Kent Sabbatical Spotlight #8: Elizabeth White

Dec 30 2025

Every summer, our faculty members have the unique opportunity to travel the world and immerse themselves in enriching experiences, thanks to the Kent Summer Sabbatical Program! This program was created and endowed in 1999 by a generous gift from the Kent Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. E. Robert Kent, Jr., P’89, GP’20 and Josephine Kent Lemken, 1989, P’20. Earlier this month, the faculty members who traveled this past summer shared highlights of their trips with their colleagues at a special sabbatical showcase. For the past eight weeks, we have shared an article highlighting each teacher’s experience. From exploring the written word in Rome and trekking through Acadia National Park in Maine, to walking around the pond made famous by Monet's paintings and participating in a tea ceremony in Japan, our faculty are so grateful for these remarkable and memorable experiences.

Kent Sabbatical Spotlight #8: Elizabeth White

For Elizabeth’s Kent Summer Sabbatical, she spent time in both Western Colorado and Denver, Colorado in early July. Upon arrival in Grand Junction, Colorado located in the Western Slope region of Colorado, she drove about an hour away to stay in Hotchkiss, CO, a small community in the North Fork Valley which bills itself as “the friendliest town around”. She had the personal pleasure of being shown around by her uncle, who was a wonderful tour guide.

The biggest hurdle to tackle for Elizbaeth was getting used to the altitude! Driving over the Uncompahgre Plateau, they reached 9,133 feet and took in beautiful views of Utah. While driving to the Plateau, they saw the old mining towns Nucla and Naturita, which are barely one stoplight towns that were once populated by individuals involved with uranium and vanadium mining operations. They also stopped at Uravan, “the town that was.” Uravan, a combination of uranium and vanadium, had started as a mining town, boomed to a town with 700 residents and was legally closed in the mid-1980s due to its high levels of radioactive contamination. Elizabeth continued her education on the uranium culture of Colorado in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where she went on the “Uranium Mine Hike” and was able to see an abandoned uranium mine that was prospected in the 1950s, but found to be not financially sustainable.

Elizabeth was thrilled with her visit to Grand Junction and the US Department of Energy’s “Atomic Legacy Cabin” museum. This building had been an office for a uranium refinery, and has since been turned into a museum dedicated to telling the story of the secret domestic uranium procurement program for the Manhattan Engineer District. Started in early 1943, over the course of the next three years, this program provided 14% of the total uranium concentrate for the Manhattan Project.

Deciding to continue the exploration of the beautiful Coloradan views, Elizabeth visited the Grand Mesa and enjoyed a day of ATVing and Tenkara Rod fly fishing. She commented, “Seeing the free range grazing cattle, and observing the multitude of wildflowers on the beautiful, blue-skyed sunny day was a chance to reconnect with nature and enjoy the outdoors. As we rode to 10,548 feet, luckily cattle were the only wildlife that crossed our paths.” This was not the only fishing trip she participated in, as she also went for a float trip through Gunnison Gorge, catching the first fish of the day, as well as two additional fish.

Elizabeth also explored the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and was able to take in the views along Chasm View Nature Trail. This was a particularly lucky opportunity, because by the end of the week, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison Park was closed to the public due to wildfires.

Elizabeth’s trip ended in Denver, where she stayed at the Crawford Hotel, a beautiful reimagining and revitalization of Union Station and the railroad business office spaces that were once housed in the building. She had a chance to visit the Denver Botanic Gardens, immersing in the many and varied gardens that make up the space. Her favorite was the Japanese Garden, which evoked a feeling of peace and calm.

In the classroom, Elizabeth is excited to recount what she learned about uranium mining in Colorado. “Students sometimes have difficulty connecting that the elements on the periodic table are existing all around us, so this trip will give me some valuable entries for talking about real world application of elements,” she said. “Additionally, the chance I had to reconnect with people who are important to me was a wonderful way to recharge.