Mr. Kyle's Memories

[SieSie]

The correct website is: http://www.che.ksu.edu/people/faculty.html

I put the professor's picture (enlarged) beside our BK, here it is and I'll add it to the photo thread, too...

Not sure if it looks like him or not, but I think it's definitely worth looking into - so who's making contact??

Great job everyone!! :blowkiss:

 

[LaWanda]

I thought Benjamin used "Benjamin Kyle" because the initals were BK, as in the Burger King that he was found behind? It definately wouldn't hurt to shoot the Prof an email though.

 

[believe09]

I thought Benjamin used "Benjamin Kyle" because the initals were BK, as in the Burger King that he was found behind? It definately wouldn't hurt to shoot the Prof an email though.

You are absolutely correct-he did. His real affinity is for the name Benjaman, spelled exactly that way.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Did anyone bother to check with the Professor?

 

[christine2448]

Alot of info here...this was in an email we rec'd from BK.

Mama Elena's is or was on East Colfax. The building was next to a Taco Bell and built of the same brick that they used to use for Taco Bells.. I always thought the building might have been built as a headquartres building for a Taco Bell Franchisee or a regional Headquartres for Taco Bell itself.
Mama Elena"s lad the best "mexican" food in Denver. They said everything was prepared fresh daily and I believe it. It tasted like it. Th ey said their cuisine derived from the French when France ruled Mexico for a few years through a puppet emperor.
Near the corner of Colfax and Colorado were two coffee shops [now termed "family restaurants" as opposed to Starbucks which I don't believe even existed then] Azar's Big Boy and White Spot.I see by satellite pictures that neither building exists any longer.
Azars did have a great buffet, but lousy service. White Spot was great for bar rush but usually only had one cook on duty so it took a long time to get your food. Azar's always seemed to have plenty of staff on duty but they seemed more interested in talking to each other than waiting on customers. There was another White Spot closer to the State Capital on Colfax That was frequently called the Gay Spot instead of the White Spot. Both chains are now out of business, at least I can not find them anywhere in the internet.

The Normandy was on Colfax at Monroe Street [I think]. Their parking lot fronted Colfax and the building fronted a side street. It was very High End [expensive]. It had originally been located futher east on Colfax, again, itn an old house on the corner. After they moved another French Restaurant took over the building and made a success of it [ Tante Louise? ].
Down the street from Colorado Boulevard, west, toward the Capital Building, there was a old Sambo's building which was occupied by several restaurants at one time or another but none of them ever seemed to make a success of it. across the street from the Sambo's was an old Red Barn restaurant building that became an antique store. I think it is still in business.
Across from East High School was a Kentucky Fried Chicken clone whose name I do not remember.Just east of the chicken place was an Arthur Treachers Fish & Chips.
Somewhere on East Colfax, near the Park Avenue intersection was Mountain Man Pizza [I think I have the name right]. They had gotten several awards for having the best pizza in Denver, in my humble opinion it was the best in Colorado. They also had a store in Steamboat Springs. They had a salad bar set up in an old cast iron bathtub just inside the door.
I recognize several of the restaurants mentioned in your E-mail to Ms. Slater. Westworld used to publish these awards every year. I think they made up some category's just so their advertisers could win something.

 

[Salem]

From the email - I think it would be fair to say he spent some time in Denver. Or am I only repeating the obvious?:crazy:

So.... given that he knows these restraunts so well - did he work in the area? Someone working in the area would frequent different places during lunchtime.

If anyone has access to Denver newspaper archieves, it might be possible to figure out when the White Spot and the Big Boy went out of business and when the one restraunt was turned into an antique store. This could give us a bit of a timeframe. BK says he remembers when the antique store went in.

There is also a high school that he talks about. I wonder if he went to high school there and he was in the area during his late teens, before heading off to college? I just say this because he seems to remember the high school, and high schoolers would also frequent nearby restraunts and would definitely notice which ones were too expensive.

Salem

 

[raeann]

If someone from the Denver area could contact one of the current restaurant owners or other business owners in that area, I'm sure they might be able to give some sort of a time frame for the combination of restaurants which are recalled. Also if there is any business in that area that has been in existence for a long period of time, that owner might be most helpful. This extensive listing of places seems to indicate someone who ate out OFTEN in that area, or someone who had some type of business that required him to visit these places. (Health inspector, linen service, supply sales, etc. ????)

 

[raeann]

http://www.larryhotz.com/blog/cool-fax-avenue/
I don't know how to create a link, sorry, but this is a real estate website that has an article about restaurants and the popularity of the Colfax street area in Denver. From the picture of Larry Hotz on the site, he seems to be about the same age as Mr. Kyle is thought to be, so if someone wanted to contact him and send an email regarding this case, he might be helpful. The article is about the Colfax area being referred to as "Cool-fax" and was written by Elizabeth Hotz from the same real estate firm.

 

[raeann]

Here is another possible helpful source of information. I am unable to email or otherwise contact anyone at these sites today, but would love to hear what these places have to say about MR.KYLE if anyone else could please check these sources out.
....Quote.....BASTION"S RESTAURANT
3501 E. Colfax, Denver (303) 322-0363
We have been serving guests for almost 60 years. We know how to show our guests a dining experience with our entrees such as grilled salmon, steak and shrimp, Cajun Catfish, and our signature Chicken Florentine. We are located on the east side of downtown Denver on Colfax, and we have free parking behind the restaurant. Please call ahead with reservations.

 

[Fairy1]

Sure seems Mr. Kyle has a lot of specific memories about Denver - I can't believe that's a coincidence! I've been reading up on the history of Colfax Avenue - and there's quite a lot of information out there. Seems the avenue has seen better days. I'm posting a link to an article that explains this historic avenue and provides a great timeline for how it has evolved through the years. May help us narrow down when Mr. Kyle was in that area. Two things about his memories; when did Taco Bells start popping up? And, I know it's been stated that he seems to have a good deal of knowledge about restaurants - possibly building or engineering. But maybe he was a food critic or a restaurant building inspector???? IDK - but here's the article!

