UW Statement on Passing of Sen. Alan Simpson

The University of Wyoming is mourning the death of Alan K. Simpson, one of the most influential alumni in the university’s history and an unwavering friend and supporter of UW.

“The University of Wyoming community joins Sen. Simpson’s family, the entire state and his legion of friends across the globe in mourning the loss of and paying tribute to Sen. Simpson. He was a proud alumnus of Wyoming’s university and contributed endlessly to our students, faculty and staff in building our programs, facilities and reputation,” UW President Ed Seidel says. “He leaves an amazing legacy of statesmanship, humor, civility and accomplishment that will never be forgotten.”

“Al Simpson was a force of nature, a champion for Wyoming and a true friend to so many. His love and pride for the University of Wyoming were unconditional, just as his commitment to this state and its people never wavered,” says John Stark, president and CEO of the UW Foundation. “His humor, wisdom and larger-than-life presence will live on in the lives he touched and the legacy he built. Our hearts are with Ann and the entire Simpson family -- we share in their sadness and in profound gratitude for a life so well lived.”

Simpson, from Cody, earned a bachelor’s degree in history from UW in 1954 and his Juris Doctor in 1958. At UW, he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, a member of the student senate and president of the “W” Club lettermen’s organization, lettering in both football and basketball. In 2009, he was inducted into the Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame along with his brother Pete. In 1954, Simpson married the love of his life, Ann (Susan Ann Schroll), who was a fellow UW student from Greybull. He also served in the student senate with Ann.

“I spent six years of my life on that campus, two of them married, and that’s where I was shaped and forged, right there in that place,” Simpson said. “And it matters not whether I was on a lark or finally taking it seriously; the issue is that those people and those professors were really the root of what I am.”

Simpson’s service to UW included serving as chair of UW’s five-year fundraising campaign, 2001-05, which raised $204 million; and being a member of the UW Foundation Board of Directors, the UW Art Museum National Advisory Board, the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources Board, the Alumni Advisory Board and the Alumni Association Board, where he served as president. Occasionally, he taught at UW with his brother Pete.

Through his 18 years in the U.S. Senate, Simpson developed friendships with world leaders and other luminaries, and he was instrumental in bringing those leaders to UW, including Mikhail Gorbachev, George H.W. Bush, George McGovern, James Baker, David McCullough and Sandra Day O’Connor. Simpson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.

UW bestowed its highest honor, a Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa, to Simpson in 1999. Other awards from UW included the Distinguished Alumni Award, 1985; the College of Arts and Sciences Exemplary Alum Award, 1993; the President’s Best Friend Award, 2002; and the College of Law Distinguished Alumni Award, 2004.

The Alan K. Simpson Center for Clinical and Experiential Learning, officially opened in 2024 as part of the UW College of Law expansion, enhances hands-on legal education, supporting Simpson’s dedication to the field of law. The Alan K. Simpson Institute for Western Politics and Leadership at UW’s American Heritage Center preserves historical records of influential figures and supports research through programs such as the Alan K. Simpson Institute Fellowship on Western Political History. Al and Ann helped endow the Ann Simpson Artmobile, a mobile art outreach program with the UW Art Museum. Additionally, Al and Ann have been loyal supporters of Wyoming athletics through the Cowboy Joe Club.

Located near Prexy’s Pasture in the heart of campus is the beautifully landscaped Simpson Plaza -- the first plaza of its kind around Prexy’s -- named for the entire Simpson family.