Just days before a statue of the late Sen. Hank Coe was to be unveiled at Yellowstone Regional Airport, the larger-than-life bronze burned in a fire. But thanks to quick action and skilled restoration work, the tribute to Coe was gleaming and ready for a Friday ceremony at the airport in his honor.

“For those of us who knew Hank, it was not a surprise that he would rise from the ashes like a phoenix,” said Gov. Mark Gordon of the statue made by Cody artist Gerald Shippen.

The governor was among several dignitaries who gathered at the newly named Senator Hank Coe Terminal and the longtime lawmaker’s accomplishments — including his instrumental role in expanding commercial airline services in Cody and around the state. Attendees included Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, former Sen. Al Simpson, state legislators, county commissioners, Cody Mayor Matt Hall, airport directors from around the state and family members.

“The day my dad died was the saddest day of my life. But today is one of the happiest because I feel like we're truly honoring him in a wonderful way,” said Coe’s son, H.R.

Following his father’s death in January 2021, “it took me some time to really realize that his life was so great because of his experiences and the positive impact that he had on people,” H.R. said. “He left a tremendous legacy without a doubt.”

Succeeding dignitaries spoke of that legacy, especially his decades as a state legislator and as a volunteer firefighter.

“This is a guy that followed the Cowboy Code before Wyoming even came up with the Cowboy Code of living each day with courage, taking pride in his work and doing what needs to be done,” Barrasso said about Coe.

A former president of the Senate, Coe chaired the Senate Education Committee, helped set up the Hathaway Scholarship and was instrumental in the passage of numerous pieces of legislation. But airline service was always a priority, which is why he helped start CYAIR, an organization that raises funds to expand air service in Cody and helped the community join the federal Essential Air Service program, which provides government funding to keep airlines flying to YRA year-round.

“He saved air service in this county,” Simpson said. “Nobody did more for air service … that’s the way he worked, fearless. All of the things he did were service above self.”

Coe’s state Legislature colleague, former Sen. Tony Ross, said it simply: “He was the heart and soul of air transportation in the state of Wyoming.”

The event finished off with the statute’s unveiling. The bronze burned in a May 29 fire that destroyed the Caleco Foundry, where it had been crafted and stored. H.R., who’s the current fire chief in Cody, was one of the first to respond to the blaze. But in the wake of the fire, H.R. immediately reached out to Clay Ward, who had served as a volunteer firefighter alongside Coe. Ward was able to refinish the bronze in just a day.

That the statue survived the fire was at once miraculous and unsurprising, given who it depicts, Barrasso said.

“You know that in that song, ‘When you're going through hell just keep going’? He [Coe] did,” Barrasso said. “He did in so many ways, always for the success and the betterment of this community and our state.”