Milestones Icon: Eugene Caranci

Eugene Caranci did not have a fancy pedigree or come from a wealthy family. The son of a coal miner who immigrated from Italy, he was the youngest of six children – a brother and four sisters.

Caranci’s Louisville royalty comes from being born in the city in 1929, graduating as class president from Louisville High in 1947 and marrying his best friend’s younger sister, Virginia De Rose, four years later.

The University of Northern Colorado graduate used the business acumen from his graduate degree in business administration to spread the wealth by teaching in the public school system for 35 years.

Caranci (known to his friends as “Chooch”) was a counselor and administrator, and taught adult education at Denver’s Emily Griffith Opportunity School, and ran a summer Spanish culture program at the University of Denver for disadvantaged high school students.

It was in his public service outside of his day job, however, that caused him to become such a revered figure in Louisville, with an impact usually reserved for politicians and money men such as Broomfield’s Adolph Zang.

Caranci served on the Louisville chamber for 21 years until he retired on Nov. 12, 2008, but still advises. In that capacity, and as a member of the city’s planning committees, Caranci assisted in bringing the Colorado Technology Center to Louisville and served as co-chairman on the board that brought in Monarch High School.

Caranci also was devoted to preserving the city’s Main Street and cultural events such as the Fourth of July celebration and the Louisville Street Faire.

Caranci said that when he was showing the reporter from Money Magazine, which named the city one of the best places to live in the United States, the reporter was amazed to see children playing on the playground. “Where are the parents?” he asked. That was the kind of community Louisville was that made him want to be a part of it.

One of the things he thinks Louisville did smartly was to balance development and growth with quality of life, such as preserving its Main Street as the center of life. He partly credits preserving the character of the city with attracting Storage Technology Corp. and ConocoPhillips to the area.

Caranci has volunteered on numerous boards in Louisville and received a number of awards. His most recent award is a Lifetime Achievement Award given to him by the Louisville Chamber of Commerce. Another notable award he received was the Pioneer Award in 1992 from the Historical Commission.

Caranci raised three daughters, Reggie, Jeanne and Shelly, there, and started the Girls’ Softball League. He also spent 30 years as a volunteer fireman and served on the board of directors of the Louisville Fire Protection District from 1986 to 1988.

“My wife has been very active,” Caranci said, and served on the Historical Commission for 30 years. The Louisville Historical Museum is housed in his uncle’s old store.

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