Wendy Corr:
Well, hey there, folks! Welcome to The Roundup. We are a Cowboy State Daily podcast, and we feature really interesting people here in the Cowboy State.
And we have been so blessed - for over a year now we've been able to bring you conversations with people who have made a difference in their communities, in the state, who are out there representing Wyoming in just the best ways.
And so today, we get a chance to talk to one of the most influential legislators here in Wyoming. Spent 28 years in the Wyoming Legislature, legislature in both the House and the Senate, which is phenomenal, but he's got a great Wyoming origin story, and I love that.
So most people who follow Cowboy State Daily have heard the name Eli Bebout, and here we are, the man himself in person. Eli Bebout, Eli, we're so glad you were able to join us today on the roundup. How are you?
Eli Bebout:
Good afternoon! It's really great to be here with you, Wendy. Look forward to our conversation and, of course, Cowboy Daily has been a real success for our state, and what they bring to the viewers and the unique way they do it in the business and what they do, so it's good to be part of it. I'm just looking forward to our conversation.
Wendy Corr:
This is going to be a fun conversation, and thank you so much. We are so proud of the model that we have built with Cowboy State Daily, because not only does it bring real news that actually affects people in - and the small town things as well - but those real issues that are important to people.
But those conversations with people like you, Eli, who have made such an impact here in the state - Eli, you are a Wyoming native. I mean, how great is it that you've been able to spend your entire life here? Tell me about growing up. Folks, he grew up in Bairoil. There's not a lot of people that can say they grew up in Bairoil.
Eli Bebout:
Growing up is a stretch. I was, my mom and dad were, after the war, Dad took a job in Bairoil, working for Sinclair oil refinery company, and so I was, I happened to be born in Rawlins. It was an interesting place to live, Bairoil. Accommodations were not exactly what you would expect to be good for a young mother like my mom, raising not only me but my sister Ruby, who was coming along.
And so it was, in fact, it came to the point where mom said, Pa, you know, I'm going to go to Fremont County. If you want to stay here, you do, but we're going to move to Fremont County. So actually, I was only in Bairoil for a little bit, and we decided to move.
And my dad was smart,and he made the right choice. He said, I'm going with you, Ma. And so we moved to Shoshoni. And so I was really raised in Shoshoni with my brother Nick and my sister Ruby Dee.
Wendy Corr:
And so Shoshoni, you graduated from Shoshoni High School. But Shoshoni was probably even smaller then than it is now. I'm guessing.
Eli Bebout
Well, back then, it was a lot different in rural America. You know what we had in Shoshoni was - and it was that way all around our country - we had a grocery store, we had a movie theater, we had a Golden Rule drug store, Gambles, we had all of that.
And, you know, rural America, one of the things that I don't like about what's going on in our country is that we're losing that, that part of what we do. And so Shoshoni today is much different than back then. And all we have today are couple of Pit Stops, which are really neat for the local community and all that, but know that that small town flavor is gone.
But it was great being raised there, and it was a lot of fun. Participated in sports in Fremont County - Shoshoni Wranglers, here we go!
Wendy Corr:
That's great. I guess I misspoke then in that way, because you're right. I remember when I was in high school, coming through - every time you came through Shoshoni, you had to stop at the drugstore and get a milkshake. That was a must stop.
Eli Bebout:
Oh yeah, and yeah. And I, as a kid, we would go to the drugstore that was across the street. I would go to the one on the other side and get a cherry coke. But that's small town America, and it was wonderful to be there and be part of and be raised in that environment.
Wendy Corr:
I'm so glad that you were able to have that experience growing up. Eli, when you grew up and you had a wonderful childhood in Shoshoni, you made the decision to to leave Shoshoni, to leave Wyoming, and you decided to go into the Air Force Academy. What was behind your decision to do that? Because that's a major honor.
