Hank Brown, Colorado's widely respected former United States senator, is winner of the 2008 Citizen of the West Award. Some things you may not know about him:

The trait he most deplores in himself: "There are so many, but I that I have such trouble budgeting my time. I have enormous difficulty carving out personal time."

The trait he most deplores in others: "Dishonesty."

The one thing he wants someone to say at his funeral: "I'll be lucky of anyone comes! I don't think you make your mark in this world so much because of what people remember about you, but more because of the extent that you make an impact and difference that has a rippling effect."

Favorite song: "Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver.

Favorite book: "When a Man Comes to Himself" by Woodrow Wilson (1901)

The car he drives: A blue Volkswagen bug "because it's so good on gas," said Brown's daughter, Lori. "And he was so upset that they only came with power windows. He wanted the kind he'd have to roll up."

On his learning style: "Some people, like me, have to put their hand on the hot stove to figure out it's hot. I know how to learn something the hard way."

On early lessons in politics: "When I ran for the (United States) senate, one of the local columnists said I may not be tough enough for the job. I thought that was bizarre, but on reflection, I think people look for (candidates) to show emotion. That isn't easy for me. I was brought up to think that you don't display emotions, especially not in public. I never remember my dad showing anger, or either of my grandfathers showing anger. That was something you just didn't do. Anger doesn't usually solve anything, so what's the point?"

"I learned right away that much of politics centers around learning how to work with others.
"In the (Colorado) legislature, I think the first bill I got out of committee was one that cut the pay of legislators if they didn't show up for work. We had a number of folks who were elected but didn't come to the sessions. I was, and maybe still am, pretty idealistic.
"I was sitting at my desk, and I heard one of the other senators talking about the bills coming up on that afternoon's schedule. He said this one bill was the worst he'd ever seen. He called it nasty and mean. It turned out that it was my bill.
"They wound up doing an interesting thing. They struck the enacting clause, which is a way of killing a bill without considering it. So, I learned a little about the sensitivity of legislators to the their compensation."

"A lot of people who were and are legislators haven't done a lot of manual labor. They tend not to appreciate how savvy working people are. They weren't and aren't trying to be mean, they just haven't had exposure to the world."

"Sometimes the best speeches are the shortest, and the best way to get votes is definitely to talk to people one on one."

But surely there are things that make Brown angry: "I don't know the words to say how disappointed I am in the U.S. Congress. It is the height of irresponsibility to destroy the nation's economy in the way they have and are now doing."

"There's that old saying that goes something like, 'What you do speaks so loudly I can't hear what you say.' I have often thought that we as a nation have trouble acting and speaking consistently. Our foreign policy has been a little silly sometimes. We spend so much time telling other countries what to do. I wonder whether it would be much more persuasive for us not to say a word "

On balancing family and public service: "Over the years, when something difficult came up, (wife) Nan could count on the fact that I wasn't there. She ended up having to handle most of the tough stuff by herself because I would be gone (to Washington, D.C.) during the week. Being available on Saturdays and Sundays and over the phone isn't the same. But I didn't think of it as much at the time because I saw more of my family than I had seen of my dad - and I thought that (infrequency of time with dad) didn't preclude him from passing on values and setting an example for me.
"Now that I'm older, I don't think there's any question that I wish I'd had more time at home."

Brown's daughter, Lori Brown: "I don't think Dad should worry about how much time he spent with us. When he was home, he was really home, and that was quality time we spent together. I know I saw more of him than a lot of my friends saw of their fathers. And I never got to have any fun because the moment I was about to do something I probably shouldn't have, Dad would show up right then and there."

Hank Brown on his arrival as a freshman to the University of Colorado at Boulder: "I was enormously excited, and when I came over that hill and saw the Boulder valley, I knew immediately that's where I wanted to spend a college career. It's one of the most beautiful spots on the face of the earth."

On his one regret as he prepares to step down as president of the University of Colorado: "I am dismayed that I am leaving the Boulder campus without having blown up the engineering building."

Brown's reflections on the CU system: "The university is a marvelous place, and it was that way a long time before I came along. But we had fallen into a pattern of not facing up to problems promptly and not being open and transparent. Substance was also a part of the problem. We paid a huge price for it. We suffered a huge and disproportionate cut in state funding because of the misunderstandings between the former (CU) administration and governor's office. We had suffered devastating publicity, and we had created a misimpression of our forthrightness. The answer has really been to be open and honest and to solve problems in a reasonable time."

On the controversial dismissal of Phil Mitchell from CU-Boulder's faculty: "He had wonderful critiques by his students and is a very gifted teacher in my view. But I didn't feel like I was in a position to overrule what the Boulder campus did. Our system calls for me to respect those decisions. But do I have to agree with them? No. I did try to help him get located in a new job. I called (Colorado Christian University President) Bill Armstrong, who is an old friend, and encouraged him to interview Phil. Happily, that worked out."

