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Community honors Estes Industries co-founder with memorial bench – Canon City Daily Record.On May 9, Estes Industries and Fremont County residents came together to formally honor and bid farewell to one of its beloved co-founders, Gleda Estes.Though Estes passed away in March 2024, during which time she was sorely missed, the staff at Estes Industries worked closely with Cañon City Parks and Recreation District Executive Director Kyle Horne to put together a memorial bench on the Cañon City Riverwalk.“Vern and Gleda contributed so much to the local community both through Estes Industries and their own personal work, so it’s really exciting for us to have Gleda publicly memorialized in a place that she loved in the community that she and her husband loved,” said Estes Industries Archivist Abby Hanks.The bench was officially unveiled on May 9 to the community and will forever commemorate the remarkable lady that Estes was.Estes spent 92 years on earth before leaving behind a legacy of innovation, education, and community impact — and her beginnings were humble.Born Gleda Kane on March 4, 1932, in a farming community near Clarinda, Iowa, she was the youngest of eight children and developed a strong work ethic early in life.During high school, she balanced her studies with housekeeping, cooking and childcare in exchange for room and board, while also working part-time at a local hospital as she prepared for a career in nursing.It was during her freshman year at Central College in McPherson, Kan., that she met Vernon “Vern” Estes, 96, in chemistry class.The pair married in 1951 and soon began building both a family and a business that would ultimately shape the world of model rocketry.Together, Estes and Vern founded Estes Industries in 1958, helping transform what began as a modest mail-order operation into the world’s leading manufacturer of model rocket kits, engines and accessories.Though Vern is often recognized for his technical ingenuity, those closest to the company knew Estes as its operational backbone.In the company’s earliest days, she wore nearly every hat imaginable, rolling body tubes by hand, stitching together the first Estes catalogs on her sewing machine, typesetting instructions, processing orders and managing bookkeeping.As the business expanded alongside the excitement of the nation’s growing space program, Estes’s role grew with it.After the company relocated to Penrose in 1961, she oversaw what became the largest division within Estes Industries, managing production schedules, mailings and order fulfillment.Her leadership ensured rocket kits reached eager customers across the country on time, and by the time the company was sold in 1969, she was managing more than 300 employees.To many within the company, Estes was affectionately known as “the Boss,” a title that reflected both her strong leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence.“She really had (her) hands in everything.She was instrumental in the founding and running of the company,” Hanks said.After she retired from Estes Industries in 1972, Estes remained active in business ventures with her husband while dedicating significant time to community organizations and church youth and music programs.Education remained one of her lifelong passions.Her belief in encouraging young minds, particularly young women pursuing science and engineering, inspired the creation of the Gleda M.Estes Scholarship through the National Association of Rocketry.The scholarship continues to provide financial support to female students pursuing STEM degrees.Learn more about the scholarship at https://www.nar.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=114127&module_id=670369.Estes and Vern attended almost every National Association of Rocketry Annual Meet until 2020, during which time they encouraged thousands of rocketeers to pursue their interests and educations in STEM and rocketry.In fact, rocketry competitions were a mainstay in their lives, with Estes and her family traveling to their first international rocket meet in Czechoslovakia in 1966.Estes placed third in the payload event and Vern placed fourth.Estes was one of the first women to compete on an international level and was also a pivotal member of the first all-female American team to travel and compete internationally.Those who knew Estes remember not only her sharp mind and tireless work ethic, but also her kindness, generosity and devotion to family.And, now, her name offers Fremont County residents a place to rest while they enjoy the riverwalk.