Eli Bebout:
That was a difficult time for our country and the Vietnam War going on. And as a kid, there was three things I always wanted to do. And I always wanted to be a pilot, and preferably fly a jet, jet pilot and the fighter jet. And the other thing was, the other two were one, be a doctor, and then three, I wanted to be an electrical engineer. Which, fortunately, I was able to achieve.
So and then I was thinking about, where would I do that if I wanted to fly? And of course, the academies are always - I have a great respect for our country. I think that all of us are patriots, and I love our country. I mean, I wanted to serve, and I thought, if I want to serve, I ought to do it the way I wanted to.
So I said, why would I walk and go to West Point? Why would I walk when I can fly? So, fortunate enough, I was able to get into the academy, spent three years there, did not graduate. That's one of those things that happened in school.
And I left there and went to the University of Iowa, where I finished and got my degree in electrical engineering.
Wendy Corr:
And the University of Wyoming, of course, we are all so proud of that institution. Here you left University of Wyoming with your degree in electrical engineering, and that took you to some really interesting places that kind of launched your career in ways that you didn't expect, I'm guessing.
Eli Bebout:
Absolutely. And one other thing about being from Shoshoni is, and my brother, and they didn't have girls sports or Ruby Dee would have probably been in there, but we were fortunate enough to be athletes, and so I had a full scholarship.
You had to go through the appointment process to the academy, but I was a basketball player there and and the good old University of Wyoming, when I left, coach Stranding said, Eli, we think you can help our program.
And we, back then, we had the red shirt year. And so he said, Come to Wyoming. We'll take care of you for a couple of years and join our team. So that was another bonus, to be able to be a Wyoming Cowboy, play on the - WAC champions, by the way, in ‘68-’69, so that was a real milestone of my young life back then.
And then, of course, after that, graduating with a degree in engineering and electrical engineering, and I thought about what to do. And I've always been intrigued by the oil business, and so I took a job with Shell Oil in Denver, and it was a good move. It was a lot of fun.
Wendy Corr:
And Shell Oil in Denver at the time, I'm sure that was, I'm guessing, a big part of the oil boom. At that time, there was a lot of exploration going on.
Eli Bebout:
It was, and a kid from Shoshoni, you have to understand, although, when I was at the Academy, we traveled a lot, and then went, well, Laramie, I did as well. But all of a sudden I have an office downtown Denver on the, what, the 15th floor, whatever, 17th and Broadway.
And so it was a young time and a young person's life, and it was a, really, a great learning experience, but after a couple three years, it was just, the corporate culture and I just didn't quite see eye to eye. So I decided it was time for a career change.
And so I made a move into, I had a chance to move elsewhere in the oil business, but I decided I wanted to stay in Denver, and so I took a job with a real estate development company right there locally in Denver.
Wendy Corr:
Real estate development is quite a difference from electrical engineering and the oil industry. What was it about that move that appealed to you?
Eli Bebout:
Well, the thing about being an engineer and why it's such a good degree is you learn a lot of things about how to deal with numbers, math and all of that, which is what I always enjoyed. So when I shifted from being an engineer in the oil business, I was really an engineer and doing contracts and stuff in the development business.
So the premise of my education really set me up to be able to do both, and it was a really good move. And the neat thing about it, and is that I was there for a couple three years, and they had a chance, and wanted me to go to the southeastern part of our country, into Atlanta, where they were having some difficulty in a big, big area, a lot of projects, and run it.
And I thought, wow, that's why not. I'm a young guy. I could go to Atlanta. And so I took the job. A week later, Wendy, a week later, my brother Nick, gets drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, and so, Whoop de do, no kidding.
And there we were together. He was married, I wasn't. But his wife, Pam, and they had a young son, and Mark and and it was just, it was just a wonderful three year experience being in Atlanta, working in a career that I really enjoyed, and then watching my brother play football on the weekends.
Wendy Corr:
Oh, my word. What a gift. And talk about, there's no coincidences in my book. So I just think, that's all sorts of blessings, right there.
Eli Bebout:
I think you're right. I think I've always said the Lord has a plan and it is what it is. And that was just one of the neat things about it.
