From the Colorado Water Congress:
Colorado has lost one of our great water leaders. After a three-year remission, Ray’s lymphoma
came back with a vengeance. He passed away peacefully late Sunday evening.Ray was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 1968 at the age of 27. He was elected to the Colorado Senate in 1970 and was elected Senate Majority Leader in 1973. He remained in that position until 1978, at which time he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Congressman Kogovsek was re-elected twice, serving three terms in all. He returned to the sprawling 3rd Congressional District every weekend, and spent much of the weekends traveling throughout the district to listen to constituents. Although he reveled in the personal contacts he made, the travel and divisive Washington atmosphere led to his decision not to seek re-election in 1984.
The following year, Kogovsek & Associates, Inc. was established with key staff member Christine Arbogast in an ongoing commitment to the West and to Colorado – its natural resources, its human resources and its future. In over 30 years of consulting, primarily at the federal level, Ray and Christine have worked on responsible water resource management and development, transportation, Native American issues, appropriation of federal funds for a wide range of programs and capital projects, and the use and protection of our public lands.
Ray was awarded the Wayne Aspinall Water Leader of the Year in 2003 by the Colorado Water Congress, our highest award.
From ColoradoPolitics.com (Dan Njegomir):
The death Sunday of onetime 3rd Congressional District U.S. Rep. Ray Kogovsek — a legend in southern Colorado politics, a linchpin in the state Democratic Party and a friend to countless Coloradans — has prompted an outpouring of praise and memories from fellow Puebloans as well as the state’s political establishment.
The Pueblo Chieftain’s Peter Roper captured the moment and the sentiments from a host of political notables. Roper did some diligent reporting tracking down quite a few of them.