Former Wyoming Senator Al Simpson was joined by the widow of former United States Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta to dedicate the Mineta-Simpson Institute at Heart Mountain last week.
The facility is located at Heart Mountain, a World War Two Japanese American confinement site that housed more than 14,000 Japanese Americans.
It was there that Simpson, a resident of Cody, and Mineta, a prisoner at Heart Mountain met as young Boy Scouts and forged a lifelong friendship despite being from different political parties.
The Mineta-Simpson Institute will be a dedicated retreat designed to encourage empathy, courage, and cooperation in the next generation of leaders.
The event was also attended by former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, Congresswoman Liz Cheney.