The Wyoming Outdoor Council was deeply saddened to learn of the death in Ukraine of David Nicholas, 64, who served on the Wyoming Outdoor Council Board in the mid 1980s.

Throughout his long and distinguished career as a public servant, Dave demonstrated how much he cared about people. He was a state senator from 1979 until 1986 and served as a justice of the peace and a city attorney prior to that. He also taught at the University of Wyoming before being tapped in 1989 by his childhood friend, then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, to serve as defense advisor to the U.S. Mission to NATO. He received the Distinguished Public Service Award for his work there.

While on the WOC board, Dave advocated adopting an environmental “Bill of Rights” that would entitle every Wyoming citizen to clean air, water and land. He was preparing this legislation when he was called to work overseas. Dave went on to serve as the representative of the U.S. Secretary of Defense to the Organization for Security and Cooperation, OSCE, in Vienna until March 2003. He was then appointed OSCE project coordinator in Ukraine. Colleagues in the Ukraine say he contributed a great deal to the ultimate success of Ukraine’s elections last fall.

Dave offered insight and wisdom to our organization. He was a brilliant man. At one point, I remember discussing his need to reduce his stress with him. The next time I saw him, he said that he had found a solution: he was learning Chinese. His fantastic language skills in German, Russian and Chinese served him well as an ambassador of his country.

But there was a lighter side of Dave. He had a great sense of humor and added levity to our discussions. At a meeting when I lamented that Rodger McDaniel and I were the only Democrats on the WOC board, Sue Simpson, Al Simpson’s daughter piped up, “I’m a registered Democrat too!” Dave’s jaw dropped a mile, and then he quipped, “That’s just goddamn youthful rebellion.”

Once when we were talking about childhood friendships and how lasting Wyoming friendships often are, Dave mentioned his childhood friend Dick Cheney and how much that friendship had meant to him. At that time I’m sure he didn’t have any inkling that Dick would become Secretary of Defense and later Vice President. And, how that would change Dave’s life also.

Dave will be missed by his many friends and associates; he left a rich legacy of how to care and work for others.

Governor Dave Freudenthal said in a prepared statement following the announcement of Dave’s death, “Dave was a truly fine legislator with a remarkable attention to detail and a real sense of the future of the state, as seen in his support of creating a wildlife trust when it was first proposed 25 years ago.”

”He continued to do his home state proud with an influential career in international diplomacy. Dave was someone I tremendously enjoyed working with over the years. Our condolences go out to his family and friends, of which there were many. The state of Wyoming has never had a better friend than Dave Nicholas.”