And he was, he was a very good football player and because of that, we decided, you know, we really get along with each other, which is a wonderful thing as well. And we wanted to be, ultimately, back in Wyoming and try to have a business there.
And so real estate busted like it does so many times, just like the oil business, and it busted in the mid 70s. And so I decided to go back to Wyoming, but about the same time, Nick gets in the Expansion Draft to the Seattle Seahawks. So we came back to Wyoming, and I was helping a friend of mine out US Energy Corp doing some work in Colorado.
And then I went to work for Bechtel, which is my engineering degree, helped me again, there at Green River, working in that soda ash industry and building a process plant. And that was a great job. And I really had a real career with Bechtel.
But then after that job was completed, they said, Eli, we want you to be a superintendent for us and do a job here. But ultimately, we want you to go to Abu Dhabi, which is in the Middle East. And I thought, wow, Abu Dhabi, or Moneta, Wyoming, Shoshoni. I thought, Well, I think I'm going to stay in Wyoming.
And that was a real career change and direction for me. And just had such long, lasting effects on my life. I mean, the political side, my wonderful wife, my family, my brother, business, all of that by choosing to stay in Wyoming instead of going to Abu Dhabi. Great choice.
Wendy Corr:
My goodness, to be able to say, You know what, I'd rather stay in Wyoming than take a job halfway across the world. That's honestly a difficult choice, but obviously it was the direction that you needed to be in your life.
What was your job? I'm very curious about the soda ash industry, because I know it's made a lot of news lately, and we're becoming more and more aware of Wyoming's place in that industry. When you were there was that really kind of when people were starting to figure out this is a big deal, and this could mean a lot for Wyoming?
Eli Bebout:
Well, I think by then, it had already figured out it was a very, very big deal for Wyoming. Of course, they have the world's largest natural trona deposits, of which they produce soda ash. And so what I did, a Bechtel engineer, was we were building a new plant to help with their processing facilities. So I was an engineer making sure that the whole big plant got put together from the electrical perspective.
And we that's what we did. And we put the plant together and got it fired up and running. It was called Mono One, I believe. And of course, that FMC plant back then is now called Genesis today, and it's still operating.
And trona is a wonderful thing for Wyoming and those workers down there and the mines and the jobs and the salaries. It was good. It was a great, a great year and a half. But, but the other thing, too, about it Wendy, it was, you know, there are not a lot of jobs and opportunities in Wyoming.
It's one of the things you can talk about as a young man, as a in a career middle age, whatever the opportunities are limited when I decided to stay in Wyoming. Well, we really, we really didn't have a job quote where I could go to work for somebody.
And so that's when Nick and I decided, well, uranium, you know, it looks like it's going to do something. It's really a thing that, I've always believed in nuclear power. It's a great thing for a lot of reasons, in our country, in the world. So then we decided to get in our own business back then, in the uranium industry.
And my uncle Mike, Mike Sweeter, had, with a lot of help, a guy named Jack Larson. So we had some people that were kind of helping me out a little bit. And then we started our businesses back in 1975 or six, seven, something like that, Nick and I.
Wendy Corr:
And, of course, uranium again, now a very hot topic with the alternative energies that everybody's looking for, uranium is once again in the spotlight. What are your thoughts about that? Do you think we went away from it for a while and let it be, and now it's it's got a resurgence?
Eli Bebout:
You know, I've always been a proponent of nuclear power. I think it's safe, I think it's clean, all of the reasons we should be doing it. And years ago, when, you know, when I was in the industry, I was even more supportive. In politics, I was always very supportive.
Three Mile Island, what happened when 1980 or whatever it was, was really devastating to the industry. And very, very, I think misleading, because since then, we've had all these plants go on, and we've had, I mean, we've had Chernobyl and other other things that happened. But the anti nuclear group is something that group I've never agreed with.
I think nuclear power has a real place in America, real place in Wyoming, and we have fortunate enough to have the reserves, and we can mine it. We don't have the power plants, but the rest of the country does what we have. 104 of them, they ought to be operating. They're safe. They're efficient.
