Lucien Lucius (L. L.) Nunn was born on March 16, 1853 on a farm in Medina, Ohio. The ninth of eleven children, Nunn grew up in a household that, while strict, was extremely supportive of intellectual pursuits. After secondary school in the United States, Nunn traveled to Germany to pursue studies in law and philosophy. Upon return to his native country, Nunn enrolled in Harvard Law School.

The 1880s saw Nunn enter into the business of mining. Though he was somewhat successful, he was harried by the exorbitant cost of powering his mines. As a solution, he installed mountain-crossing power lines that brought hydroelectric power to his operations, thus becoming a pioneer in long-distance power transmission.

Not long after the turn of the century, Nunn’s Telluride Power Company, with enterprises from Mexico to Canada, was sold, consolidating Nunn’s considerable fortune. Around this time, however, Nunn was diagnosed with tuberculosis. This news rekindled a lifelong ambition—to establish an educational, intellectual, and spiritual community for young men. The Telluride Association thus began in facilities that Nunn had erected alongside his power operations, originally meant to provide further education for Telluride Power engineers (called “pinheads”). New facilities were established in Deep Springs, California, and on Cornell University’s campus in Ithaca, New York.

Though his tuberculosis worsened, Nunn tirelessly attended to the duties of the fledgling Association. He participated in the selection of teachers and tasks related to admissions until his death in Los Angeles, California, on April 2, 1925.

(Unless noted otherwise, many of the historical photos in this exhibit appear courtesy of the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library, as well as the Deep Springs College and Telluride Association archives.)

The Cornell Branch of the Telluride Association (CBTA) was established in Ithaca, New York, in 1910. Created to provide Nunn’s corps of engineers additional opportunity to further their learning, the Branch survived early upheaval caused by the World Wars. In fact, during World War I, the house served as an officers’ club for Cornell’s military faculty. Despite these wartime setbacks, the Cornell Branch is currently the longest running branch. It oversees an in-house public speaking program for members and a faculty-in-residence program.

Michigan Branch of the Telluride Association (MBTA) was born during a flush financial period for the Association. As stated at the 1992 Convention, “We have the assets, we just have to begin planning.” The Branch opened its doors in 1999 at 1735 Washtenaw Avenue, the Association having narrowly acquired the former sorority house after a bidding war with an order of nuns. As its special focus, MBTA manages an annual community service project each year. After a successful decade, MBTA is the second-longest running branch of the Association.

Over the latter half of the 20th century, Telluride Association has seen the founding of several branches that have since closed their doors. The Pasadena Branch was established in 1946 and closed in 1952. The Berkeley Branch of the Association had an eight-year run from 1963 through 1970. Most recently, the Chicago Branch was founded in 1985, with operations ending in 1987. Though no longer active, the institutions were no less a part of Nunn’s vision, and they produced a number of valued Association members and associates.

Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP) began in the summer of 1954 as a six-week humanities program for upcoming high school seniors. A brainchild of the New Branch Committee in 1953, the program was intended to expand Telluride’s offerings to a greater number of individuals more easily than a new branch could. TASP’s overarching purpose, according to its creators, was “to provide an educational experience of high standard, intended to encourage independence of thought and judgment within the framework of democratic idealism.” Embodying the Nunnian virtue of self-governance, TASPers meet weekly to make collective decisions and plan activities outside the classroom. They often choose to engage in community service projects, music and theater events, and field trips, among other activities.

Proposed in 1992 as a means of both increasing opportunity to underserved populations and fostering a more diverse environment within the Association, Telluride Association Sophomore Seminar (TASS) gives high school sophomores a six-week exploration of history, politics, and culture in the area of minority studies. Hosted at the University of Indiana since 1993 and the University of Michigan since 2002, TASSers learn from accomplished university professors and a pair of “tutors”—generally former TASSers themselves.

Designed to attract students who may not be adequately challenged by the academic opportunities of high school, the programs are ultimately meant to provide fertile ground for the growth of a youth’s intellectual curiosity.

During the first half of Telluride Association’s century in existence, the organization was run by men for men. Although women were never explicitly prohibited from becoming members, the male-centeredness of the organization was well-understood “by long-standing practice.”1

Despite these origins, the Association changed along with the rest of society. In 1961 CBTA began offering residency to females, creating a great stir. After heated discussions in and outside Conventions, it was resolved that “any written, unwritten or understood bars to… qualified women… for membership in Telluride Association” were to be revoked. In 1962 the Association officially welcomed its first female member, Laura Wolfowitz (CB61 TA62). The following year TASP became coeducational, and in 1964 Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (CB63 CBG86) became the first female to be given preferment (full residence scholarship) at the Cornell Branch. Katharine Eisaman Maus (SP72 CB73 TA75) became the first female president of TA in 1989.

Other women made significant contributions to Telluride even before they were extended a full opportunity to do so. Executive secretaries and office managers like Beatrice MacLeod made Association operations possible. Bea was known as an intelligent, outspoken, yet humble woman, whose efforts in TA were defined by administrative precision and an unflagging support for the recruitment of minority students at a time when they were underrepresented to the extreme. A memorial fund has recently been established in her honor.

The Association takes pride in the positive steps it has taken since its establishment and is overjoyed to accept not only women but individuals of all gender expression into its fold.

1: Christenson, Charles. Report of the President. Telluride Association Convention, Ithaca, NY. 1961

In the eyes of L. L. Nunn, service work was a vital step in the creation of a well-rounded scholar; it has therefore been a central component of Telluride Association since its founding. Outside service projects carried out by members of the Cornell or Michigan Branches generally aim to help vulnerable segments of society, including the homeless, the elderly, and at-risk youth. Branchmembers decide democratically on what projects will make the most effective use of the Association’s resources. Thus, service gives members an opportunity to reflect.

Along with serving society, volunteers also serve the Association. Each branch functions through the work of committees, staffed by volunteer housemembers. In addition, students at Deep Springs College perform manual labor on their own facility, from tending a cattle herd to growing an alfalfa farm. Nunn believed work of this nature could foster leadership and interpersonal skills. Alumni of TASP and TASS serve the Association by reading applications and conducting interviews. Association members also decide budgetary and policy questions at the yearly Convention. These service activities all reflect the self-governing structure that Nunn saw as a central tenet of the Association.

In addition to its offerings of branch-based academic communities and intellectually enriching summer programs like TASS and TASP, Telluride also offers associates further opportunity to develop their scholarly careers through the provision of various awards. An eclectic mix, there are awards available for students of a wide variety of academic interests.

Active awards include but are not limited to the Mansfield-Wefald Senior Thesis Prize established in 1994 in memory of Association members Mary Mansfield (SP76 CB77 TA78) and Eric Wefald (SP74 CB75 TA76). The award is bestowed upon an associate deemed by committee to have written the best senior undergraduate thesis. The Mike Yarrow Adventurous Education Award, in keeping with the spirit of Pasadena Branch founder and devout Quaker Clarence “Mike” Yarrow (DS25 CB28) allows qualified associates the means to finance summer educational projects aimed towards world peace or human service at large. In the interests of promoting cultural exchange and intellectual curiosity, the Association also administers the Reese Miller International Exchange Scholarship. Successful applicants from the Cornell and Michigan Branches spend a year abroad at Central European University or the University of Cape Town, South Africa, respectively, while their international peers spend a year studying at either the University of Michigan or Cornell University while residing at one of the branches.

The scholarships, prizes, and other awards offered by Telluride are valued offerings of the Association and an integral part of the intellectual communities it seeks to maintain.