Karen Hunzeker: Skyhawk Support Soars Even Higher

For over a decade, Karen Hunzeker has tended to the nooks and crannies of Fort Lewis College’s campus in Durango, Colorado. Her work as a Custodial Services staff member ensures students, faculty and staff have access to immaculate spaces for learning, connecting and thriving. Her passion for FLC is reflected in her daily tasks and as a distinguished member of the Skyhawk donor community and a beloved friend of the College.

Born and raised in Englewood, Colorado, Karen graduated from Adams State University with a physical education degree. In the summers, she worked around the Southwest as a firefighter and accepted a PE teaching job in the Four Corners on the Navajo Nation, where she taught and coached for 27 years.

In 2010, Karen moved to Durango to work at FLC as the Athletics Department custodian. She put her heart into cleaning the locker rooms in Whalen Gymnasium and formed friendships with student-athletes as they balanced classes, practices and games. These relationships inspired Karen to gift thousands of dollars toward scholarships for basketball, cross country, lacrosse, soccer, track and volleyball players. In 2019, she received the Skyhawks Spectator of the Year Award.

“I became good friends with the athletes over the years,” Karen says. “I just love being with them, cheering them on as they work hard for something they really want to accomplish and celebrating their wins. It brings me a lot of joy to watch them build confidence and figure out how to be themselves.”

Karen has no children or living family members besides her beloved horses, cat and three dogs, Shush, Runner and Smiley. In 2022, Karen designated the Fort Lewis College Foundation as the beneficiary of her estate, bequeathing her 100-acre property to benefit programs at the Old Fort in Hesperus, Colorado. With this gift, she is now a Soaring Hawk Society member, a giving society honoring individuals who are including the Fort Lewis College Foundation in their estate plans. Further demonstrating her commitment to our Skyhawk Athletics program and student athletes, should the property ever be sold, funds from that sale will be specifically dedicated to supporting FLC Athletics programs.

Karen’s authentic passion for the institution has established her legacy as a lifelong supporter of the College and a forever member of the Skyhawk family.

Build Your Skyhawk Legacy

Like Karen, you can make a positive impact on future FLC students and the community through your estate plan. To learn more about your planned giving options, contact Dave Kerns at 970-247-7427 or kerns_d@fortlewis.edu today.