A love for performing arts inspired a lasting legacy at CMU's Asteria Theatre
With a deep passion for performing arts, Katherine Kylen moved from Chicago to Grand Junction 50 years ago. At the time, Mesa College was celebrating its 50th anniversary. Now, Kylen and Colorado Mesa University are celebrating a new milestone together: the first-year anniversary of the Asteria Theatre.“I feel the value of the performing arts can’t be minimized. Our human need for music, dance, joy and laughter is divine and integral to who we are, and I think the Asteria Theatre can help fill that longing we have,” said Kylen.
Her late sister Irene Stoesser shared that same passion. Stoesser was a performing artist and a teacher of children with special needs. She was dedicated to her students and budding artists in Chicago. She even created a performing arts program for children with disabilities.
After Stoesser passed away from COVID-19, Kylen began looking for a way to honor her sister’s legacy. Around that same time, she read about the construction of the Asteria Theatre and how community members could contribute. The opportunity to sponsor dressing rooms stood out to her the most.
The idea of having her sister’s name tied to a dressing room — a sacred place where performers can prepare for their shows before “doing what they love, entertaining people” — seemed like a wonderful tribute to her sister’s legacy.
“My sister died before she could personally contribute to some of the things that were her intent. She was a benefactor and supporter of the arts…and I wanted to carry on her tradition, her legacy in that,” said Kylen.
On opening night, Kylen attended the reception and unveiling of the dressing room with her other sister, Barbara Jean Mengarelli, a retired occupational therapist. Kylen pulled Rick Adleman, Assistant Director of Development, to the side and asked if the second dressing room was still available. He said it was, and Kylen asked if it could also be sponsored by her.
The Barbara Jean Mengarelli Dressing Room officially opened on August 28, 2025, when Kylen surprised her sister with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. Moments before the ribbon was cut, Mengarelli expressed her disappointment that the dressing room had been sold and her desire to sponsor the room in Kylen’s honor.
“I’m really proud of the contributions that my two sisters made during their lifetimes, and I think their memory deserves to be preserved,” said Kylen.
“Katherine has lived here for about 50 years, so it is her community now,” said Adleman. “What a great way to immortalize the memory of her sister, Irene, and do good at the same time.”
As children, Kylen and her sisters listened to a song called “Side by Side,” and now her sisters can remain “side by side” forever.
Just as Colorado Mesa University and Grand Junction are deeply intertwined, so too is Kylen with the university. In the five decades that Kylen has called Colorado home, she and her family, including all three sons and three granddaughters, have attended CMU for a class, certificate, program or degree. They’ve gone to performances and been invested in the success of the university.
In addition to the dressing rooms, Kylen has established scholarships in honor of both of her sisters. The Flourish in the Footlights scholarship is dedicated to Stoesser’s memory and is meant for a student who has a disability and is enrolled in theatre arts, dance or music. The Barabara Jean Mengarelli Transforming Challenges into Triumphs scholarship is awarded to a graduate student enrolled in the master’s program in occupational therapy. Mengarelli served as an occupational therapist in the Chicago area for 25 years.
“CMU has provided entertainment and educational opportunities for my whole family. It’s just an integral part of our lives,” said Kylen.