CASPER, Wyo. –– Former Wyoming Rep. Barbara Cubin received the Distinguished Service Award on Wednesday morning at the 27th Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming Awards & Recognition Breakfast, and she used her speech to discuss her Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis earlier this year.
“On Jan. 24, I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease,” she said after being introduced by her sons, Bill and Dr. Eric Cubin. “I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on my past, and found all of the blessings that I have received throughout my life.”
Cubin was honored as Wyoming’s first woman elected to Congress, where she rose to become one of the GOP’s highest-ranking women, serving as Secretary of the House Republican Conference and chair of the Committee on Resources’ Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. She served in Congress from 1995 until her retirement in 2009.
“I wake up and I am so grateful that God gave me another day, and has given me people who look after me and love me,” continued the woman, “and I’m grateful to God for giving me the strength and the courage to face my future with hope and not with despair.”
Cubin, who will be 79 in November, discussed three key lessons she has learned since her diagnosis. One is to be considerate to others. “You don’t know what has happened in their past, and you don’t know what will happen in the future,” she told me. The second lesson was to appreciate the people in your life, “especially those who love you.”
She explained that the final lesson is faith. “Faith is the one thing you will always be able to turn to, so that you can find comfort when needed.”
“This is a beautiful world,” she said, before thanking the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming and encouraging the audience to support the organization.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon delivered a welcoming speech, including a moment of silence for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last week during an event in Utah.
The Susie McMurry Cowboy Code Try Award was presented to Dave and Karla Dundas, the parents of late Casper Police Lieutenant Daniel Dundas, who committed suicide in 2021. “In the midst of grief so heavy that it was hard to breathe, we were faced with a choice: Let the darkness continue, or find a way to carry Danny’s light forward,” said Karla while delivering her address. “We chose the light, and that’s why we created the Lieutenant Danny Dundas Scholarship at Casper College, reserved for first responders or their children, so others can keep moving forward even in the face of hardship.”
Youth of the Year finalists were announced by retired Kelly Walsh High School principal Brad Diller and CASA Advocate Dana Murphy.
Youth of the Year winner Derrick Ketchum talked about his behavior and emotional challenges before joining the Boys & Girls Club. “I had a lot of fun while I was there,” he said. “The staff was tough but fair, guiding me in the right direction.”
The keynote address was delivered by TV personality William Reeve, who has worked for ESPN and ABC News and is the son of the late actor Christopher Reeve, best known for his role as Superman.
“I appreciate the hospitality here in Casper,” he told us. “Every single person here is the nicest, kindest person I’ve met.”
He related his own times as a member of a Boys & Girls Club in upstate New York, where he learned to swim as a child.
“You are part of that grassroots effort that is really shaping the future of our country,” he said, “because, as we say at the Boys & Girls Club, America needs Club kids, and Club kids need people like you to make these dreams come true.”
The annual breakfast event helps raise money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming’s annual operating budget of $5.6 million. Donations can be made online.
