craigdailypress.com

By Dan Olsen and Daily Press staff

Saed Tayyara, a long-time Craig and Moffat County resident and public official, announced to Moffat County officials and employees Monday that he is being treated for lung cancer.

Tayyara has served past terms on the Craig City Council and as city mayor. He was elected to the Moffat County Board of County Commissioners in 2004. He made the announcement Monday afternoon in a short, paragraph-long letter.

"My physicians have advised me that I have lung cancer," the letter stated. "I have commenced treatment for this condition and am optimistic about my prognosis. I fully expect to continue to perform all of my duties as Moffat County commissioner and to attend all scheduled meetings of the Board of County Comm-

issioners. I will keep you advised of my progress as I believe necessary.

"Please res-

pect my privacy."

Tayyara, a native of Tartous, Syria, immigrated to the United States in 1963. He came to Steamboat Springs in 1965, enrolled in Yampa Valley College and formed what would become an enduring friendship with the college's founder, Lucille Bogue.

He later came to own several businesses in Craig and Steamboat Springs.

In November 2006, he paid homage to his friend, the late Bogue, by establishing the Lucille Bogue/Saed Tayyara Scholarship, an annual $1,000 allocation that will be provided to a worthy Moffat County student hoping to attend Colorado Northwestern Community College.

He also pledged $500 to the former Yampa Valley College, now known as the Alpine campus of the Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs.

Tayyara serves as an ex-officio member to 14 boards in the area, including The Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, the Moffat County Library Board and Yampa Valley Partners.

In December, Tayyara was unanimously re-elected as the voting delegate for Club 20, a Western Slope political organization, marking the fourth time he'd been selected to the position.