On March 14, we lost Al Simpson. My heart feels heavy as I write these words.
At the American Heritage Center, we knew him like so many others did—as a benefactor, yes, but more importantly, as a friend. I’ve been the Simpson Institute archivist at the AHC since 2008, and the memories I’m sharing only scratch the surface of who Al was to me and to so many others.
The Simpson Institute came to life back in 2000 through the generosity of Julienne Michel, a friend of Al and Ann who believed their legacy deserved preservation. Her initial gift of $500,000 and promised estate gift of $1 million allowed us to properly archive the papers of not just Al, but also his father Milward (Wyoming’s 23rd Governor and a U.S. Senator himself) and his brother Pete, the historian and politician. Since then the Simpson Institute has grown to sponsor oral history programs, Wyoming History Day awards, research fellowships, public programming, and so much more – all in the spirit of Al’s dedication to Wyoming and public service.
I remember the first time I went to Cody for a Buffalo Bill Center of the West board meeting. The Simpsons have deep ties there. What sticks with me most is watching Al walk in and, before doing anything else, making a beeline to hug his brother Pete. The love between them was palpable—something genuine and touching that I can still picture clearly today.
Al knew my father-in-law Dick Waggener well. Dick had once held a fundraiser for Al in Green River during Al’s US Senate campaign. Whenever I saw Al, he’d ask about Dick and his wife Eleanor. As Dick’s health declined, talking with Al was a comfort. Al had been through watching his own father’s decline and understood what our family was experiencing. That kind of empathy can’t be faked.
I got to attend Al’s birthday party at the Simpsons’ Bobcat Ranch outside Cody in 2011 with my husband, Robert. Nothing fancy—that wasn’t Al’s style. BBQ and casual wear. And a kiss on the cheek for me from both Al and Pete. Nobody left without hearing at least one joke from the brothers.
Al and I didn’t always see eye to eye. He thought I was being too liberal in my approach to an immigration symposium I organized in 2014 on behalf of the AHC. And you know what? He was right. But that didn’t stop him from flying from Cody to Laramie to kick off the event with a talk. He nearly gave me a heart attack showing up just 10 minutes before it started—but the point is, he showed up.
He showed up again in 2019 when we hosted two former congressmen as part of the Congress to Campus program at UW. After the discussion, I watched as people from across the political spectrum—die-hard Republicans and equally committed Democrats—lined up to shake his hand, give him a hug, ask about his family. Al had this rare gift of being everybody’s friend, and everybody knew it.
What always moved me was how he talked about Ann. She would inevitably come up in conversation—her beauty, her wisdom, how she had to put up with him. There was a real love story there, a deep friendship that was beautiful to witness.
Simpson early in their marriage. They married in 1954. Image ah002217. Box 574, Milward L. Simpson papers, Coll. No. 26, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Over the years, my phone would ring with calls from reporters, regular folks, even school kids, all wanting me to connect them with Al for his take on whatever was happening in the world. His relevance never faded.
I think what made Al special, especially in today’s world, was how he showed us you could disagree without being disagreeable. That you could hold strong convictions while still reaching your hand across the divide. That politics didn’t have to mean sacrificing your humanity or your sense of humor.
The American Heritage Center will continue preserving Al’s papers and recordings. We just probably won’t receive them every time there’s a UW home football game. That was our ritual; we always expected a box from Al when the Cowboys were playing at home. He’d bring in the latest additions to his papers, another piece of his remarkable career to archive. But those of us lucky enough to have known him will remember the man himself—his booming laugh, his straight talk, his generous heart.
The AHC has lost a champion, Wyoming has lost a giant, and we’ve all lost a friend. Thank you for everything, Al.
Post contributed by Simpson Institute Archivist Leslie Waggener.