You know, if you believe in the global warming, whatever, and you know what you're doing with CO2 put in the air, it's the most efficient one from that perspective. So I've always been a big proponent of nuclear power. Back when I was so much in favor of it, people just, you know, politically, I was on the outs with a certain group of people, but I stuck by my guns.
I thought it was great for the country. And guess what? Here we are and and it's going to be really important in our future the country, when I say our future, Wyoming and United States.
Wendy Corr:
You're being vindicated here. This is your prediction.
Eli Bebout:
I ran statewide and got beat up on that issue of nuclear power and used fuel rods and all that. I got beat up pretty good over that. Looking back, maybe I was more right than wrong.
Wendy Corr:
Well, obviously it didn't hurt your political career too badly because you ended up serving one of the most lengthy periods of time in the Wyoming Legislature, not just in one house, but in both. Tell us about your decision to get into politics in 1980 - 1986 is when you started running.
Eli Bebout:
1986. I've told this story before, and some of the viewers may be bored with it, but I really had no idea that I wanted to be involved in politics. And in fact, my wife, God bless Lorraine. What a wonderful lady, the love of my life. She said, We can do anything you want to do, Eli, but never get into politics.
Well, I never, I never really thought about it. And so my mother, she's very, very, very, love Wyoming, love politics and all that. And so she organized a write in. And of course, at the time, because of my family, I happen to be a Democrat, and so I was written into the Democrat.
Of course, Fremont County was very Republican back even in 1986, and so I think I had five or six or seven votes, something like that. But, you know, we had the county wide representation, so that was enough. The number of votes was enough to get me on the ballot.
You know, I've never done this, and we talked about it, and visited with Lorraine and my family, and we thought one of the things that I didn't want to do is look back and say, Why didn't I try it? that happened at other things and other times in my life and various things. So I thought, I'll give it a try. There's no way I'm going to be able to beat these, these Republicans in a republican district. And so we campaigned, and mom worked hard, Lorraine worked hard. We all worked hard, and we got elected. And that in this in the county wide back then, as a Democrat.
Wendy Corr:
I think that the fact that your mother was the one pushing you to do it just absolutely is amazing. Your mother sounds like quite the character and the mover and shaker.
Eli Bebout:
Yeah, she was. Mothers are so special for all of us. And she was just a special, unique lady. Loved America. She was a good one to have as a mentor, and she kind of nudged me along and - a lot of times, I can remember one time in the house -
I'm really conservative in a lot of ways, but particularly fiscally. And we didn't have much money. Most of the time I was in politics, we didn't have any money. And there was a bill about, I think, funding the arts, and it was at $600,000 a lot of money. So I got up and said, Maybe we should be thinking about this. Maybe you don't want to do it.
Well, one of my colleagues called my mother. Did you realize what Eli's doing to the art budget? No, what's he doing? We got to have art. So I got a phone call from my mother anyway.
Wendy Corr:
So did you? Did you change your vote then?
Eli Bebout:
On that one, well, I listened to mother. Let's just put it that way. She had great advice. There was great run - in the house, I started as a Democrat. A lot of times I'm asked, Why did I leave the party? I never felt like that, I thought the party left me.
My values today are the same that I had really back then, business oriented, less government, lower taxes, all of the things that Republicans believed in, and a lot of the debates when I was a Democrat, I was debating for Republican ideas with the Republican Party, and pretty soon it just became evident that I was in the wrong place.
And a good friend of mine, Deemer True, who is still a great friend today, we met each other at Boys State, said, you know, you’ve got to be a Republican, what you know? And I, I thought about it, and looked at what I think, philosophically, and looked at all of that, and said, You're right, I'm in the wrong party.
So I left, and it was a little controversial from some of the members of the Democrats, but it was a good move.
Wendy Corr:
And your constituents obviously followed you.
