Dear editor:
I read the guest opinion piece by Gov. Matt Mead and it filled me with so much nostalgia for what politics used to be and the inherent goodness of Senator Al Simpson. (Full disclosure Matt and I went to school together and were both on student council at Jackson Hole High School).
I was a summer intern for Big Al (as we called him) following my sophomore year of college. Although I am a multi-generational native of Wyoming (three of my four grandparents were born in Kelly) I came from humble origins with no obvious financial or political clout although my grandparents did have two outhouses – a single seater and a double seater.
That Big Al chose me as one of his three interns showed how he judged the person not the pedigree.
My summer in Washington DC was an incredible experience and I earned the respect of Big Al who singled out my research memo on the National Elk Refuge which led to me attending hearings and other events that were usually reserved for Legislative Aides and not interns.
One of the things that I will always remember was Big Al’s incredible devotion to Mrs. Simpson.
At times he would tell the staff that in no way was he to be bothered by calls or requests even from the president except for one: his beloved wife Ann.
The other thing I will always remember is that you could disagree with Big Al’s politics but that never stopped him from considering the other side or having lunch with an opponent at the Senate cafeteria.
If I were to pass an Alan Simpson law in Congress, it would require each member to have lunch with someone across the aisle every month in honor of Big Al.
Inga Parsons
Kelly, WY
