The email arrived along with scores of others. Like so many, it seemed as routine as the torrent of spam that arrives each day. It was, he thought, just another e-distraction and waste of time.
But this e-note was different. This electronic message, remembered retired Pueblo Chief Judge Dennis Maes, appeared in his computer’s in-box a few years ago when “I was on the school board,” a job he took on after retiring from the bench.
What made it different was the sender. It wasn’t an email asking for a review about a recent store visit or a faraway royal family member promising to share an inheritance. This one, recalled Maes, came “from a freshman or sophomore at Central (High School).” The sender, Mitchell Mauro, wrote Maes explaining that he was “very interested in what a school board member does…and wondered if I would meet with him and just chat.”
Because of his quarter of a century on the bench, Maes had seen plenty of young people come before him, but few with an interest in the machinations of public education or policy. This time it was different.
When young Mauro first met Maes, it was nothing like he’d imagined. “He was the first high-ranking public official I ever met,” he said. “I expected a big, daunting man” and not the “normal…engaging…and really interested” man Maes turned out to be. “He showed he cared about students.”
Meeting Mauro was also a curious moment for Maes. “He just had such an interest and was willing to take the time to attend and just watch the meeting.” Maes took an immediate liking to the kid. “The first time he came (to a school board meeting) I was pleased to introduce him to everyone,” said Maes.
What inspired Mauro to reach out to Maes was the dizzying figures he was reading about when he read stories about the school board. The stories he found puzzling revolved around the costs being discussed around potential school closings and new school construction the city was then dealing with. The figures were daunting, remembered Mauro, nearly abstract. “So I talke to him to see the real numbers, figures and everything behind it. I wanted to hear it straight from someone who knew.”
Curiosity is part of Mauro’s makeup. The classes he took over his time at Pueblo Central attest to as much. There he took a variety of STEM courses even though, by his own admission, he’s not “a science person.” He took the classes, he said, so he could better understand the ‘why’ of the various science, engineering and mechanical principles. He performed well enough in the STEM classes and excelled in everything else, what he calls “a lot of general courses,” allowing him to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. His determination also earned him the prestigious Hurliman Scholarship, one of a handful of scholarships he applied for.
The Hurliman award is given annually to a select group of students graduating from Pueblo, Custer and Fremont counties.
Competition is fierce. Students must demonstrate both academic excellence and individual integrity that is reflected in “service to school and community.” They must also sit for personal interviews with the Hurliman Board. Those selected receive a $25,000 per year scholarships to a four-year college or university. Mauro will attend the University of Colorado/Denver in the fall.
Maes is not surprised by Mauro’s achievements, especially his selection as a Hurliman scholar. Maes own granddaughter, soon to be a rising junior at the Colorado School of Mines, was awarded the same scholarship.
But Maes also admired Mauro’s seemingly natural appreciation for learning. It’s a trait instilled in his own family’s story.
Neither of Maes’ parents ever attended college, his father earning only a GED. But “of the eleven of us (siblings),” Maes said, “seven of us are college graduates.” The other four went on to have their own successful careers.
Mauro was raised by his father and stepmother. His own mother died when he was in elementary school. Her death, he said, created a challenge that lingered. “Middle school wasn’t the best time for me. I kind of struggled.” But high school brought on a completely different perspective and “I became a whole different person.” Mauro says high school brought out a more extroverted person. “Now I go and give speeches in front of the whole school.”
Mauro, who earned enough college credits in high school through a program that allows high school students to take college-level classes—he took them at Pueblo Community College— will begin at CU-Denver as a sophomore. While he says he wants to enter college “with a big open mind and keep options open,” he plans to focus on finance. “I really want to go into banking,” attributing his choice to his personality. “I’m not really the exciting type. I like the certainty of my day and banking will fulfill my needs.”
The Maes-Mauro relationship seamlessly bridged the generational gap. Though separated by decades and life experience, each found in the other similar traits, not the least of which is a mutual respect and unabiding integrity. Also, both place great value in learning and education.
As a respected jurist—the county’s judicial building bears his name—Maes said he has seen far too many young people fail to capitalize on opportunities, including second and third chances given them. In Mauro he sees just the opposite; a young person who seems to thrive on nearly every opportunity to come his way.
