Many Wyomingites were grieving Wednesday when they heard the news of the death of longtime journalist Susan Anderson.
Anderson died Monday due to complications with ovarian cancer at the age of 80. She was well-known for her long Wyoming multimedia journalism career that included print, television and radio.
She also served in the Wyoming Legislature and worked in the governor’s office, where she helped pass legislation and advise policy.
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso knew Anderson personally and told Cowboy State Daily her lengthy career made Wyoming a better state for its residents.
“Susan Anderson was both a marvel and a maverick,” he said. “She took a different path than other people might have taken, and it was all the better for the state of Wyoming.”
Longtime Wyoming newspaperman and Cowboy State Daily columnist Bill Sniffin said he was left “speechless” by Anderson’s death.
Sniffin said he was close with Anderson and her family, and remembers her as a towering figure in state media.
“She was, in many ways, a Wyoming multimedia superstar,” he said. “She was big in TV, radio, newspapers, publishing. … I mean, she was and one of the nicest people around. She just was a very nice person.”
Hired for a Day
Anderson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1945 and attended college at Ohio’s College of Wooster. She went on to pursue a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York, where she was initially refused for seeking a “man’s job,” her husband Dale Bohren told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.
“She finally talked her way in and worked her way into the journalism program and graduated with a master’s degree,” Bohren said.
Anderson went on to work at WNON radio in New York City before moving to San Francisco. Bohren said she was again plagued with rejection while seeking work due to being a woman.
“She was in the office of one of the television stations and talking to the manager, and he was saying they didn't have any jobs,” Bohren said. “Somebody came in and they said, ‘I'm sorry to barge in, but my parents just died, and I gotta go.’ And he was a film editor, and this is back when you would use white gloves and use a razor blade and cut the film and edit it that way.”
“And so (Anderson) said, ‘well, I can do that,’” Bohren added. “And the guy said ‘well, okay, you're hired for a day.’”
Laramie Fishing
That opened the door for Anderson eventually to become a producer for the 6:00 news in San Francisco. In that role, she won an Emmy for interviewing Fidel Castro in Cuba, which Barrasso said was “unheard-of” at the time.
“And yet, Susan broke through, got an interview and won an Emmy Award,” the senator said. “She could have been the next national figure in the news, but she chose to live in Wyoming.”
Anderson had no plans to leave the position until she took a vacation to Laramie where she became engrossed in Wyoming’s serene nature.
“She was in Wyoming for a little vacation, and ended up catching a fish down near Laramie, and just wanted to come back,” Bohren said. “So she applied to KTWO television, and, you know, they ended up hiring her.”
Bohren recalled that during Anderson’s first visit to the studio, she told station manager Bob Price she would be taking about a $40,000 pay cut comparted to her west coast job.
“And Pete Williams, who was (news director) there at the time, just said, ‘well, you got to deduct 15,000 for the view,’” Bohren said.
Williams told Cowboy State Daily he does not take credit for bringing Anderson to Wyoming because she was already a Wyomingite at heart.
“As I say, she's this big city girl, but she was as Wyoming as they come by the time she settled in here,” he said.
He added that Anderson was a “total delight” to work with given the high standards she set for herself and her news content.
“She brought her sort of major market sensibilities to KTWO,” he said. “We didn't have quite the resources that major market network affiliate like KGO had, but we also prided ourselves on having high standards and wanting to do a good job.”
“It was really a remarkable time when Susan was there, and she just made it even better,” he added.
The exchange was enough to seal the deal as Anderson made the move to Wyoming where she worked on several shows including Report to Wyoming.
That show saw her interview the biggest names in state politics such as former U.S. Sens. Malcom Wallop and Al Simpson and the eventual Vice President Dick Cheney.
Bohren said that established Anderson’s reputation as a firm but fair journalist.
“She interviewed them and had a very good reputation, I think, for being fair and asking the good questions, the hard questions, and with heart,” he said. “And she had a great delivery. People recognized her voice.”
Anderson also spent time on KTWO’s evening radio shows where Bohren said she “did whatever was necessary,” further cementing herself among the state’s top news figures.