Eli Bebout:
Well, it I had as a Democrat. I was running. We went to single member districts, and I ran as a Democrat in a republican district. And you know, that's the beauty of Wyoming. They, for whatever reason, they vote for the person. And I was fortunate enough to to be elected as a Democrat in a republican district.
But then when I started as a Republican, it made it easier to campaign. And I'll never forget, I just never had any desire to really be in leadership. I just thought it was great to work with bills and do those kind of things.
\And I was approached to become the majority floor leader after I'd only been a Republican for maybe one term or one session, something like that. I can't remember. I said, I don't know. And anyway, just. excited to do it, and then went on to be the speaker, and then later on to jump over to the Senate.
I just was so blessed to be able to represent a district like Riverton, district 55 for the house and then Senate District 26, great constituents. They loved Wyoming. Our philosophies were almost in sync on everything.
Now there was a few differences, but clearly it was where I needed to be, and I had the distinct privilege, pleasure and privilege of representing him for a lot of years. It was a good run.
Wendy Corr:
Now, there was a six year gap between at the end of your time in the house, before you ran for the Senate. What'd you do in that six years?
Eli Bebout:
Well, part of it was, you know, when you're speaker, you step down. I honored that tradition. And then I always thought about, I think the best job in the world is to be a US senator. But the timing is, it's all about timing, and my timing wasn't right.
And so the job for governor, that run opened up. So I ran for governor. And it was a good race. In fact, there was a crowded primary in the Republican Party and it was intense. They always are. And I survived the primary. Was a pretty strong vote. But then, then I ran against a quality, candidate, friend of mine, when we were Democrats, and it was a close race, real close, and we lost.
But probably a blessing in disguise, because I had some health issues that probably wouldn't have come up if I had had been elected, and who knows what might have happened. So we understood that, dealt with the health issues, and took us a while to recover from that.
But then my colleague and a wonderful guy that loved Wyoming was Bob Peck, and he passed away. And so the appointment opened up. And I thought, there again, here we go. And so I threw my name in, I think there were 17 of us, and was fortunate enough to be chosen, and then, then I ran, subsequently to that, and then got involved in the leadership in the Senate.
Just been a great, great honor and privilege to have served in the Wyoming Legislature. That institution and the people that run and all that is just, as I travel the country and did different things in that when I was in the leadership and looked at other states, thank goodness we are a state where we're a citizen legislature.
And I've watched, you know, the members of the legislature today, Bo in the Senate, and what he's doing, and Tara Nethercott = and those people over there, the same with the House leadership. They're citizens, and that's what it should be. They're giving their time to represent, and so good for them. And Speaker Neiman and President Biteman, good luck to them.
Wendy Corr:
I love that you're still in touch with what's happening there. You haven't been out of the scene for too long, only about four years that you haven't been involved in the actual legislative process. Now, what are some of the things that you're watching as the legislature is going on now? What are some of the different issues that you're paying attention to, that really are things that are close to your heart?
Eli Bebout:
Well, when you spend 30, what, 28 years, it just really becomes part of your life. I mean, you could argue it kind of drives your life, and a lot of times it does. So just, what I took from that is the love I have for Wyoming. What I think makes Wyoming work. And it's really the people and what they do.
And it's not easy to make a living in Wyoming and the issues are, they're tough issues, you know, and what's going on with the issues. And so I've always been a very pro business candidate, and believe that we ought to properly develop our resources.
So I've been on the opposite side to what I would call the nihilistic obstructionists that, you know, want to stop a lot of stuff and, and there's a place to have conservation, but not shut down. So I've always been one of those who believe we ought to have the proper development and, and as we did that, I think that needs to be continued.
So I'm watching those kind of issues. I've always been one that I'm a conservative, like I mentioned before. And so I like few lower taxes, less taxes. I've never been in favor of an income tax. We had a chance to pass it when I was in the Senate. We said no to the Senate. Right thing to do.
And so this property tax issue is really interesting. Wyoming, you know, we’re really a three legged stool in terms of our revenues. And I'm not going to try to preach to the existing legislature, because they know what's going on. They're going to do a good job.
