History Of Luncheon DONE.

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MacDonald Family Tribute Luncheon

The History of the MacDonald Family Tribute
Around 1940, a very young Van Bruce MacDonald was diagnosed with severe mental illness. In his words, he lived in the darkness. His parents sought the best psychiatric care available at the time, traveling to various hospitals and clinics throughout the country to find help and relief for their son. At 14, Van and his parents were told by a prominent therapist that he was too ill to treat. To quote Van, My parents were too wise and loved me too much to accept that prognosis. Don and Grace MacDonald, along with their two other sons Bill and Clay, loved and supported Van, and never stopped believing in his right to live his life with dignity, respect and love.
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Eventually, Van was accurately diagnosed as having Aspergers Syndrome. With the help and support of his family, a host of people that emerged over the years, and employment at Bayaud Enterprises, Van was able to live an independent life. He earned two masters degrees in physics (one from CU Boulder in the 1960s and one from the University of Denver in 2003), was an accomplished pianist, and was a daily visitor and employee at Bayaud Enterprises his home away from home. Van was an employee at Bayaud for almost 38 years, until he passed away on May 20, 2011, leaving behind a legacy of people he touched and a record of incredible dependability. This luncheon has, for more than 20 years, been our opportunity to pay tribute to Van and his parents, Donald and Grace MacDonald, and others in our community who work diligently to help better the lives of people with disabilities and mental illness. This event is now held in the name of the entire MacDonald Family. The MacDonald Family has symbolized what Bayaud is and our vaules - a community that embraces differences and seeks to include everyone in the mosaic of what makes life worthwhile - being a part of a human experience that emanates from the heart and accepts every individual for who they are and where they are in their own journey.