Well known champions for children and power duo, Dr. Lynn & Lisa Taussig, love to travel, celebrate holidays and milestones often with their family - and are on their way now to celebrate another special occasion in Cancun. The respected and generous couple are a great support system for each other and their family - and present themselves with sophistication and class wherever they go.
The highly acclaimed and distinguished Dr. Lynn Taussig (with too many honors and awards to mention) trained with child abuse pioneer, Dr. C. Henry Kempe when he was a Pediatric Resident at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in 1969 and 1970 and worked with fellow resident, Dr. Dick Krugman (who will return to the Kempe Center this Spring to pursue special projects) and Dr. Doug Jones, pediatrician and former chairman of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital.
His lovely and gracious wife, Lisa, is sincere, and straight-forward; and Lisa is one of the most long-standing board members for the Kempe Foundation – and serves (and has previously served) on other boards as well. Lisa was also a faithful volunteer at the Kempe Therapeutic Preschool from 1993 until 2011 when it closed.
Lisa taught school for a while, and then turned her focus to being a dedicated support system for Lynn when he became President and CEO of National Jewish Medical & Research Center from 1993 to 2006. Lisa says: “We traveled, and went to a lot of events, and entertained many donors on behalf of National Jewish.”
Lisa credits her husband with making significant changes while he was head of National Jewish and putting them on the successful trajectory they are on today - and also for the contributions he made while heading the Tucson Children’s Research Center before coming to National Jewish. Mrs. Taussig says: “Lynn should be very proud of all he has accomplished!”
Dr. Taussig is currently the Special Advisor to the Provost for Life Sciences at the University of Denver and is helping them search for the Executive Director of the new multi-disciplinary Knoebel Center for the Study of Aging.
Dr. Lynn and Lisa Taussig are enjoying a wonderful life and looking forward to more fun times with their family and their travel adventures. They both say: “We are so proud of everyone in our family, and hope we have had a positive influence on them.”
Because of their commitment to fighting child abuse, helping the elderly, and giving back to the world in every way they can, we have chosen Dr. Lynn and Lisa Taussig as our “2015 Valentine’s Day Have You Met Couple.”
How did the two of you meet? Lisa: We were fixed up by a mutual friend the summer after my first year of college, and Lynn's first year of medical school. (Lynn calls it a blind date!).
Where did the two of you get married, and what was the day like? Lisa: We had a traditional synagogue marriage in Milwaukee in the month of June. We had a hotel room that night, and Lynn’s brother, who was a professional jokester, must have bribed the bellman, and we had 40 friends waiting for us as we entered our room. Right after that, we left for a 10 week honeymoon to Europe; and about 4 weeks into it, I had an appendicitis attack while in Vienna, Austria and ended up in the hospital for an appendectomy.
When you first met, what was the first thing you noticed about each other? Lynn: Lisa was young, but mature and very easy to converse with… Lisa: Lynn was extremely responsible. As we were driving, we saw a drunk driver, and Lynn was able to get his license plate number, and then we went right to the police to report it.
What social or charitable events do you look forward to attending each year? Lisa & Lynn: The Kempe Gala, Beaux Arts Ball for National Jewish, Reel Hope for Jewish Family Services, and DU’s Founders Day event.
How did you get so involved with the Kempe Center & Foundation? Lisa: Lynn was a pediatric resident under Dr. Henry Kempe who was way ahead of the rest of the country in the field of child abuse research… and that’s how Lynn was exposed to the concept of finding ways to recognize and fight child abuse. Then in 1993 when we moved back to Denver, I volunteered at the Kempe preschool every week and was asked to become a Kempe board member in 1994.
As a couple, what's your first priority? Lynn & Lisa: Each other and family.
What main quality do you admire in each other? Lynn: How committed Lisa is to the community. Lisa: Lynn calls me a professional volunteer! I really admire how responsible and reliable Lynn is; he always gets the job done… and he is so accomplished and hard-working!
What do you have most in common? Lisa: Love for our children, family and friends; we both enjoy theatre, dance, and opera. Lynn: Our love of travel and going on family vacations.
They say sometimes opposites attract; what is the most different thing about the two of you? Lisa: Lynn completes projects early, he's very compulsive and organized and just gets things done early. I work better under pressure, that seems to get me going... I procrastinate, then get it done.
Where do both of you like to go for a romantic dinner - in Colorado? Lisa & Lynn: Barolo Grill, Venice, and Piatti’s.
What is your favorite vacation spot – and why? Lynn: London, so much to do there. We lived there for 5 months in 1992 during a sabbatical. Lisa: New York because of all the great theatre.
Do you have any upcoming travel plans? Lynn & Lisa: We have already traveled to around 70 countries, so we are big travelers. We will be going to: Charleston, South Carolina for the "Spoleto Festival", and the "Pageant of the Masters" in Laguna Beach, Cape Code for a family trip in June, a Baltic cruise with the family in the future…. We are now getting ready to go to Cancun with our granddaughter, Jessie, for her post-Bat Mitzvah trip.
What did you do for Valentine's Day this year? Lisa: I am on the board of the Mizel Arts & Culture Center (MACC), and we attended a dessert reception for the closing night of the Denver Jewish Film Festival.
What is a treasured family possession that you hope will be passed on through the generations? Lynn: The hand carved chairs that were saved by my family as they fled from Nazi Germany in the 1930's, Lisa: We have collections of masks from all over the world; and Lynn has a huge collection of walking sticks (about (60) collected during our travels.
In your opinion, what does it take to get to that special place known as "wedded bliss"? Lynn and Lisa: Tolerance, patience, negotiation, and compromise.
Tell us about a great Taussig family tradition? Lisa & Lynn: We are big game players… board games - you name it! Our family vacations are a great tradition. At Passover sedars, our kids do skits and plays; and our son-in-law is very clever and makes up different competitive games that are a lot of fun. We also have great birthday celebrations.
What are you most looking forward to in the future? Lynn: Good health and time with family. Lisa: More time together and with family. Taking adult education classes together… and more milestones in our grandchildren’s lives… and more travel!
How do you want to be remembered by the community? Lynn: As someone who has worked hard to help make this a great community and supported it with time, energy, and resources. Lisa: By contributing all I could… I hope to have made a positive impact on the community.
