2014 SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 14-003 BY SENATOR(S) Baumgardner, Aguilar, Balmer, Brophy, Cadman, Crowder, Grantham, Guzman, Harvey, Heath, Herpin, Hill, Hodge, Jahn, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr, King, Lambert, Lundberg, Marble, Newell, Nicholson, Renfroe, Rivera, Roberts, Scheffel, Schwartz, Steadman, Tochtrop, Todd, Ulibarri, Zenzinger, Carroll; also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Coram and Mitsch Bush, Becker, Buck, Buckner, Conti, Court, DelGrosso, Dore, Duran, Everett, Exum, Fields, Fischer, Foote, Garcia, Gardner, Gerou, Ginal, Hamner, Holbert, Hullinghorst, Humphrey, Joshi, Kagan, Kraft-Tharp, Labuda, Landgraf, Lawrence, Lebsock, Lee, May, McCann, McLachlan, McNulty, Melton, Moreno, Murray, Nordberg, Pabon, Peniston, Pettersen, Primavera, Priola, Rankin, Rosenthal, Ryden, Saine, Salazar, Schafer, Scott, Singer, Sonnenberg, Stephens, Swalm, Szabo, Tyler, Waller, Williams, Wilson, Wright, Young, Ferrandino. MEMORIALIZING FORMER SENATOR DAVE WATTENBERG. WHEREAS, Our respected former colleague, Dave Wattenberg, a past member of the Colorado Senate and House of Representatives, departed this life on January 20, 2014, at the age of 73; and WHEREAS, Senator Wattenberg was born April 4, 1940, on his family's ranch in North Park, Colorado, to Elmer and Eva Wattenberg; and WHEREAS, Senator Wattenberg graduated from Jackson County High School in 1958 and attended college in Ames, Iowa, for two years, returning to North Park to work on the ranch after his uncle Harry Wattenberg's death; and WHEREAS, Senator Wattenberg began his public service as an elected official by serving as a member of the North Park School District Board of Education for 14 years; and WHEREAS, Senator Wattenberg was elected first to the House of Representatives in 1982, where he served on the Education Committee and the Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources Committee; and WHEREAS, In 1984, Senator Wattenberg was elected to represent Senate District 8 in the Senate, where he served for the next 16 years; and WHEREAS, While a member of the Senate, Senator Wattenberg served for 8 years on the Transportation Committee, including 4 years as chair; served 9 years on the Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy Committee, including 2 years as chair; and served for 16 years on the Business Affairs and Labor Committee, including 2 years as vice-chair and 8 years as chair; and WHEREAS, Senator Wattenberg was also a member of the Local Government Committee, as well as a number of joint and interim committees; and WHEREAS, Senator Wattenberg was a consummate statesman, a man who stood by his beliefs but avoided overly partisan politics, and this willingness to find common ground despite political differences earned Senator Wattenberg the respect of his fellow legislators as well as lobbyists and reporters; and WHEREAS, Senator Wattenberg was well-known for his sense of humor and his love of playing practical jokes on his fellow legislators; and WHEREAS, Senator Wattenberg sometimes went to great lengths to pull off a practical joke, such as dressing in a brightly colored silk shirt and skin-tight saddle pants to pop out of a large gift-wrapped box placed in the well of the House floor to surprise a fellow legislator on her birthday and appearing on the Senate floor as "Mildred", a properly attired woman complete with hat, gloves, stockings, and make-up, to play an April Fool's Day joke on a fellow Senator; and WHEREAS, When that same fellow Senator was later nominated to head an executive branch agency, Senator Wattenberg conducted the confirmation hearing with an Old West theme of "Hang 'Em High", having all of the committee members wear judicial robes as if conducting a trial, and having a hanging noose at the hearing just in case the Senator was found not qualified to hold the office; and WHEREAS, Despite his exemplary career as a Colorado legislator, Senator Wattenberg considered himself first and foremost a rancher and a cowboy, involved both in the cattle business and promoting agriculture, and brought his deep and abiding respect for Colorado's land and its people to bear on his leadership style as a legislator; and WHEREAS, Senator Wattenberg was a lifelong member of the Colorado Cattlemen's Association, the North Park Stockgrowers' Association, and the North Park Pioneer Association; and WHEREAS, Senator Wattenberg was a long-time member of the National Western Association who was involved with the National Western Stock Show not only as a cattleman showcasing his own and others' cattle from North Park but also as an active supporter through efforts such as arranging numerous guests to attend the Stock Show to learn about and appreciate the importance and contributions of the agricultural industry and encouraging young persons' involvement in agriculture through raising donations from fellow legislators to purchase animals at the Stock Show's junior livestock auction; and WHEREAS, Through his lifelong efforts, Senator Wattenberg proved himself to be a true ambassador for the National Western Stock Show and the agricultural industry in Colorado; and WHEREAS, Senator Wattenberg is remembered as a dedicated public servant who championed agriculture and ranching as integral parts of the Colorado economy and way of life, fighting fiercely for what he believed would improve and protect this state and its people he held so dear; and WHEREAS, It is fitting that we, the members of the Sixty-ninth General Assembly, pay tribute to the dedicated service of Senator Dave Wattenberg and express our deep regret and sorrow occasioned by his death; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-ninth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: That, in the death of Senator Dave Wattenberg, the people of the state of Colorado have lost a dedicated public servant and outstanding citizen, and that we, the members of the Sixty-ninth General Assembly, do hereby extend our deep and heartfelt sympathy to the members of his family and pay tribute to a man who served his state well and faithfully. Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Memorial be sent to Senator Wattenberg's wife, Mary Sharon Wells; his son, Ty Wattenberg; his wife's sons, Guy Morgan Wells and Joseph Brian Wells; his wife's sister, Sara Janet Freeman; the North Park Stockgrowers' Association; the National Western Association; the Colorado Farm Bureau; the North Park Pioneer Association; and the Colorado State Fair Board. ____________________________ ____________________________ Morgan Carroll Mark Ferrandino PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES ____________________________ ____________________________ Cindi Markwell Marilyn Eddins SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES