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Biography: Craig Lyle Thomas
Wyoming’s U.S. Senator Craig Lyle Thomas passed peacefully June 4, 2007, surrounded by his family. By the age of 74, the senior senator from Wapiti, Wyoming achieved his life’s dream - to make a lasting difference for the
State of Wyoming and the people who proudly call it home.
His was a humble beginning. Born February 17, 1933, he was the son of school teachers in Cody, Wyoming, who operated a small dude ranch business on the edge of Yellowstone National Park in the summer. It was there and then
that he developed a child’s love of special places that would later inspire his parenting of our National Parks.
During those summers guiding on horseback, he also learned to work hard and to earn one’s way in the world. Those who knew him, either closely or observing from a distance, witnessed the same quality of Craig Thomas: a
cowboy’s tireless work ethic and respect for those around him. He held that ethic throughout his career. Without doubt, his modest start in life shaped his nature as a fiscal conservative and his lifelong dedication to
advocate for the average Wyoming person.
It will surprise no one who knew him politically that Craig was a wrestler, and a good one at that. Following high school in Cody, he attended the University of Wyoming and joined its wrestling team. The University’s
legendary wresting coach Everett Lance was an important influence, training Craig’s competitive focus with an ethic of how to win with more than simple strength, but with honor and strength of character.
Academically, Craig studied agriculture at UW and earned a bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry, thinking perhaps he might later try his hand in the ranch business. But like most men in the late 1950s, first came military
service, and for an athletic man with determination and drive, the Marine Corps was a perfect fit. Trained at Quantico, Craig was stationed in Japan in the later part of that more peaceful decade, rising to the rank of
Captain.
He returned home with a broadened view of the world and the powers that shape it. Agriculture police and the issues of the West compelled him and he bean work for the Wyoming Farm Bureau, the American Farm Bureau in
Washington, DC and later the Wyoming Rural Electric Association. Reflecting his roots in small business, he also bought a small hotel in Torrington, Wyoming which would ground him squarely in the state’s tourism policy for
years to come.
It was during those years, based in Casper, that he met a young educator of high school children with special needs. Susan Roberts and Craig Thomas found much in common. Raised on a ranch in Barnum, Susan shared Craig’s love
of Wyoming, horses, politics and people. Theirs was a remarkable marriage – as life partners and each other’s best friend.
Craig’s political ambitions took hold with races for the State Treasurer’s Office and the Wyoming State House of Representatives. Like the wrestler he was trained to be, Craig tried each of these matches persistently. Coach
Lance taught him that each match trains you for the next and Craig joked often that he had learned those early political lessons the hard way.
In 1989 he faced a true test of his political mettle: a special election to replace then U.S. Congressman Dick Cheney for Wyoming’s at-large House seat. Forty long and hard fought days later, Craig won the race. Elected on a
springtime Wednesday and sworn into Congress the following Monday, Craig became a member of the Wyoming Congressional Delegation, serving with his boyhood friend, U.S. Senator Al Simpson, and U.S. Senator Malcolm Wallop. Then
in 1994 with Wallop’s retirement, Craig chose to run for the U.S. Senate, winning that race, then in 2000 and again in 2006. Over that time, U.S. Senator Craig Thomas became on of Wyoming’s most popular and beloved public
servants.
While he ran successfully in statewide elections, he also ran every morning with his wife Susan in the early hours, long before most alarm clocks were set to ring. He arrived eager to work just about the time wake-up buzzers
sounded for the rest of the city. Their fitness passion and focus on health helped him look younger than his age, a fact of which he was proud. It would also help him as he fought his disease. The doctors said men of lesser
strength would not have been able to battle as well as he did the aggressive cancer in his blood.
Tough country breeds uncompromising values, tested by experience. The grit of Craig Thomas is legendary. He never backed down from a challenge. On the floor of the Senate or the rodeo arena, he continued to fight and rope,
wrestle and win with honor. Those close to him knew that behind his strength was a constant faith that carried him through each brave experience. He was devout, quietly and steadfastly with abiding hope. Craig knew where he
came from, knowing exactly the man he was. Craig’s Senate colleague and friend, Wyoming senator Mike Enzi, said on the floor of the Senate, “Although that last battle of his life was lost, there were so many victories in his
life that we will long remember. Craig died as he lived, with his spurs on, fighting for Wyoming to the very end.”
As Wyoming’s senior U.S. Senator, Craig positioned himself on the committees with the greatest legislative importance for Wyoming. In addition to serving on the Energy Committee, he served on the Senate’s most powerful panel
– the Senate Finance Committee, as well as Agriculture, Indian Affairs, and Ethics. In his work, Wyoming and Wyoming people were central. His efforts in job creation and economic growth are the foundation of his vision to
improve the quality of life for a better future for people in communities across the state.
His distinguished legislative record on issues as diverse as public land management, agriculture, fiscal responsibility and rural health care have made a difference in the lives of Wyoming people. He valued resources – the
energy resources with which Wyoming is blessed, as well as the scenic resources that help create special places and tourism.
