A Montanan Remembers the Late Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson

Former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY) spent a lot of time in Montana. He told one of our radio colleagues how he would listen to KBUL Radio out of Billings on his drives up to the airport from Cody, Wyoming.

Simpson died in Cody on Friday at the age of 93, according to the Daily Caller.

Greg Franks is a Billings businessman who worked for former Montana Congressman Ron Marlenee (R-MT) back in the day. He shared the following comments following the death of Senator Simpson for our Montana radio listeners who will remember the wit of Senator Simpson. (***Language warning)

Al Simpson Eulogy, by Greg Franks

Upon hearing of the passing of Wyoming’s Senator Al Simpson it took me back to the many times I had the pleasure of meeting him. I first met Senator Simpson when he came up to Billings to campaign for Conrad Burns in the 1988 election.

I had seen him on TV appearing on shows like Crossfire and This Week, but those shows really did not capture the true nature of Al Simpson. A lot of your listeners are probably enamored with Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) out of Louisiana and his quirky one liners. Al certainly had those. But what was captivating about him was his way of telling stories and particularly his jokes.

When Senators Simpson, Burn’s and Wallop were together the crowd surrounding them were just as captivated as watching Johnny Carson, Dean Martin and Don Rickles yucking it up.

I remember going to the Wyoming Society Ball for the 2005 Bush/Cheney Inauguration to sit back and watch Wallop and Simpson roast Dick Cheney like the old men who sat in the balcony during the Muppet Show.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Senator Simpson many times over that last several decades, mostly on his trips to the Billings Costco. He would always be warm and welcoming, treating me like we were long lost friends, and always ready to tell his new joke.

My favorite one is when I was doing an advance trip for VP Cheney here in Billings and after the motorcade trip to the airport we returned to the hotel to find Senator Simpson sitting in his Tahoe by himself. We approached him and he immediately started going into a story about how many mosquitos there were, and how he met a fellow at the mosquito trap machines at Costco who told him “You think these mosquitoes are bad! You should go up to Alaska! Those mosquitos can f*#! a Turkey flat footed.” We all laughed and he just quietly pulled away and drove to Cody.

I’ve thought about that event many times over the years and I think he was just waiting around to tell someone that story to make them laugh.

The political divisions are much more stark these days but I can always reckon back with a smile of all the times I was blessed to spend a little time with Senator Al Simpson. Rest in Peace and God Bless….