Lynde Bradley Uihlein attended Colorado Rocky Mountain School from 1961 until she graduated in June 1963. Labeled a progressive school for its cutting-edge approach to education, CRMS was young and small, pulling a student body of about 100 attendees from all over the country. They came from a variety of backgrounds: some from academic families, some from western ranching communities, some from urban or suburban environments, some even from overseas. The culture shock was intense for her, the high level of academic expectation daunting. She was homesick.

Her friendships alleviated some of the pressure, but it was the music that won her over: Dan playing his banjo, introducing her to folk music; Sidney who played her recordings of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez; Big Sing; the Madrigal Group led by Ted Rickard; Ted’s wife Flo singing in concert “Le Cigarette”.

Paula Mechau showed her great kindness. Rolleen Stricker cracked open her mind.

The classic late bloomer, Lynde spent her two years at CRMS fooling around with classmates, persuading John Holden to give her smoking permission, and getting suspended for drinking Glühwein on a skiing trip to Aspen. Mercifully, the Holdens let her back in school and she was able to graduate. 

College was not so different. She left Bennett Junior College after a semester, transferred to the University of Colorado, got caught up in the 60s, dropped out, then finally finished her degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Ann Holden said to her once, speaking of another late bloomer, “Sometimes we wait a very long time.”

After employment as a child care worker in a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed boys, she returned to school, completing a Master’s Degree in Social Welfare. Working as a Psychiatric Social Worker, she soon married and followed her husband to Connecticut where she was employed by Yale-New Haven Hospital in their early efforts at abortion counselling.

Two children followed, and her preferred path was motherhood. Her marriage broke apart after 12 years. Concomitantly, the family business was sold, presenting her with new opportunities.

Family philanthropy had been an influence throughout her life, but now Lynde was in a position to follow her own interests, primarily women’s rights. She founded Brico Fund, short for the French term bricolage, or “do it yourself”. Bricolage also refers to a fairy tale describing a hero who carries on without always knowing the consequences of his actions (Puss in Boots, for example). She was making it up as she went along.

About this time, she was invited to join the CRMS Board of Trustees. The school had been through some changes, and Chris Babbs was hired to right the ship. She was grateful for the opportunity to influence the emotional development of adolescents and give something back to the school.

Fast forward to the present. Brico Fund has taken root and grown into a respected entity in her community. Its areas of grantmaking have expanded to include a broad range of women’s issues with reproductive rights at the center; ecology, especially the climate and environmental degradation; land preservation; community needs; and political action.

Along the way she purchased a dairy farm in her neighborhood and converted it from cows to goats. The Blakesville Dairy herd is now on average 900 head. Blakesville Creamery was established in 2020 and has been producing award winning cheeses since then. 

Lynde has also been the steward of a family property, Afterglow Farm, preserving the 220 acres in partnership with the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory. Among other activities, Afterglow and LMBO together are evaluating habitat, eradicating invasives, monitoring purple martin colonies and attracting kestrels to the property. For fun she tends 10 acres of Wisconsin oldfields, restoring plants to their native habitat. Every minute available she spends with her children and grandchildren.

In hindsight, CRMS taught Lynde about difference, exposed her to excellence, demanded selflessness and team effort. She believes her two years there were the seminal experience of her development as a human being. Time spent at CRMS was an opportunity that ultimately influenced her finding a place in the world and her trajectory as a philanthropist. She is honored to be invited to join the 1953 Society.