Charles Levendosky

District Judge Bill Downes’ resonant voice sounded through the Nicolaysen Auditorium in Casper as clearly as if he were speaking within his own chambers.

"I got a call from Charles Levendosky several years ago, not too long after he had editorialized against me. He called me at the courthouse and he said, ‘Judge, I need to ask a favor of you.’ ‘Well, Charles, what can I do for you?’ I replied. He said, ‘Would you marry me?’" The judge paused for a moment for effect then continued, "I said, ‘No, Charles, but I’d love to perform the service.’"

Nearly three hundred admirers of the late Casper Star Tribune editorialist and poet, Charles Levendosky, who were gathered at the Nicolaysen to honor his memory, burst into loud laughter and applause that Sunday afternoon in Casper, the sadness of the day evaporating momentarily. "Mine was a rich relationship [with Charles] and I’m a better person because I knew him," Judge Downes added. "You might not like the position he took but you always knew that it was an informed position. We live in rancorous times and people shout at one another. We don’t learn from one another. Charles taught us to learn from one another, and he lived his life with great dignity." On March 14, after a ten-year battle with colon cancer, Charles Levendosky died at his home in Casper. Best known for his passionate editorials advocating First Amendment rights, social justice, good government, and conservation, he was also recognized as a respected poet, teacher, defender of the arts, dedicated family man, and friend.

His wife Dale Eckhardt noted that his last decade struggling with illness was his most productive. His columns appeared in more then 225 newspapers, including the Boston Globe, the Denver Post, and the Los Angeles Times, and were reprinted in over a dozen textbooks.

Levendosky received an undergraduate degree in both physics and mathematics, and a master’s degree in education from New York University. He taught in classrooms from New York to Georgia and conducted poetry readings from Gillette to Boston. In 1972 he moved from New York City to Wyoming, continuing his career in education and poetry with the Wyoming Arts Council, and then later, as a journalist with the Casper Star Tribune.

Former Governor Mike Sullivan, under whom Charles served as Poet Laureate of the State of Wyoming, credited Charles with "raising the intellectual standard in this state." "He added to the discourse of the discussion by advocating positions that weren’t always in the mainstream," Sullivan said. "But in doing so he challenged all of us. "He challenged people he didn’t know," Sullivan added. "He raised their ire and he raised their passion. But he made them think. And I believe that we are all better people for having known him. Wyoming is a better state for him having adopted us."

Charles was many things to many people. As his son-in-law, David Nacht, said, "Charles made many paths in many different worlds."

At the memorial service, Charles’ daughters Alytia and Ixchel reminisced about playing dolphins with their "shark" father on the living room floor, snowshoeing in wilderness areas with him, and about the way he supported their artistic endeavors. Rob Hurless, former publisher of the Casper Star Tribune, remembered his friend’s stubbornness in arguments, but especially remarked on Charles’ gentleness, patience and kindness. And nearly everyone had something to say about his keen sense of humor and his rumbling, infectious laugh.

Mike Shay, with the Wyoming Arts Council, referring to Charles’ time working as a Writer in Residence for the Council, states, "Without Charles, there would be no literature program at the Wyoming Arts Council. He put things in place here that we’re still doing 30 years later." Tom Rea, who also worked with Charles during his time at the Arts Council, and later as an editorial assistant at the paper, said, "Charles was always positive and energetic. He was an energy center to all of us. But he also had the power of stepping out of the way."

Casper resident, Mary Lou Morrison, stated, "He made all of us become more motivated to oppose those things that we thought were wrong in the world." "After writing my first letter to the editor, I felt that I had made a difference. He empowered us," she added.

Regarding Charles’ work for the environment, especially for Wyoming’s Red Desert and the state’s wild places, former Casper Star editor, Dan Neal, thought that "Charles had come full circle" from the time he had first moved to Wyoming.

"In his last six or seven years he became more interested in open spaces and wildlife," Neal said. "He became more interested in what brought him here in the first place." Due to Dan Neal, Rob Hurless and others at the Casper Star, Charles was provided with a home office in March of 1999, which enabled him to remain a viable part of the paper in spite of his illness. Dale Eckhardt said that this helped keep Charles alive.

For those who knew Charles, worked with him and admired his kindness, tenacity and courage, it is now up to us to honor this great man by speaking our minds with the same grace, humor and intellect that he was renowned for. As Mary Lou Morrison said, "I hope someone can help fill the void. Maybe it’s up to us."

Charles would have it no other way.