But you got our permanent mental Trust Fund, and the money we get off the interest off of that, that's one leg. It's sales tax and property tax, which is another leg. And then you have mineral taxes that drives our state, and minerals always pay such a huge part of it.
And now there's this big discussion about, you know, taxes on homes. And why wouldn't people want to have less taxes on their homes? So they've done a lot of good things in that regard, but they've got to be very careful when they start deciding they're going to eliminate, totally, property taxes in one part.
Or what are they going to do about the mineral side of it? Or what are they going to do about funding education? I think education, we spend too much money on it. I've always felt that way on K through 12.
But before you start worrying about, you know, the reduction side of it, you better be sure that you understand the revenue stream and how that money gets to education. And so the legislature, there's a lot of new members of the House. I guess the Senate is the deliberative body. They've been there a while. They got more experience. I really think they're going to figure it out.
I really believe in the process, and if the members of both bodies support the process, represent your constituents, do what they're supposed to do, what they're elected to do. It'll work out. So I have a lot of confidence in them.
Wendy Corr:
That's great. That's wonderful. We are so blessed to live where we do.
Eli Bebout:
Oh, my goodness, there's no doubt about that.
Wendy Corr:
Eli, what I think is one of the fun things about your life is that, let’s see, there's three siblings that have gone on to do amazing things. Eli, you here in the Wyoming Legislature, your brother was a football NFL hero, and your sister Ruby Dee was head of the Wyoming PBS for many, many years.
I think that it's fantastic that three members of the same family have gone on to really excel in their fields. Tell us a little bit about what your what your brother and your sister have done.
Eli Bebout:
Well, and I'm very proud of both of them. And Nick's five years younger and Ruby's just a little bit over a year younger. They're just, brothers and sisters are so important and so special. Well, our family, I think. I give a lot of credit to the Sweeter family that you know, right there in Hudson, and our restaurant there, and grandpa and grandma, our aunts and uncles, and then my mother.
God bless mom and my dad. To both of them. It was a - three kids, raising them, it wasn't easy. My dad, there was no jobs in Wyoming. He had to leave, and he wasn't home a lot. Mom raised us, and she just did a wonderful job.
And I'm so proud of, you know, my brother, my sister. Nick's more than a football player. He's a great businessman. He knows equipment. He's just, a lot of people know Nick, and he's just an all around great guy and a good partner. We've been together for, like I said earlier, what 45-50 years, and absolute trust and and it's been a it's been good.
And then Ruby. I thought Ruby should have been the one that should have been in politics, instead of me. She's just so gifted, and what she can do and the way she can write, and, you know, now she's the chairman of the National Broadcasting for Public Television in Washington. It's kind of funny, she got appointed by Trump the first time and by Biden the second time.
And when they do that, they have an FBI background check. So this is a funny Wyoming story. So one of the persons that they were checking up on, Ruby wanted to know why they wanted an RBI check. What was RBI? And Ruby said, No, that's FBI. And why are you FBI? Checked for a background for Ruby.
But, oh yeah, I'm really proud of both of them. They're like me. They love Wyoming. They raised families. All of their kids are doing great. Some of Nick's kids are in business. We're still in business with my kids. Ruby's kids have all moved on to different places. Kara's in Washington, Chris in Dallas, and Chad down in Colorado Springs. All of them are doing good. It's a great, great story.
And there's, it's not unusual for Wyoming, Wendy, I mean, you could go down every community in Wyoming, there's similar stories. Their parents had worked hard, loved Wyoming, did what they did, raised kids, gave them the tools to be successful, and that's what happened with us.
We were given the tools, and we took advantage of it. And looking back, it's been, it's been a lot of fun and pretty successful.
Wendy Corr:
And of course, you’ve got, is it four children of your own?
Eli Bebout:
I have four children, Nick's got four. Ruby's got three. Then we have our cousins, my aunt Katie passed away with a tumor, and so my mother raised her two children, Bess and Mike. So really, there's five of us.
