Watson Coleman: “with a combination of great sadness and admiration, I join my colleagues in honoring the life of Craig Thomas, a person…”

“with a combination of great sadness and admiration, I join my colleagues in honoring the life of Craig Thomas, a person of strength, passion, and integrity. Those who have had the blessing of traveling to the State of Wyoming appreciate its amazing beauty and variety. Craig Thomas reflected the geography of his State. He could be as peaceful and serene as Wyoming's rolling prairie grass lands, and he could be as striking and powerful as its majestic mountains. Growing up, he learned the creative dynamic of frontier life: rugged individualism joined with an ethic of neighbor-helping-neighbor when the need was great. In this sometimes stuffy and frustrating Washington world, he was a fresh breeze of unconventionality. He maintained his Wyoming vision of life throughout many years in this city, and the people of Wyoming deeply appreciated his strong immunity to the political disease called Potomac Fever. Craig Thomas lived a very meaningful life and made the State and country he loved a better place to live in. From his young days as a marine to his last days as a Senator, his heart was service and he put everything he had into making a difference for generations to come. Because of his service here, our national parks are a legacy that will be passed to future generations in better shape than he found them. Because of his fiscal conservatism, fewer dollars of debt will be passed on to our children.”