Remembering Senator Alan K. Simpson

An Unstoppable Force of Nature

Alan Kooi Simpson, who passed away March 14 at the age of 93, was a force of nature whose influence shaped not just Wyoming but the nation for decades.

“Senator Alan K. Simpson was a statesman, a cowboy, a straight shooter and, above all, a proud son of Wyoming and the University of Wyoming,” says UW President Ed Seidel. “UW was a central part of his life.”

A man of wry wit and what he called “lyrical profanity,” Simpson grew up in Cody and came to UW to earn a bachelor’s degree in history in 1954 and a Juris Doctor in 1958. He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and the student senate. During law school in 1954, Simpson married the love of his life, Ann (Susan Ann Schroll), a fellow UW student from Greybull. During this time, he also served in the U.S. Army in Germany in the “Hell on Wheels” division. He was president of the “W” Club letterman’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.

“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.”

Throughout his 18 years in the U.S. Senate, Simpson dedicated his efforts to his constituents and represented the state with charm and integrity. He 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 — just one among his very long list of accomplishments. No matter what else he was doing, Simpson served UW. He was chair of UW’s five-year DISTINCTION fundraising campaign, 2000–05, which raised $204 million. He served on 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. Occasionally, he taught courses with his brother Pete.

“Al Simpson was a force of nature, a champion for Wyoming and a true friend to so many,” says John Stark, president and CEO of the UW Foundation. “His love of and pride for UW were unconditional, just as his commitment to this state and its people never wavered. 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.”

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

Named in his honor, the Alan K. Simpson Center for Clinical and Experiential Learning opened in 2024 as part of the UW College of Law expansion. The center enhances hands-on legal education, supporting Simpson’s dedication to the field. In addition to the center, the Alan K. Simpson Institute for Western Politics and Leadership at UW’s American Heritage Center preserves historical records of influential figures — which includes many members of the Simpson family — and supports research through programs such as the Alan K. Simpson Institute Fellowship on Western Political History. Additionally, the Simpson Family Plaza was the first of its kind around Prexy’s Pasture and was named for the entire Simpson family.

Al and Ann have supported a number of programs across campus. They helped endow the Ann Simpson Artmobile, a mobile art outreach program of the UW Art Museum that reaches all corners of the state. They have been loyal supporters of Wyoming athletics through the Cowboy Joe Club.

“A fighter, a leader, a devoted friend and family man — Al Simpson was an unstoppable force of nature,” Seidel said at Simpson’s memorial service held at the UW Arena-Auditorium. “Rest easy, Al. And if there’s a great debate happening in the afterlife, we know you’re already in the middle of it.”

At the memorial, Pete Simpson likened his brother to Abraham Lincoln: “When he went like a lordly cedar on the hill, he went down with a great shout and left a lonesome place against the sky,” quoting the poet the Edwin Markham. “Goodbye, Big Al.”