The Lincoln Hills summer excursion to the Boulderado Ranch featured an inspiring talk by billionaire Colorado native Robert F. Smith, who reminded young leaders in attendance to achieve all they can in their careers but never forget to give back.

Smith, who owns the ranch and has a summer home there, spoke to the 43 attendees (leaders, Archons, Archousai, and guests) for nearly an hour on Saturday morning, July 16th, 2022.

The private equity investor and philanthropist talked about his proud upbringing in Denver and learning from elders “about how society worked,” often writing down their various insights. He described the secret to success as “talent combined with discipline.”

After excelling at engineering at Cornell University and later business school, he confided that he was still unsure of what he wanted to do with his life. The commencement speaker, whom he remains with friends today, took him aside at his University of Denver graduation and told him he should consider going into investment banking.  “I had no idea what that was,” he said. But he soon learned about Wall Street and parlayed that into a career, later starting Vista Equity Partners in 2000.

“A lot of my philanthropy is based around STEM programming and enabling our people to participate in what is called the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” he said. “If we do not participate in that we will be left out for another generation or two. So, it’s critically important that we embrace education-centered opportunities. Land ownership is a great thing, but I will tell you that owning stock in tech companies is even better. And owning tech companies is even better than that!”

He was asked about the importance of networking in his life and dropped this pearl of wisdom: “The true value of networking is to understand exactly what it is you are trying to accomplish and what you need to enable that. And then figure out what you can contribute as a participant in the networking environment.” 

Smith urged the incoming freshman to get as many internships as they can during college. “It is important to understand the landscape of opportunities out there. When I was 17, 18 or 19 years old, did I know what I wanted to do? No. But the internships helped shape, on the one hand, what I didn’t want to do and on the other hand helped me see what was really exciting. But unless you get exposure to (career opportunities), it is almost impossible to divine what might make you a happy, productive citizen.” 

He also urged the students to work really hard in college. “Get the best grades that you can,” he said. “You may not believe this, but it opens more opportunities. You may not necessarily be more successful in life because of that, but there will be more opportunities for you the better grades you have.”

Finally, he stressed the importance of giving back to the community. Reflecting on his decision in 2019 to pay off the student loans for that year’s Morehouse graduates, he said: “I hope they will want to contribute back to the community in ways where they can liberate 400 more students. So, think about what you can uniquely do that others can’t to liberate the human spirit. And then do it.” 

The 4th annual Lincoln Hills Scholars Program was held on July 24th along South Boulder Creek at the vacation resort owned by Denver-born billionaire Robert Smith. Ten scholars plus Archons, Archousai and guests made up the 33 participants, most of whom departed on a charted bus from the Denver Zoo on a beautiful day at 7:30 a.m. The daylong event kicked off with a breakfast of burritos, apple crisps, and blueberry muffins provided by Social Action Chair and McDonald’s owner BJ Rodgers. The 90-minute bus ride to Lincoln Hills was hosted by Archon Gary Jackson and featured a brief history of the resort and his family’s legacy as part of the black intelligentsia that has long populated the area. Gary’s grandfather built several cabins there and the Jackson family cabin is listed on the Register of Historic Places.

Our first speaker 

Archon Eric Williams, former FBI agent and Navy veteran, talked about his new role at the US Center for SafeSports, and reviewed the independent agency’s role in policing Olympic sports in the wake of allegations of abuse in gymnastics and other sports. But his real message to the Scholars was the importance of policing themselves as young Black men in their personal interactions with women and colleagues, especially in the age of social media. “Be Smart” is the watchword, he said. He underscored the importance of behaving appropriately in interactions with others, including unwanted advances with the opposite sex and invasions of other people’s personal space, especially touching, hugging and other similar actions. He went over the rules about gender discrimination and sexual misconduct. “Your reputation can be ruined in minutes,” especially with social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat that can put you on “blast” instantly. The court of public opinion, he said, is unforgiving — “and now you have receipts,” he reminded, using the vernacular to describe screenshots that can easily document bad behavior. He implored the young men to be on their personal guard and to protect black women who endure a high rate of abuse, noting that 1 in 5 are sexually abused before they turn 18, especially on college campuses.

Rocking the house 

After an ice breaker among the Scholars, the gathering heard from Paul Hamilton, retired educator at the Jefferson County Public Schools, avid Black art collector and historian. In a high-octane half-hour presentation, he encouraged the young men to commit themselves to making a difference in the Black community. They can do that, he said, by embracing context and history, gaining wisdom, keeping promises to themselves and others, finding the right life and professional coaches, and being men of action. He reminded all that white supremacy has never had a “bad day,” in other words it has been a part of America from the beginning — “taking a hiatus, briefly.” Fifty percent of the people in jails and prisons are Black, he said, segregation today is as bad as it was in the 1960s at the height of the Civil Rights movement and the Black/White income gap is “10-to-1.” The Constitution, he said, enshrined Blacks as “three fifths of a human being and there hasn’t been much change.” He said young Black men need to change that equation. Unfortunately, he said, the future is ‘cloudy and stormy” with attacks on our democratic system and from insurrectionists who “will do anything to keep you from voting and having good businesses.” He put forth the concept of “Black Magic” to fight these trends: Create a specific commitment to do something that wasn’t already going to happen; do whatever it takes and never say to yourself  “I can’t because…”; change your friends; kill all excuses; email other people your commitments; find good coaches; be persistent, and write a book — “we need to write about our histories.” Finally, he suggested that Scholars get these three books: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents; Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America; and The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America. 

He closed with this exhortation: “Be in Action.” The group gave him a standing ovation!  

Dropping the mike

Our final speaker was the dynamic Theo Wilson, slam poet, a founding member of the Denver Slam Nuba team, who won the National Poetry Slam in 2011, and author of “The Law of Action.”  After a stunning verbal run through the American history of oppression — during which he was careful to point out that Black people have always had White allies — he emphasized that racism is a social construct and pleaded with Scholars to get rid of all the “head trash” that makes them doubt their contributions, abilities, and futures. “You have been through what? And come out playing jazz! You have been told all of your life that you have to be twice as good as White folks and you’re strong as hell!” In reviewing the history of slavery, he opined that the slave masters “believed in us so much they kidnapped us to build the most powerful nation on Earth! That’s the greatest vote for black excellence that I know.” He stressed that Black people are resourceful and that our goal should be “to build the economic equivalent of the Pyramids.” Let nothing stop you from accomplishing your dreams, he added. Scholars spent much of their picnic time in intimate discussions with Theo and he was extremely generous with his time and perspectives. 

Feedback

The event closed with a picnic of hamburgers, hot dogs and all the fixings overseen by Archon Stan Jones and his Archousa Wanda and a quick hike and archery for the Scholars and others.

On the bus ride back, Scholars were asked to provide some feedback on the day-long excursion. Highlights: Several said they were disappointed that more scholars did not show up for the program. However, everyone said they enjoyed the event. They gave high marks to the speakers and said they learned a lot. A few Scholars mentioned wanting an activity that would allow the Scholars to bond as a group. They would also like more options such as horseback riding, target shooting, and fishing in addition to archery — and for these activities to be longer. Finally, they think the lectures could be more interactive so they could ask the speakers questions during or right after their presentations.

Robert Smith did not make his customary appearance, a usual highlight, but overall, the Scholars said the event was worthwhile and that they look forward to it.

Next time let’s have two buses filled to the brim for this outstanding program.