AROUND TOWN: Giving Chuck Murphy his due

Roasting good-natured Chuck Murphy was almost too easy.

It’s like shooting fish in a barrel,” said roaster Gary Feffer.

So over several hours, the large Murphy clan, friends, co-workers and community supporters, 538 strong, unloaded on Chuck in a ballroom filled with Tonka trucks and items straight from a construction site.

One delicious tale came from son Kevin, revealing  that one time his dad built a house in Chicago ... on a lot that wasn’t his. And then another family member tore down the wrong house.

The family’s involvement with construction was uphill after that and Murphy Constructors is more than 50 years old.

Years ago, when Gov. John Hickenlooper teamed with Chuck to save the historic Cheyenne Hotel and turn it into the city’s first brewpub, Phantom Canyon, the deal was sealed with just a handshake. Then the future governor sang — yes, sang — their first commercial.

When Mary Lou Makepeace was campaigning to become the  city’s first female mayor, a fellow called out, “I’m going to vote for you.” She asked why. “Chuck Murphy told me to!”

Roasters teased the dapper Chuck about greeting women of all ages and then saluted his 24/7 "Hello, love of 55 years, Mary Lou.

Joining in the fun were many, many Murphys, Chuck’s school and college chums and Dorothy Ann Spann, who walked with Chuck to elementary school every day.

And so it went, in a packed Antlers Hilton ballroom decorated as a construction site, as more than $160,000 was raised for Cheyenne Village, which is celebrating 40 years of helping adults with developmental disabilities live self-sufficient lives.

Among those at the roast: Phil and Anita Lane, Kathy Loo and Jim Raughton, Ian Griffis, Kathleen and Rick Ricker, Jay and Emily Cimino, Jim Maguire, Mary Ellen McNally, Ralph and Kathi Braden, Emilie and George Fiedler, Tom and Joan Lee, Chris and Sandra Greese, Mary Jean and Jeff Price, Beth and John Hughes and emcee Rich Tosches and his wife, Susie Burghart.

Roasters were Mary Lou Makepeace, Gary Feffer, Steven Mullens, Murray Weiner, Marvin Strait, Gov. John Hickenlooper and Kevin Murphy.

More photos in colorado springs.com photo galleries.