Alton Scales says good-bye to CMC

No permanent CMC replacement yet; jazz performance Saturday

This article first appeared in the Summit Daily News. By Kathryn Turner.

Following his last day as CEO of Colorado Mountain College in Summit County, Alton Scales is preparing to start his new job as president of the Community College of Aurora. The departure “has saddened me because this has been a very important chapter in my life,” Scales said. “It has provided me with so many wonderful experiences, and opportunities to utilize the skills I’ve learned over the years.”

The college doesn’t have a permanent replacement for Scales yet, and at this point, isn’t looking for one, according to spokeswoman Debra Crawford. David Askeland, who has been the director of campus operations in Summit County, is stepping in as interim campus vice president until further notice.

“We wish (Scales) the best in this exciting new endeavor and know he’ll do great things there. He’s been a strong contributor to our college and to the Summit County community, and we will miss him,” Crawford said.

Whenever someone leaves the college, top administration studies the empty position to determine how it might be changed to serve the students and communities even better, Crawford said.

“With David as interim, that gives us the time to make the best decision on the long-term leadership of the campus.” she said.

For the past few years, Scales has spent his free time playing drums for local jazz quartet Trading Fours, a position he is also giving up in his departure.Before he played with the band, the bulk of his musical experience was playing along to CDs.“It gave me an opportunity to develop as a musician in the company of some really wonderful guys,” he said. “There’s a big void that I’ve been wrestling with prior to it happening. It is my number-one form of entertainment.One of Scales’ last performances with the band will be this Saturday in Keystone.“For the past three years since Trading Fours formed, we have joked that Alton has been the ‘rock star’ of our group,” said guitarist Peter Taylor. “Wherever we play in the county, people come in and shout to Alton. He is a special friend to so many and will be greatly missed, especially by Trading Fours.”