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3850661

 

[bluestarzz]

in Oct 1997, pepsico spun off ....taco bell therefore forming tricon global rest.
under taco bell history...on their website, now who knows how long it took before one popped up in that area...but i would think 1997, 1998 or a little earlier would be a good guess for BK
beverly

 

[MidnightQ]

Could anyone contact Taco Bell and ask? To contact them via their website you need a US adress.

I don't know how the system is in US, but in Denmark you need to registre your company, and those information are keept for years even after the business is closed. If you have those kind of information, maybe it is possible to find former owners of restaurantes and businesses in the area.

 

[Salem]

If he was in Denver in 1997/98, a search of the Denver paper archives might be useful for those years.

Also, getting a phone number for the antique store and finding out when it started business might be helpful.

Contacting the Larry Holtz guy in Reann's post above may prove very helpful, especially if he likes to talk.

I know we have case managers for BK. Could I ask one of them to explain what we posters can do on our own without messing up anything they are working on? I know it is best to have only one or two people do contacts so that we don't overwhelm anyone. I would be more than willing to send an email to the Realtor guy, but I don't want to get in anyone's way. Let me know and I will either contact or not contact depending upon the reply

Salem

 

[Aimee729]

I am a very newbie here- and this is my first time posting. Fascinating story and so sad that the case has not been solved. Please allow my observations and ideas from "new eyes" on the case. My first thought was- wow, this guy looks like my Dad. (It is not, my Dad is living with my Mom). They do have many similarities- for one, my Dad has always been told he looked like Gerald McRaney! I believe they may be similar in age- DOB around 1940. His musculature and physical attributes- similar to my Dad who worked in construction/building. His knowledge of electrical work and restaurants- maybe he worked in building them. Does his skin look weathered- like he may have worked outside in the sun?? How about his hands- are they smooth and soft or rough and scarred like a man who has physically worked with his hands for a living? As for the name Benjamen- my thought is maybe that is the name of his son- not of himself. Maybe he remembers the name of his most dear loved one- even if it is someone who he has not seen in a while. For, if he had a family- a wife, girlfriend or grown children- surely they would be frantically looking for their lost loved one. It seems like someone would have discovered him by now. My observations- but maybe some new ideas.

 

[Fairy1]

Welcome Aimee - great to have a new pair of eyes here!

My memory isn't what it used to be (along with many of my body parts!), but I remember Taco Bell from long before the 90's. I would venture to say late 70's even. With that said, the reason I'm focusing on this point is because Colfax Avenue appears to have transformed significantly over the years. From what I have read, it began as a truly wonderful and major thoroughfare and has degenerated into a hangout for hookers, pimps, homeless and other less than ideal citizens. Benjaman's memories of it seem to be centered around restaurants and that may make it easier to pinpoint the timeframe during which he was in the area. Judging from what I found on Colfax on-line, I'm certain the Denver area libraries would have more in-depth historical accounts. But I'm not in Denver!

 

[phenolred]

Ok I have found some very intreging connections with the Big Boy

based on what I have found the AZARS big boy was in COLORADO and INDIANA, they were a Big Boy franchise it appears the ONLY 2 states that have AZARS franchinses or DID is Indiana (fort Wayne( might stil be open and Colorado.

Also, based on other research the SAME arcitects that built the Denver Azars Big Boy also built a Big Boy in Indianapolis strange huh?/


https://digital.lib.washington.edu/php/architect/record.phtml?type=structure&structureid=10170

 

[phenolred]

More digging I found this to be really odd I guess the man that owned the Big Boy in Denver Colorado LIVED in FORT WAYNE indiana weird

here is a link

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we...page=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM

 

[phenolred]

one more thing I found


Denver Post - NewsBank[SIZE=-1] - May 14, 1994[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]The last Azar's Big Boy outlet in Colorado closed two years ago. [/SIZE]

so the last Big Boy he could have possibly been in, in Denver is 1992.

 

[EmilyE]

He speaks of White spot- those are restraunts I've seen in BC Canada.
He also says neither building is there where he thinks they were anymore... Could he be from Canada?

I've never seen a white spot in USA and they are definitely not out of business in Canada.
White spot is somewhat like Applebees or Dennys.

 

[CuriousCity]

Hello everyone! I'm a newbie to websleuths though I have lurked for years. I did some digging around this evening based on the email in this thread from BK. Here's what I found:

1969 - 1984 Sambo’s open and active in Denver
http://www.santabarbara.com/Dining/review_read.asp?pk_restaurant=773

Which means, if he is referring to the "old Sambo's", it would have to be after 1984. However, for him to remember that it was originally a Sambo's, he would have had to have seen it close (perhaps ate there before it closed). Therefore, 1984 or earlier.

Next, the infamous Red Barn/antique store:

Old Red Barn now a Starbucks
Location according to Red Barn memory website is 2975 E Colfax Ave Denver, CO
http://www.barnbuster.net/barnsgonebye12.html
Street view on google maps estimates the address at around 2914 E Colfax Ave Denver, CO (if you'd like to take a look - can not tell what is across the street that he claimed had been many unsuccessful restaurants)
Opened(?) Or was active on April 23, 1969. (Source barnbuster.net)
Closed at the latest in 1986, as that is the year the final leases on Red Barn Stores were terminated.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Barn

This is directly from the notes that I took while I was researching, so I mostly just stated the fact and source, just like high school report data.

Based on what I found above, I theorize that BK was active in Denver in the mid 80's to early 90's.