From his position on the highly coveted chairmanship of the Senate Energy Committee’s National Park Subcommittee, Craig Thomas worked tirelessly on National Park policy and smart ways to help the parks with infrastructure –
from management reforms to landmark improvements in concessionaire policy to roads to visitors’ centers. National visitors and state residents have benefited dramatically from Craig’s work for quality national parks. His
efforts resulted in many national recognitions and awards.
Outside of his duties as a Legislator, Congressman and Senator, Craig was active in the community in other important ways. He was involved in volunteer efforts that included the Special Olympics of Wyoming, the state
Developmental Disabilities Council, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation on which he and Susan shared roles as Honorary Chairs. He helped countless organizations raise money for local and state-based causes. And from
4-H to Girls State, rodeo clubs to the spelling bee teams, vo-tech to valedictorian, Craig gave his time, kindness and inspiration to thousands of Wyoming school children.
His life was blessed with four children and later, with their growing families – nine grandchildren. His sons, Peter, Patrick, Greg, and daughter, Lexie, shared their father with an entire state and nation. They are grateful
to the people of Wyoming and this great country for their love and support which was so generously given during their father’s illness and passing. Each of Craig’s children carries the hope that his legacy will live on – in
the ways that heir father wanted – both small and large, for generations to come.
Craig Thomas represented Wyoming with honor and dignity. Admired by those who knew him, he gives us a legacy of unmatched legislative accomplishments – a brilliant example of what one can do with a life lived with
determination, strength of character and vision. How Craig Thomas lived was as a success, achieving unassumingly what he set out to do: to make a difference for the state and the people he loved. Many people might hope to
live as they dream – Craig did. He was an honorable man who loved his wife Susan dearly, gave tirelessly to his state and country and left his beloved Wyoming a better place. He leaves behind a family of 'thousands' and the
unparalleled legacy of a humble true western hero.
Biography: Susan Roberts Thomas
Susan Thomas is the wife of U.S. Senator Craig Thomas. Mrs. Thomas was raised on a ranch in Johnson County, Wyoming - the famous country of Butch Cassidy and his “Hole in the Wall” gang. As an educator, she has spent nearly
four decades advocating for the rights of children with special needs and has earned the respect of her peers and the admiration of her students.
Susan Thomas earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1971 and went to work in Wyoming as one of the first educators to teach students with learning disabilities. She uses her significant
people skills to hone her craft and connect with her students. In 1981, following nine years at the elementary school level, Susan began teaching high school students at Kelly Walsh High School in Casper, Wyoming, earning her
Masters of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wyoming along the way. When her husband was elected as Wyoming’s lone U.S. Representative in 1989, she moved to the Washington D.C. area and was
employed at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia for 18 years, retiring this spring. Mrs. Thomas has been named “Highly Qualified” in the area of Social Studies for Special Needs students, grades K-12 in
accordance with the guidelines of the No Child Left Behind Act.
In addition to her work in the classroom, Susan Thomas has testified before the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education and has led a variety of education workshops dealing with the education of children
with special needs. She has been a guest lecturer for the University of Wyoming and George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Mrs. Thomas was honored as the Teacher of the Year for Washington-Lee High School for the 2002-2003 school year and has also been elected to “Who's Who in American Education.” She retired from teaching in 2007 after spending
36 years in the classroom.
Because mental health is an area of professional interest to Mrs. Thomas, she has served on her local county Mental Health Board and currently sat on the Congressional Mental Health Association Board. She also has served on
the Raising Readers Advisory Board in Wyoming and is a member of the Wyoming National Guard Youth Foundation Program board, which is a nationally recognized program to help “at risk” young men and women. In addition she
serves on the advisory board of the GOTTSCHE Foundation and is a member of the Wyoming Business Alliance/Wyoming Heritage Foundation Steering Committee. She is a member of the Advisory Council, Grand Teton National Park
Foundation and serves on the UW College of Education Development Board and on the Mercer House Board of Directors.
Outside of the classroom, Susan Thomas has been a leading advocate in the fight against breast cancer in Wyoming and throughout the nation, starting the Wyoming Race for the Cure in 1994. She served on the Wyoming State Race
for the Cure Board for eleven years and on the National Race for the Cure Board from 1994-1999. She sat on the Congressional Family Cancer Awareness Board and has undertaken new responsibilities with the DC National Capitol
Area Leukemia/Lymphoma Society.
A proud Wyomingite, Mrs. Thomas works tirelessly to promote the state of Wyoming and its natural beauty. She has worked with the National Parks Conservation Association and served on the National Board for the Continental
Divide.
Mrs. Thomas has established a foundation in Senator Thomas’ memory, the Craig and Susan Thomas Foundation. It works with Wyoming individuals, organizations and communities to provide opportunities and help ‘at risk’ children
achieve their full potential. Launched in March of 2008, the Foundation has already awarded scholarships to more than a dozen students and helped a wide variety of organizations that champion our youth.
Susan Thomas was a full partner with her husband in the political world and is truly honored to have the opportunity to continue to serve the great state of Wyoming.
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