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 ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Museum.
Autographed sports memorabilia, balloon trips, scenic flights, dinners, hotel stays, lift tickets and gift certificates from numerous Boulder 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 ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥.
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 ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ from becoming part of the United States until it was agreed it would enter as a free state.