DAY 23 - U. WYOMING

University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY
www.uwyo.edu

Mascot:
The Cowboys


On our way through Wyoming, we thought we should check out the only four year institution in the state.

We were immediately struck by how green and lush the campus was.  There was an incredible Geology and Natural History museum on campus.  Gus got excited about the dinosaur statues outside, and did his own impression of his best "T-Rex."

U.Wyoming certainly is a great place for anyone with a passion for Wyoming, and an interest in the pursuit of a wide variety of academic study.

The trip wasn't all fun and games, though.  Laramie, WY is also home to one of the most notorious and saddening hate crimes of the last thirty years.  The story of the horrific abduction, torture, and murder of Matthew Shepard weighed on our minds as we followed the fence lines into the town of Laramie.  Both Craig and I were in college in 1998, when the incident took place, and remember vividly the horror we felt upon hearing the news of what took place in Laramie.  Each of us has attended "Laramie Project" events in the years since, and each of us feel a personal connection to the goal of extending human rights to all people, regardless of sexuality or perceived sexuality.  Although the progress of the last two decades in these areas may serve as the best tribute to the memory of those who have suffered injustice in the past, it felt important to honor and take a moment to reflect on the truth of what that injustice looked like.  In front of the largest academic building on campus is a bench dedicated to the memory of Matthew Shepard.  We made an added effort to seek out the Matthew Shepard bench, pause and reflect, before heading on to Cheyenne.