Anne Lacey Holden (1911-1997) and her husband John were behind one of America’s most adventurous educational experiments. Born in Arlington, Massachusetts, she graduated from Smith College in 1933 and trained at the well-regarded Shady Hill School in Cambridge before marrying John Spencer Holden in 1936. The couple spent seventeen years teaching together at Vermont’s Putney School, where Anne developed her hands-on approach to education—she believed kids learned best when they rolled up their sleeves and got involved in real work alongside their studies. When the Holdens decided to start their own school, they weren’t content to just talk about it; they loaded up a green International Harvester truck and drove across the American West until they found exactly what they were looking for.

The adventure that brought the Holdens to Carbondale, Colorado, in 1953 reflected the couple’s bold vision and practical commitment. When they discovered this rugged ranching town at the base of Mount Sopris, Anne and John knew they’d found their spot. With Harald “Shorty” Pabst’s generous donation of 350 acres along the Roaring Fork River, the Holdens dove headfirst into creating a school where students wouldn’t just read about life—they’d build it, literally. Anne’s belief that work builds confidence and character became central to CRMS, where students found themselves constructing their own classrooms, cooking their own meals, and maintaining the ranch that would become their extended classroom.

The Holden’s educational philosophy was refreshingly straightforward: students needed to be part of something bigger than themselves, and they needed to contribute meaningfully to their community. She helped weave service into the very fabric of school life. Anne understood that real education happened when students stopped being passive recipients and became active contributors—whether they were studying Latin in the morning or exploring a nearby coal mine in the afternoon.

After stepping back from daily school operations in 1967, Anne kept right on learning and teaching. She taught continuing education classes at Colorado Mountain College while taking her own courses in sewing and oil painting—typical Anne, always curious and always growing. An active member of Delta Kappa Gamma and her local Methodist church, she loved the Colorado outdoors as much as she loved education, spending her time hiking, camping, skiing, and playing tennis. When Anne died at home in Carbondale in 1997 at age 85, she left behind a school and an educational approach that had influenced hundreds of other institutions. Her legacy wasn’t just about innovative programs or beautiful facilities—it was about proving that education works best when students are trusted to build, contribute, and take on real responsibility in the world.