Blue, Linden Stanley

Date of birth:  1936

Place of birth:  Meeker, Colorado

Education:  B.A., Yale University; Harvard University, Stanford University

Spouse(s):  Ronne Froman (m. 2012)

Date of first election/apt to Denver City Council: 1971

City Council Terms: 1971-1975

Ward/district: Unknown  

Biography:

Linden Blue was born to a wealthy family in Colorado during the Depression. Blue earned his Bachelor’s degree from Yale and took flying lessons between classes. In 1957, Life featured Blue and his brother Neal in a cover story about their airplane travels through Central and South America. He then served as an Air Force pilot before testing the political waters with a term as a Denver City Council member in the 1970s. From 1982 to 1984, Blue was President and CEO of Beech Aircraft Corporation and a Director of Raytheon Company. From 1980 to 1982, he was with Gates Learjet Corporation. In the mid-1980s, he and his brother attempted a controversial development near Telluride. In 1986, they bought General Atomics and expanded its business from nuclear fusion to the "unmanned aerial vehicle" known as the Predator.

Sources: “Flight of the Bluebird,” Life Magazine, April 8, 1957, 1-12; Charles Duhigg, “The Pilotless Plane That Only Looks Like Child’s Play,” New York Times, April 15, 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/business/yourmoney/15atomics.html;  Potter, Matt, Freeze, Di, “Linden Blue: From Disease-Resistant Bananas to UAVs,” Airport Journals, http://airportjournals.com/linden-blue-from-disease-resistant-bananas-to-uavs/ [accessed 10/16/2014]; “General Atomics: Color It Blue,” San Diego Reader, July 12, 2001 http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2001/jul/12/general-atomics-color-it-blue/#  [accessed 10/16/2014]