Karen and Burke Townsend moved to Missoula in 1973, he to teach at the University of Montana, she to enroll in law school. At the time, their son Alan was a small child. Thirty-three years later, they are still proud to call Missoula home. Karen, who graduated with honors from UM law school, embarked on a distinguished legal career which has led to her recent decision to file for election as District Judge.

Married for 44 years, Karen and Burke are the happy grandparents of Liliana, age 6, and Kaelan, age 8, who live in Boston. Their son, Alan, lives in Boulder, Colorado, where he is a professor of biology at the University of Colorado. Alan lives with his wife Diana, also a professor at the University of Colorado and their new daughter, Neva.

Rounding out the family are two shelter dogs, Hobbes and Buck.

"We love Missoula and have from the moment we arrived," says Karen. "It's grown up a lot over the past three decades, but it's still a great place to live and raise a family. The sense of community is strong here, and I've enjoyed being an active part of it."