2 Coloradans to be White House guests at State of the Union

Photo: Obama and Denver resident Carolyn Reed (AP Photo)
Leslie Gresham, left, Carolyn Reed, and David Johnson, all who wrote President Barack Obama, right, letters, have dinner with the President at Wazee Supper Club on Tuesday, July 8, 2014, in Denver. Reed will join Obama on Tuesday for the State of the Union address.

Two Coloradans will be guests of the White House at the State of the Union speech.

The White House on Monday announced that 27-year-old medical student William Elder, Jr., of Englewood will sit in the first lady's box during Tuesday night's speech. Elder was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was 8. He has benefited from medical innovations that will enable him to live a full and productive life.

Denver resident Carolyn Reed will also watch from the first lady's box. She was one of several Coloradans who joined President Obama for dinner in Denver last year. Reed and her husband wrote the President about how a Small Business Administration loan helped them expand their sub shop business. They gave their workers a raise after their dinner with the president.