On the university's legal settlement with former student Lisa Simpson: "A good legislator is someone who can figure out a win-win situation. And that's part of what the university has been about for the last few years - win-win situations for students, the faculty and the public.
"The (Simpson case) drowned out the good things were doing. On the balance, I wound up thinking that putting it behind us was very important so that we could get on with focusing on students and learning.
"If Lisa Simpson had won a single dollar, the statute would then have allowed her to collect all attorneys fees and expenses. We think that figure at the time of the (university's $2.5 million settlement with Simpson) was more than $7 million. The danger of those fees and expenses was so devastating. The (university's) attorney fees were already $3 million.
"The real value in that settlement is not so much the money as it is in letting us get on with our lives, both Lisa and the university. In a way, it has been an enormous blessing for all of us.
"Lisa just wanted to have the conversation. There was an enormous problem, and issue for her wasn't so much about money. I believe that. It was a feeling of concern that she and her family had about the way the university handled what was a very big and very real problem. To some extent, this was about listening, giving her a chance to share her views and acknowledge them.
"(The settlement) has given us (at CU) the opportunity to rethink and reorganize the way we operate. We are a much different university because of that traumatic experience."

Advice for CU's next president: "The biggest challenge is to encourage and challenge the great people who are here. That boils down to focusing on how to stimulate and reward the university's the great talent. We have spent a lot of time setting goals and devising metrics to help everyone understand what is expected. So, we've changed a lot of jobs to some extent. I hope the next person will use those benchmarks to provide a clearer sense of direction and empower people."

Hank Brown, the gentleman: "I was out for a walk with (my St. Bernard) Molly Brown, and a neighbor came by on skates. Molly turned her head, and the skater fell. It turned out that Molly had nipped her, and she was outraged understandably. I helped the woman up and got her back home. She called police and the doctor. I told her I would pay for any of her costs.
"The police came, took a look at Molly and wanted to make sure she'd had all of her shots, which she had. They obviously filed a report, and a very observant Greeley Tribune reporter found it. There was a headline in the paper, something like 'Brown's dog attacks local woman.'
"The next day, I took flowers to her and apologized personally again. She came to the door and was still mad. I said I was sorry and that I just wanted to make sure she was OK.
'She really bit me,' the woman said, and she proceeded to show me where Molly had bitten her in (the behind).
"I didn't know what to say. 'My, that looks bad,' didn't seem appropriate. Or 'Hey, that looks better than I thought,' wasn't right. I just didn't say anything - and I didn't take Molly out for walks much anymore."

Nan Brown on her husband's taste in clothing: "We were once at some senate function, and Hank was talking with (former Tennessee senator and Republican presidential candidate) Fred Thompson.
"'Gee Fred, that's a nice suit,' Hank told him. And Fred thanked him and said it was a Hickey Freeman. "Hank didn't know what that meant, not a clue."

"I suspect Hank is color-blind. He won't admit to it, but I have my suspicion because no one would put these things together. Sometimes I let him go out the door in his bizarre outfits because I don't know where to start."

Nan Brown on her husband's career: "He could have been a corporate giant but he chose to go into public service because he believes service is the only way to happiness. He is happy, and he truly likes to make a difference. He's not trying to build his resume or his ego. He just wants to make things better - and that's the way he's always been."

Nan Brown recounting the scariest day of her husband's life: "Hank could be a mischievous boy. He threw stones, put sugar in gas tanks.
"One day, he was about 9 years old and with some older boys, and I think they broke a neighbor's window. The police were called and rounded up everyone and took them down to the station.
"The police wanted to scare the boys, so they told them that they'd have to stay in jail unless they and their parents would promise that they wouldn't get into trouble again.
"All of the other parents came down and promised and picked up their boys. Then Hank's mother arrived. She told the police to have Hank spend the night in jail. That would be the best thing for him, she told the police.
"The police actually had to talk her into taking him home. He was there for a few hours, and he has never been so scared in his life. But he learned his lesson.
"I think we would all be better mothers if we did things like (refused to bail out our kids when they get into trouble). I raised my kids with self-esteem, which I thought you could give them. But you cannot. The opportunity to succeed is what you can give them. Self-confidence comes when you've actually earned something, when you've truly accomplished something. And sometimes opportunity and self-confidence come from getting into trouble, owning up to it and paying the consequences.
"Hank learned that lesson early, and it shaped his politics."

Lori Brown's advice for anyone wanting her father - who doesn't like being the center of attention - to make a public appearance: "Invite his grandkids to be there with him. Want him to be on a float? He'll do it if you have them ride, too. Want him to stand on a football field? Have them go along. He's a fool for those kids. He'll do anything they think is fun."