Marvin and Shirley Strait are celebrated with designated art corridors in the Fine Arts Center
A beloved couple for 62 years, Marvin and Shirley Strait found countless ways to support charities, foundations, communities, committees, and other groups.
A special one was the 1996-founded Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. With their names now displayed above the doors leading to the center's main art galleries, the couple's legacy has been solidified forever.
On February 3, friends, family, board members, center members, and officials of Colorado College were among the attendees during the unveiling and First Friday event.
Debbie Gonzales, the daughter of The Straits, said that her parents had virtuous ideals, qualities that may have been formed when they were young due to their upbringing and religion.
Marv and Shirley, who are from Pueblo, first grinned at one another in middle school and got married in college. Shirley assisted Marv early on when he had a newspaper route by riding on the handlebars of his bicycle. Until his passing in 2022, Marv's childhood buddies remained his closest companions, according to his daughter. He was well-known across the country as an expert witness in valuation and in accounting.
According to their daughter, the Straits were committed to improving their neighborhood and the world by giving their time, skill, and money. Their time and effort spent on supporting community organizations had the most impact.
The roster of beneficiaries is extensive. Since it offered visual arts, performing arts, and arts education to the whole Colorado Springs community, according to son Michael, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center was particularly significant. Michael stated that the center's support of the performing arts, which includes a top-notch regional theater, was much appreciated by his parents.
Marv established the Fine Arts Center Foundation in order to endow the center for the future while he was a member of the FAC Board of Trustees in 1996. It began with $9 million and has since given Colorado College's Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center more than $18 million.
Thayer Tutt, the president of the foundation, worked on multiple boards alongside Marv Strait, whom the families of both Tutt and Strait referred to as "partners in crime." Tutt claimed that because "Marv adored playing the bad guy," they were able to chuckle throughout their collaborations. He always came out on top.
Michael joked that his father valued the FAC more than the hockey rivalry between Colorado College and the University of Denver. Father and kid sat together during games. Marv supported the Tigers, while Michael supported the Pioneers.
"A beautiful face will age and a perfect body will change, but a beautiful soul will always be a beautiful soul," said daughter Debbie as she thanked everyone for attending and closed the ceremony.
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