DOUG HECOX

Perspective

Rather than dwell on the loss that Sen. Craig Thomas' death is for Wyoming, I prefer to remember the life he lived and the example he set.

I had the great fortune to work for him in his Washington, D.C., office for four years n two in the U.S. House of Representatives and two in the U.S. Senate. Craig amazed me instantly with two virtues that remained with him until the end.

First, he was not fancy. He didn't get fussy like many dignitaries about titles and officiousness. To some, he was The Honorable Senator Thomas but to us n and to Wyomingites everywhere n he was just Craig. There is something to be said about not putting on airs and, in today's world, it's refreshing.

Second, he was an extremely hard worker. Each morning when I worked for him, Craig had run a couple of miles, read two or three newspapers, was going through letters from Wyoming folks n and usually by 7:15 a.m. n well before the earliest of the staff had arrived. He was industrious in a way I'd never before seen, and it set a good example.

Moreover, it reassured me that n despite the stereotypes of politicians wearing pinstripe suits, breaking campaign promises in smoke-filled rooms and hiding money from lobbyists in their freezers n there was at least one good man doing good work and putting in long hours. Craig was not the stereotypical public figure.

The schedule of a member of Congress is as physically demanding as it is intellectually rigorous. After a hard week's work, when most folks go home to a relaxing weekend, Craig instead headed to the airport for a grueling four-hour flight to Denver, and the rollercoaster ride that is the shuttle from Denver to Casper where he would then grab a quick bite before heading down the road to any number of Wyoming towns to speak to community groups or schools. He was always in motion and, while it was clearly a hassle, he did it week-in and week-out for nearly 20 years. It was his job, and he felt it was his privilege to do it.

He relished serving Wyoming, and nothing short of leukemia and chemotherapy could stay his appointed rounds. Such was his dedication to Wyoming folks that, for over a year, the chemotherapy only slowed him down. Such personal integrity and selflessness is rare, but his humility prevented him from seeing it as such.

He did his duty, relentlessly, both in Congress and in the state Legislature, and Wyoming owes him for it.

Despite the many demands of him, he was not given to complaint. Even now, my memories of Craig are of him smiling or laughing.

Or singing.

He may not have known it, but I could sometimes hear him singing cowboy songs n not country-and-western songs, but the old Gene Autry-style cowboy songs n in his office through the wall at my desk. His voice carried through the thin government-issued walls, and his deep baritone seemed to make the papers on my desk vibrate. Simply put, if he was ever unhappy, I never saw it.

Media reports earlier this week on CNN and in USA Today characterized him as one who avoided limelight and political fights. This is inaccurate reporting, I believe, in that it suggests he didn't, or wouldn't, stand up for what he believed in. He did, and often. Better still, his actions often headed off dogfights before they happened.

Craig was a rare breed in American politics, and we may not see it again. The blue-eyed cowboy from Wapiti left a big pair of boots to fill. While America lost a statesman and Wyoming lost one of its proudest sons, those of us who knew him also lost a mentor and friend.

My heart goes out to his wife Susan, his family and his many friends, but I'll reserve my sympathies for those who never got to know him.

Write to Doug Hecox at http://www.dougfun.com.