Year Inducted: 2005
Nominated By: LeLand "Lee" Johnson
Sports Competed In: Basketball, Track
Athlete, Coach or Contributor: Athlete, Coach, Contributor
High School:
Attended Pueblo Centennial year (1941)...Served as Captain of the track team...Three year letterman in the 880 yd run and the Mile Relay (1938-41).
High School Achievements:
● Broke the Colorado College Relays record for the 880 yd run in 1941 with a time of 2:02.9.
● Tied the Colorado State Record for the 880 yd run during the South Central League Meet with a time of 1:59.9 while finishing a dead heat to the winning time of 1:59.7.
● Broke the Colorado State Record for the 880 yd run in 1941 at the Colorado State Meet with a time of 1:59.1 while finishing second in a dead heat to the winning time of 1:58.9
College:
Pueblo Jr. College (1941-46):
● Served as captain of both the track and basketball teams.
● Never lost a race while competing in both the 440 yd dash and 880 yd run (1941-42).
● Served as the captain of the basketball team while playing guard (1941-43 and 1946).
● Chosen to the All-conference basketball team for two years.
● During his sophomore year, Albo lead the team in scoring and was a member of Conference Championship Team - two years.
Colorado College (1946-48):
● Member of the basketball (guard) and track teams.
● Broke the Rocky Mountain A.A.U. record for the mile relay in 1948.
● Winner of the Rocky Mt. Conference mile Relay and Colo. Univ. Relays distance medley relay (1948).
● Selected as a member of the national Phi Delta Theta all-sports Honor Roll track team (1948).
● Chosen to be captain of the 1949 track team but instead accepted the position of Freshman Track Coach.
● Starting guard on the basketball team and various Pueblo City teams until sidelined with a broken leg.
Advanced Education
Earned an MA (1952) and an EdD. Degree (1971) from the University of Denver.
Achievements:
Coaching:
Head Freshman Track Coach at Colorado College for one year (1948-49)...Track Coach at McClave High School for one year (1949-50).
Head Football Coach Vineland, CO H.S. for three years (1950-53).
Achievements:
● Finished 2nd in the Central Arkansas Valley League in 1952 with a record of 6-1-1.
● Placed four players on the All-conference offensive team and two on the defensive team.
Head Baseball/Basketball Coach Vineland, CO H.S. for three years (1952-53).
Achievements:
● Won the League championship in 1952-1953 with an all-game record of 19-4.
● Won the Excelsior Gold Medal Tournament.
● Placed two players on the All-Tourney team, best player award, and the U.S. Federation Award...Won the League Championship.
Football Asst. Coach and Head Basketball Coach at Aurora, CO. H.S (1953-55)...Took basketball team that had a 1-15 record to an 8-7 record in 1954-55.
Contributor:
● Spent six years as a teacher/coach at McClave, Vineland and Aurora H.S.(1949-55).
● Worked for six years as an Asst. Principal at Aurora H.S. (1955-61).
● Served as Director of the Division II State Wrestling Meet held in Aurora (1959).
● Named Principal at West Jr. High in Aurora for one academic year (1961-62).
● Served for seven years as Principal at Aurora High School (1962-69).
● One of the organizers and the first President of the 5A Centennial League (1968).
● Six-year member of the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) Executive Committee (1968-74) and during that time was involved in a number of major decisions concerning the operation of H.S. athletics in Colorado.
● Worked in the Central Administration as Director of Employment for one year (1970-71).
● Served one year as President of Interscholastic Activities for the CHSAA.
● Spent 20 1/2 years as Assistant Superintendent of Personal in Aurora, CO (1971-92).
● Hosted many CHSAA state level events held in Aurora including the state pentathlon meet, the Boys' Gymnastic meet and the Class "C" District Basketball Tournament.
● Served on the Speech & AAA Basketball committees of the CHSAA.
● President of the Colorado Association of School Personnel Administrators (CASPA) in 1978.
● Appointed as a Citizen Assessor by the Aurora Civil Services Commission to serve a three-year term specializing in testing, certifying, and recommending candidates for promotional positions in the Aurora police and fire departments (1993-96).
Honors:
● Received Aurora Outstanding Young Teacher Award from the Jr. Chamber of Commerce and was runner-up for same award for the State of Colorado (1959).
● Recognized as one of the Founders and Longtime Friends of the city of Aurora Recreation Department during the ceremony by Sports Illustrated selecting Aurora as the #1 Sports town in Colorado (2003).
● Named to the Pueblo Centennial High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.
Speaker/Writer:
● Wrote "The Legal Status of State High School Activities Associations in the 50 States" - Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Denver, 1971.
● Penned "Athletic Associations Call the Tune", American School Board Journal, Feb. 1972.
● Presented "The Aurora Experiment on Effective Screening Techniques" - Jointly, at the Fourth National Personnel Conference conducted by Personnel Administrative Services, Dec. 1972.
● Wrote "How to Deal with Negative Items in the Supervision of Teacher Performance/Behavior" - prepared for presentation to all Aurora administrators and to members of the Colorado Association of School Personnel Adminstrators (1986).
● Conducted "A Study of the Educational Program of Douglas County School District Re 1" - prepared for the University of Denver Bureau of Educational Research for presentation to the Douglas County School Board of Education, 1970.
Military:
● Played guard on the Army Air Corps basketball team (1943-44).
● Served in the 15th Air Force during World War II as a Radio-gunner on a B-17 bomber stationed in Italy.
● Flew 31 combat missions - holder of the Purple Heart, The Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters and five Battle Stars in the European Theatre of Operations.
Professional Affiliations:
● Member of the Colorado Association of Personnel Administrators (CASPA), 1972-1992.
● Life member of the Colorado Parent Teacher Association.
● Past member: National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP); Phi Delta Kappa; National Aero-Space Education Council; Colorado Association of School Executives; Association of Negotiators and Contract Administrators.
● Served as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Bureau of Educational Research, University of Denver (1969-70).
● Served 27 years (1961-88) as Director of Tennis for the city of Aurora Recreation Department conducting clinics and tournaments for individuals ranging in age from eight (8) to adulthood.
Personal:
Lives in Aurora, CO with his wife Betty.. Nickname is "Gene".
