I have been to two events to commemorate Ron Montoya and listened to the highlights of his achievements given by his friends and colleagues. The things that have his fingerprints all over the public and private sectors and his passionate advocacy on behalf of the community are recorded in numerous organizations that he led as a founder, a leader and benefactor.
There was a sense of restlessness in his approach to helping solve problems and makes things better perhaps because there is so much to do, so little time and so few prepared and willing to sacrifice their lives for the higher values of an evolving community. His participation in numerous initiatives cast a shadow that models a unique signature portraying a picture of what can be done when we take on the task of giving back to a family we love, a place that helped makes us who we are and a wonderful country that still offers the opportunity and challenge to those that seek to make it more perfect.
Montoya entered the United States Army the same year I entered the United States Air Force. It was the 1960s and the height of the Cold War.
It was the time of the Cuban missile crisis, the Berlin crisis and the assassination of a beloved President. It was also the time of the musical phenomenon that is Rock and Roll and the coming out of the generation we call the Boomers.
In addition, the 60s presented the Latino community with the realization that something had to be done to change its discriminated status. Too much blood had been spilled in wars without the opportunity to redeem that sacrifice at face value in a society that does not fully believe in equal economic and political opportunity to succeed and apply equality in the treatment of those deemed as marginal citizens.
This is the breach into which Ron Montoya was destined to step into and lead with the power of his character, faith and by example. He chose to arm himself with the academic skills of a formal education at the University of Colorado and the University of Denver and make his stand on behalf of the community he loved as a very successful CEO of his own corporation with the talent and passion to help individuals and organizations again and again to make things better.
I remember his heavy involvement in a dream we shared of founding a bank that would have as its priority service to Latino individuals and businesses. We knew that “Latino-owned businesses are one of the fastest growing economic forces in the United States, with millions of entrepreneurs generating hundreds of billions of dollars annually.”
So, with great effort led in part by Ron Montoya, Solera National Bank came into existence in 2006. He served as its founding chairman of the board for its first 8 years.
I looked at the list of organizations and foundations he served as a member or, in many cases, as chair, and it seems endless. His willingness to make time to address the multitude of issues the community faces is testimony to the model concept of giving back.
A great person has left us to do other things in other places. We express our heartfelt love and gratitude to him and his family for what cannot be duplicated.
Ron Montoya continues to live among us as a long shadow of promise and, most importantly, as a challenge to continue the fight. We wish him peace.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of LaVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
