Wendy Corr:

Well, hey there, folks! Welcome to The Roundup. We are a Cowboy State Daily podcast, and we feature really interesting people here in the Cowboy State.

And we have been so blessed - for over a year now we've been able to bring you conversations with people who have made a difference in their communities, in the state, who are out there representing Wyoming in just the best ways.

And so today, we get a chance to talk to one of the most influential legislators here in Wyoming. Spent 28 years in the Wyoming Legislature, legislature in both the House and the Senate, which is phenomenal, but he's got a great Wyoming origin story, and I love that.

So most people who follow Cowboy State Daily have heard the name Eli Bebout, and here we are, the man himself in person. Eli Bebout, Eli, we're so glad you were able to join us today on the roundup. How are you?

Eli Bebout:

Good afternoon! It's really great to be here with you, Wendy. Look forward to our conversation and, of course, Cowboy Daily has been a real success for our state, and what they bring to the viewers and the unique way they do it in the business and what they do, so it's good to be part of it. I'm just looking forward to our conversation.

Wendy Corr:

This is going to be a fun conversation, and thank you so much. We are so proud of the model that we have built with Cowboy State Daily, because not only does it bring real news that actually affects people in - and the small town things as well - but those real issues that are important to people.

But those conversations with people like you, Eli, who have made such an impact here in the state - Eli, you are a Wyoming native. I mean, how great is it that you've been able to spend your entire life here? Tell me about growing up. Folks, he grew up in Bairoil. There's not a lot of people that can say they grew up in Bairoil.

Eli Bebout:

Growing up is a stretch. I was, my mom and dad were, after the war, Dad took a job in Bairoil, working for Sinclair oil refinery company, and so I was, I happened to be born in Rawlins. It was an interesting place to live, Bairoil. Accommodations were not exactly what you would expect to be good for a young mother like my mom, raising not only me but my sister Ruby, who was coming along.

And so it was, in fact, it came to the point where mom said, Pa, you know, I'm going to go to Fremont County. If you want to stay here, you do, but we're going to move to Fremont County. So actually, I was only in Bairoil for a little bit, and we decided to move.

And my dad was smart,and he made the right choice. He said, I'm going with you, Ma. And so we moved to Shoshoni. And so I was really raised in Shoshoni with my brother Nick and my sister Ruby Dee.

Wendy Corr:

And so Shoshoni, you graduated from Shoshoni High School. But Shoshoni was probably even smaller then than it is now. I'm guessing.

Eli Bebout

Well, back then, it was a lot different in rural America. You know what we had in Shoshoni was - and it was that way all around our country - we had a grocery store, we had a movie theater, we had a Golden Rule drug store, Gambles, we had all of that.

And, you know, rural America, one of the things that I don't like about what's going on in our country is that we're losing that, that part of what we do. And so Shoshoni today is much different than back then. And all we have today are couple of Pit Stops, which are really neat for the local community and all that, but know that that small town flavor is gone.

But it was great being raised there, and it was a lot of fun. Participated in sports in Fremont County - Shoshoni Wranglers, here we go!

Wendy Corr:

That's great. I guess I misspoke then in that way, because you're right. I remember when I was in high school, coming through - every time you came through Shoshoni, you had to stop at the drugstore and get a milkshake. That was a must stop.

Eli Bebout:

Oh yeah, and yeah. And I, as a kid, we would go to the drugstore that was across the street. I would go to the one on the other side and get a cherry coke. But that's small town America, and it was wonderful to be there and be part of and be raised in that environment.

Wendy Corr:

I'm so glad that you were able to have that experience growing up. Eli, when you grew up and you had a wonderful childhood in Shoshoni, you made the decision to to leave Shoshoni, to leave Wyoming, and you decided to go into the Air Force Academy. What was behind your decision to do that? Because that's a major honor.

Eli Bebout:

That was a difficult time for our country and the Vietnam War going on. And as a kid, there was three things I always wanted to do. And I always wanted to be a pilot, and preferably fly a jet, jet pilot and the fighter jet. And the other thing was, the other two were one, be a doctor, and then three, I wanted to be an electrical engineer. Which, fortunately, I was able to achieve.

So and then I was thinking about, where would I do that if I wanted to fly? And of course, the academies are always - I have a great respect for our country. I think that all of us are patriots, and I love our country. I mean, I wanted to serve, and I thought, if I want to serve, I ought to do it the way I wanted to.

So I said, why would I walk and go to West Point? Why would I walk when I can fly? So, fortunate enough, I was able to get into the academy, spent three years there, did not graduate. That's one of those things that happened in school.

And I left there and went to the University of Iowa, where I finished and got my degree in electrical engineering.

Wendy Corr:

And the University of Wyoming, of course, we are all so proud of that institution. Here you left University of Wyoming with your degree in electrical engineering, and that took you to some really interesting places that kind of launched your career in ways that you didn't expect, I'm guessing.

Eli Bebout:

Absolutely. And one other thing about being from Shoshoni is, and my brother, and they didn't have girls sports or Ruby Dee would have probably been in there, but we were fortunate enough to be athletes, and so I had a full scholarship.

You had to go through the appointment process to the academy, but I was a basketball player there and and the good old University of Wyoming, when I left, coach Stranding said, Eli, we think you can help our program.

And we, back then, we had the red shirt year. And so he said, Come to Wyoming. We'll take care of you for a couple of years and join our team. So that was another bonus, to be able to be a Wyoming Cowboy, play on the - WAC champions, by the way, in ‘68-’69, so that was a real milestone of my young life back then.

And then, of course, after that, graduating with a degree in engineering and electrical engineering, and I thought about what to do. And I've always been intrigued by the oil business, and so I took a job with Shell Oil in Denver, and it was a good move. It was a lot of fun.

Wendy Corr:

And Shell Oil in Denver at the time, I'm sure that was, I'm guessing, a big part of the oil boom. At that time, there was a lot of exploration going on.

Eli Bebout:

It was, and a kid from Shoshoni, you have to understand, although, when I was at the Academy, we traveled a lot, and then went, well, Laramie, I did as well. But all of a sudden I have an office downtown Denver on the, what, the 15th floor, whatever, 17th and Broadway.

And so it was a young time and a young person's life, and it was a, really, a great learning experience, but after a couple three years, it was just, the corporate culture and I just didn't quite see eye to eye. So I decided it was time for a career change.

And so I made a move into, I had a chance to move elsewhere in the oil business, but I decided I wanted to stay in Denver, and so I took a job with a real estate development company right there locally in Denver.

Wendy Corr:

Real estate development is quite a difference from electrical engineering and the oil industry. What was it about that move that appealed to you?

Eli Bebout:

Well, the thing about being an engineer and why it's such a good degree is you learn a lot of things about how to deal with numbers, math and all of that, which is what I always enjoyed. So when I shifted from being an engineer in the oil business, I was really an engineer and doing contracts and stuff in the development business.

So the premise of my education really set me up to be able to do both, and it was a really good move. And the neat thing about it, and is that I was there for a couple three years, and they had a chance, and wanted me to go to the southeastern part of our country, into Atlanta, where they were having some difficulty in a big, big area, a lot of projects, and run it.

And I thought, wow, that's why not. I'm a young guy. I could go to Atlanta. And so I took the job. A week later, Wendy, a week later, my brother Nick, gets drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, and so, Whoop de do, no kidding.

And there we were together. H...

The Roundup: A Conversation With Eli Bebout