Colorado Mesa University Athletics

SPECIAL RECOGNITION - Information as of 1998: Buescher has been a friend of Mesa State for over 50 years. He attended the University of Wyoming for one year before moving to California. In 1939 he moved to Grand Junction and bought the Grand Junction Pepsi affiliate. He took the company and extended its reach from three routes to 25 by the time he sold his business in 1982. During his tenure he donated time and energy, providing the college with athletic scholarships and money to remodel the student center. Buescher was the first to buy advertisements for the Mesa State game programs and supplied soda for Mesa State athletic contests, while participating in game-day promotional events. He bought the original scoreboards that are still in place in Saunders Fieldhouse and Bus Bergman Field. In 1982, Buescher sold his Pepsi business to an offshore interest group and then bought West Star Aviation which the family still owns. In 1986, Buescher arranged for West Star Aviation to donate for an Environmental Restoration scholarship that is awarded annually. He was a fighter pilot in the Army during World War II and was stationed at Murrock Dry Lake (Edwards AFB) Flying School. Buescher and his wife Blanche have two sons, Louis and Tom.