Obituary of John Power Holloway

John Power Holloway, former mayor of Boulder and longtime resident legal counsel for the University of Colorado Boulder, died at his home Oct. 4, 2014. He was 87. A private family service has been held. There will be a memorial reception in his honor at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23 at the fifth-floor lounge and terrace at the University Memorial Center, 1600 Euclid Ave. on the CU-Boulder campus. Born Dec. 8, 1926 to Madeleine and Henry F. Holloway, Mr. Holloway grew up in Upper Montclair, N.J. He served in the U.S. Navy near the end of World War II and then came to Colorado to attend Colorado State University. He married Sally Ann Cruse on June 8, 1949 and they settled in Boulder to raise their family. He graduated from the University of Colorado Law School in 1951 and dedicated his professional life to serving the people of the city of Boulder, the State of Colorado and CU-Boulder. John Holloway was elected to a four-year term on the Boulder City Council in 1960 and served as Mayor from 1962-64. He was a driving force behind numerous significant events that continue to enhance the quality of life in Boulder today, including construction of the Boulder Public Library, Scott Carpenter Park and the city’s water-treatment facility. In addition, through the Colorado Attorney General’s office, Mr. Holloway was responsible for the acquisition of the land for the National Center of Atmospheric Research in Boulder. He made his first of many contributions to the State of Colorado in 1952, when he was appointed an assistant attorney general. He was appointed counsel for the Colorado Land Acquisition Commission in 1954 and was tasked with acquiring the site for the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, which he accomplished in 1959; his work on the project was recognized by a commendation for “superior service” from the Secretary of the Air Force. He served as Chief Highway Counsel for the State of Colorado from 1959-66 and was a nationally recognized authority on eminent domain and transportation law, writing and publishing numerous articles on both topics in law journals. John Holloway served on the law advisory panel for both the Transportation Research Board and the Highway Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. He also served as chairman of the Governor’s Local Affairs Study Commission and was on the board of directors of the Colorado Municipal League. He was closely associated with the University of Colorado Boulder for more than 23 years. Appointed the first full-time resident legal counsel at CU-Boulder in 1966, he served in that capacity for more than a decade. During his tenure he was a leading national authority on the laws of higher education, serving on the board of directors of the National Association of College and University Attorneys for five years. He wrote numerous articles regarding law and higher education published in various professional journals. Mr. Holloway was a guest lecturer for courses in several departments at CU and other institutions of higher education. He was an avid world traveler, visiting all seven continents, and was responsible for bringing the Semester at Sea academic program to CU-Boulder to encourage students to expand their horizons and explore the world. He served as Academic Coordinator for Shipboard Education Programs and Academic Director of Semester at Sea. In 1983, Mr. Holloway was appointed university patent officer, a position he held until his retirement in 1992. The Patent Office, under the auspices of the University of Colorado Foundation, Inc., became very successful under his direction, bringing prestige, recognition and increased donations to the university and its faculty inventors. Mr. Holloway’s professional affiliations include membership in the Licensing Executives Society, Society of University Patent Administrators, American Intellectual Property Law Association, the American, Colorado and Boulder bar associations and the National Association of College and University Attorneys. He was also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals (10th Circuit), United States District Court and the Colorado Supreme Court. A consummate professional, renowned attorney and dedicated public servant, John Holloway was also a devoted husband, father and grandfather and a steadfast friend and mentor. He is survived by his wife, Sally Cruse Holloway, his daughter, Cynthia of Nanuet, N.Y., his sons John Jr. (Deborah) of Steamboat Springs, Charles of Steamboat Springs, and David (Julia) of Cambridge, Mass.: his grandchildren Ryan (Angelique), Adam, Katelin (Ben), Tres, James, Coleman and Callaghan; and great-grandchildren Lily, Milana and Luca. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Family Hospice at familyhospice.net or 1790 30th St, Suite 308, Boulder, CO 80301, or Boulder Emergency Squad at boulderrescue.org or P.O. Box 18887, Boulder, CO 80308.