Sniffin said he admired Anderson for the skill with which she displayed during her time in media.
“The things that strike me was that she was multimedia,” he said. “She did all these things and did them all well, and she was just a nicest person. She and Dale were just the nicest folks.”
Legislature And Beyond
Anderson later joined the Wyoming legislature, serving as both a representative and a senator. There she made many longtime friends, Bohren said.
One of her signature legislative wins was the passage of a bill to criminalize stalking.
“She talked about one of the legislators saying, ‘You mean, I can't go park in front of my ex-girlfriend's house?’” Bohren recalled. “And of course, the answer was ‘that's right, you can't.’”
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis told Cowboy State Daily she served alongside Anderson in the legislature and appreciated her level head and relaxed demeanor.
“Serving with Susan in the Wyoming State Senate gave me perspective on the breadth of her talents, which were considerable,” she wrote via text message. “She was also interesting, calm and nice to be around - underrated characteristics in this day and age.”
Barrasso said he leaned heavily on Anderson’s experience in the legislature after succeeding her in representing Natrona County.
“We talked regularly,” he said. “I would say to me, she really was a trusted advisor and a treasured friend. A trusted a trusted advisor, both politically and personally, and a treasured friend, and I miss her deeply.”
After Anderson and Bohren’s son was accepted to Cornell University, Anderson returned to KTWO before leaving again to become a legislative liaison. In that role she worked for former governors Dave Freudenthal and Matt Mead.
Anderson went on to work at Casper College in where she aided the creation of five new buildings including the Gateway Building, a music facility and some dorms.
“That was in 2008 when the economy was just crumbling, but it passed when some others in town didn’t pass,” Bohren said. “That was a pretty big deal.”
Bohren also described his decision to purchase the Casper Journal, of which Anderson was the editor for five years. He recalled sharing the news with Anderson and remarked how calmly she took it.
“When I came home one day and told her, 'Baby, we just bought a newspaper,’ … she turned to me, and she looked at me, and she said, ‘Well, who's going to edit it?’” he said. “Which I always thought was just hilarious, because almost anybody else would say, 'You bought a newspaper? Are you crazy?’”
Anderson also published a book titled “Living in Wyoming: Settling For More,” a sentiment which Barrasso said aptly summarized her life’s achievements.
“That was the story of her life, and that's why I say she was such a trusted advisor and a treasured friend, that it goes back over 40 years,” Barrasso said.
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis also remembers Anderson as a fixture in Wyoming journalism.
"I was saddened to hear about the passing of Susan Anderson," she said in a statement. "Serving with Susan in the Wyoming State Senate gave me perspective on the breadth of her talents, which were considerable.
"She was also interesting, calm, and nice to be around — underrated characteristics in this day and age. I am sending prayers to Susan’s family and loved ones."
Leaving A Legacy
Bohren said Anderson’s passing has left him “filled with sadness.” Despite this, he said he has received an outpouring of support from across the state from those who cherish Anderson’s memory.
“I think the people know Susan, and they know her voice, and they liked her and trusted her, and I think she inspired a lot of people,” he said. “Someone called and they said ‘I'm a teacher because of Susan.’”
“Another person called and said ‘I was in a job that I went to college for, and I was inspired by Susan to make a change, because I wasn't happy in what I was doing, and I was afraid to make a change,’” he added.
Barrasso said he will forever remember Anderson for her work ethic and dedication to news.
“She did it the old-fashioned way,” he said. “She earned it. She was very hard working. Had a good nose for news, and she treated everybody fairly and with respect.”
Sniffin said he will remember Anderson for her deep knowledge and love of Wyoming.
“She loved Wyoming, and really was a true expert on Wyoming,” he said. “It's a great loss, I think, for Wyoming just because of her institutional memory of all kinds of things.”
Williams said above all, he was permanently impressed by Anderson’s love of life.
“I think of her as being a joyous person,” he said. “She one of those people that every day she got up and looked outside, she just thought the view was fantastic. She never saw a bad sunset.”
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
