Published: March 18, 1999

Graduate students in the College of Business and Administration will host the 7th annual Barney Ford Auction at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 10, at the CU Museum.

Autographed sports memorabilia, balloon trips, scenic flights, dinners, hotel stays, lift tickets and gift certificates from numerous Â鶹¹ÙÍø County businesses will be auctioned off.

Tickets are $35 and are available at the door or by calling the Graduate School of Business Association at 303-492-3403. All proceeds benefit the Barney Ford Minority Scholarship Fund, which was designed to create and support a more diverse student population at CU.

The scholarship fund is named for Barney Ford, who escaped slavery and arrived in Denver in the 1850s. He was a successful entrepreneur who eventually made a fortune in mining.

During the Civil War, Ford taught black adults to read and write. He also is credited with keeping Colorado from becoming part of the United States until it was agreed it would enter as a free state.