Thomas Noel (historian)
Thomas Jacob Noel, (born 6 May 1945 in Boston, Massachusetts) often introduced in media interviews as Dr. Colorado, is an American historian specializing in the history of the Rocky Mountain West, and especially of the state of Colorado. He is a professor of history at the University of Colorado at Denver, where he teaches classes in the history of the American West, Colorado, Denver, historic preservation, mining and railroads, national parks, and Western art and architecture. He is the co-author or author of more than fifty books, numerous articles, and newspaper columns. He is the director  of the Center for Colorado Studies at the Denver Public Library. The center provides many resources for students including Colorado books, book reviews, short-documentaries, as well as Native American, Hispanic, and other resource guides. Noel won a "Colorado Book Award" in 1997 among numerous other awards. Noel leads walking, railroading, and motor-coach tours for various groups including The Colorado Historical Society and The Smithsonian. He chaired the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission and served as a National Register reviewer for Colorado. Biography. Born in Boston on May 6, 1945, Noel is a graduate of the University of Denver (B.A.  history and M.A. library science). He received an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Colorado Boulder. His mother (a psychiatrist) and grandmother (a teacher) also received their graduate degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. His early work experience included part-time jobs such as a Christmas card salesman, gardener, paperboy, bus boy, soda jerk, pool hall attendant, life guard, swim instructor, library page, writer, dude ranch roustabout, Colorado Historical Society tour guide, and photo librarian. Noel wrote long-running newspaper columns on western history for the Sunday "Rocky Mountain News" and The Sunday "Denver Post". He  television work includes roles as a historical consultant, "talking head", and narrator for The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, The Travel Channel, and local Denver stations. He regularly appears as "Dr. Colorado" on Colorado & Company on Channel 9 (NBC television) in Denver. His many awards and prizes have come from, among others: The American Institute of Architects, The American Association of State and Local History, the City of Denver, The Old House Society, The Colorado Center for the Book, The Frank Waters Prize, The Angie DeBow Prize and The National Science Foundation.