And so we have more extended family, but they're all, most of them are living in Wyoming, other than Ruby's kids. Well, I've got a daughter in Salt Lake. Nick's got a daughter in Colorado. It's a Wyoming story, like I said, it could be repeated over and over.
Wendy Corr:
Well, your mom was an absolute treasure. We did a great story about her when she passed not too long ago. And my goodness, what a life she lived, and what an inspiration she was.
Eli Bebout:
Well, you know, there's a lot of these ladies in Wyoming, and I look at them, and I look at Peg Coe from Cody, I look at Jean True, Winn Hickey. I mean, the list goes on and on. That's just a few, and I'm sorry I could name a lot more, but just great ladies, and they did just what we've talked about, raised wonderful families. Their kids were great kids.
And I look at other states, do they have what we have? I'm not sure.
Wendy Corr:
I'm not sure either, which is why we are so blessed. And one of the things that I love again about Cowboy State Daily is the fact that we're able to tell these stories, and these stories are meaningful, not just to somebody in Fremont County, but these stories are meaningful to somebody in Johnson County or somebody in Uinta County. And that's the nature of our state.
And Eli, tell me, we're about out of time here, but I just wanted to kind of wrap up. What is your hope for the future of Wyoming, for not just the people who are making the laws, but for the people here. What is your hope for for the people of Wyoming?
Eli Bebout:
It's really no different than when I got out of school, just to have the opportunity to be able to raise a family, have a good job, have, you know, the kind of income you need and a place that you really enjoy, and Wyoming brings that to the table.
You know, the outdoors, the fishing, the hunting, the job opportunities are tough. That's why we need to continue to work on the economic development side. That's always something, I've always worked with with all the governors - I served with five governors, you know, it was the issue in every one of their campaigns. It was all of that.
So just to that opportunity, and I think it's being presented today. You know, the legislature and the laws to do, and what we do is a big part of it, but I think more importantly, it's the family and the people and their belief in our country and our state, and just nurture that, bring it along and things will happen.
I mean, if you get up in the morning and go to work, that's not always easy, and especially if you get up at four o'clock, fight the weather, but just hang in there, because it's a great place, and there's opportunities, and it will work out. I'm living proof of it.
I think there are a lot of people that living proof of it in our great state, and like Cowboy Daily, you know, and how that got started, and the wonderful things that that are done there. And you know, I go to a little coffee club down here in Tucson, and, you know, everybody reads Cowboy Daily.
And, you know, Bill’s doing a good job. And I like Bill, and I've been friends forever. We ran against each other, and so that was a little dicey for a while, but we're good friends. He's doing a good job. Everybody is. That's a great Wyoming story. There's so many of them.
So keep doing what you're doing, Wendy, and you do a great job on these interviews, but having spent 30 minutes with you, I can understand, I watch them, I listen to them, and keep up the good work and and we'll keep doing what we're doing. Love our state.
Wendy Corr:
That's what we need to do. Eli, this has been such a great conversation. Thank you so much for your time today, and enjoy the warmer weather in Tucson as opposed to Wyoming. It's good for you for being able to get out of there for a little while, but we're just glad that you have had such an impact on our state, and that you represented your constituents so well. And your love for the state is obvious.
Eli Bebout:
Well, it's been a real pleasure, and thanks for taking the time to visit with me. And there's a lot of great stories in Wyoming. We're lucky, and I'm lucky to be one of them.
Wendy Corr:
Well, there are, and we've got so many more of these stories to tell. Folks, thank you for being with us today. Thank you, Eli, for your time today. Folks, if you know of somebody that we should talk to, somebody who's got a great Wyoming story, someone who makes an impact in their community or in the state, or who's out there taking Wyoming to the world, please let us know!
We've got all the Saturdays that we can see in the future to tell these stories. So please let us know. But until then, thanks for tuning in. Have a wonderful week. We'll see you next week.
