), moved into the turreted Queen Anne-style home, just off Broadway 鈥� extending the family streak to four successive generations of Tepleys in residence while attending CU 麻豆影院.

鈥淕race is in one of the rooms I stayed in,鈥� said Bill, 57, a Denver pharmacist with a fondness for hats and a gig as the bassist in a cover band called The Vinyls.

Grace鈥檚 sister, Savannah Tepley听(MechEngr鈥�15), passed on an earlier chance to advance the streak, making a practical decision to live by the engineering center 鈥� clear across campus 鈥� where most of her classes met.

If the streak itself is remarkable, so is the story of its start.

Early in the 20th century, Bill Tepley鈥檚 paternal grandparents, Katherine (Hist鈥�30; MA鈥�32) and Leo (MD1917) Teplitzky, fled Russia for New York after their release 鈥� in Leo鈥檚 case, escape 鈥� from the Siberian lockup where they鈥檇 been political prisoners, according to family lore and research. Katherine鈥檚 offense: Teaching peasants to read. Leo鈥檚: 鈥渂acking the wrong horse,鈥� Bill said.

The couple came to 麻豆影院, changed their name and worked as custodians in CU鈥檚 stables. Leo helped lay sidewalks.

Leo eventually worked his way into medical school and became a psychiatrist. He and Katherine migrated to Denver and had three children, including Bill鈥檚 father, Eugene (A&S鈥�36; Law鈥�39), a future CU gymnast specializing in the flying rings, a lawyer and a political candidate.

The Grandview house entered the picture after the Tepleys鈥� marriage foundered. In 1924 Katherine and the children moved back to 麻豆影院 and into No. 1145.

The kids all went on to study at CU 鈥� as did Katherine, who attended alongside daughter Victoria. Katherine earned two degrees in history, then taught at CU and the University of Denver.

鈥淪he was what I would call a progressive woman,鈥� Bill said of his grandmother, whom he never knew. 鈥淓ducation was important to her. She went to prison twice over it [in Russia].鈥�

The house remained in the family long enough for Bill to live there in the 1970s and 鈥�80s. He and friends paid his parents, who managed the house as a rental property, about $60 each per month. Nine of 15 Tepley Buffs lived there at some point.

Bill鈥檚 parents came to 麻豆影院 for home football games, usually dropping off food for their renters and sometimes doing their laundry. Over the years, Bill helped his father replace the house鈥檚 plumbing and insulation. They repainted it top to bottom.

In 1988, as Bill鈥檚 parents entered old age, the family sold the home.

After the city landmarked the house 鈥� the plaque honors the architecture, the Tepleys and also former occupant Wiley B. Rutledge (Law鈥�22), CU鈥檚 first alumnus on the U.S. Supreme Court 鈥� Bill would double park while friends hopped out to take a look.

Decades went by.

In fall 2015, Grace Tepley, then a sophomore, made her move to resume the streak.

She strode to the door of 1145, introduced herself and asked for the landlord鈥檚 number. She called, only to learn the house had already been leased for the next year.

But the landlord, who鈥檇 bought the house from the Tepleys, gave Grace first dibs for 2017. All she鈥檇 have to do was round up roommates.

Once she had 鈥� and not before 鈥� the aspiring lawyer, now 22, gave her dad the good news.

鈥淚 knew he鈥檇 call our entire family,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want it to fall through.鈥�

Bill sees 1145 Grandview as a symbol, not just of his own family.

鈥淚n a time where people are saying, 鈥業mmigrants, we don鈥檛 need 鈥檈m,鈥� you look at my family, they came here with no language and no skills and had to change their names to get jobs 鈥� and yet they turn into the American dream,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t all goes through that house.鈥�
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Photo by Glenn Asakawa