The recently expanded terminal at Yellowstone Regional Airport will be officially named "Senator Hank Coe Terminal" during a public event at the Cody airport Friday, June 7. 

A statue of Hank Coe (1946-2021) to be placed inside the passenger terminal near its main entrance also will be dedicated at the event, according to a YRA press release.

The late Sen. Coe had a long career in public service as a state senator for 32 years, Park County commissioner for eight years and during many years on the Cody airport board. 

Gov. Mark Gordon is expected to lead the dedication, with other state and legislative officials from around Wyoming in attendance. Airport Director Aaron Buck will be MC of the event. An open house in the terminal will begin at 9 a.m., with the ceremony to start about 10 a.m. and the statue dedication, led by Coe's three children, immediately following. A reception will continue until 11 a.m.

Through his longtime advocacy in the Wyoming Legislature, Coe had a singular impact on the development of commercial airline service across the state. At the same time he worked directly with major U.S. airlines for more and better flights into Wyoming. He helped create CYAIR (Cody Yellowstone Air Improvement Resources) to boost airline service in Cody. In 2016 he was honored by the Wyoming Airport Operators Association with its Lifetime Achievement Award. 

The public seating area of the terminal was expanded by 9,000 square feet in a $6.5 million project. Groathouse Construction, Inc., of Cody was the general contractor, starting work in December 2022 with completion in March 2023. Funding was led by $6.2 million from the federal government, including the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program (AIP), Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Coronavirius Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The state Aeronautics Division of WYDOT added about $148,000 and local funds totaled about $98,000. 

Additional improvements inside the terminal include: expanded TSA check area and new luggage and passenger X-ray equipment; additional seating in the passenger hold area; more space for ground and airline equipment; and two airline offices and additional space for future airline counters. 

Cody sculptor Gerald Shippen created the bronze statue of Coe, which was cast at Caleco Foundry in Cody. The statue was privately funded by Coe's children and a number of his friends. It is slightly larger than life-size. 

Henry "Hank" Huttleston Rogers Coe was a driving force in the public life of Cody, Park County and Wyoming. In addition to his service in elective office, he was a trustee of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West for more than 30 years, a member and president of the Cody Medical Foundation for more than 35 years, and a volunteer firefighter in Cody for more than two decades. As the longtime chair of the Senate Education Committee, Coe helped create the Hathaway Scholarship, a $400 million endowment to support the further education of Wyoming high school graduates, worked for many years to establish more equitable public school funding in the state, and helped galvanize the state's commitment to spending $2.5 billion on school construction. 

Coe, who was president of the State Senate in 2001, died of pancreatic cancer at age 74 in 2021. He continued to work at home on Wyoming issues until just days before he passed away.