Law of the Land

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

By Mary Grossman

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Clarene Law is self-made in the Wyoming lodging and tourist industry, operating hundreds of rooms in Jackson. She began as a young 28-year-old mother borrowing her father’s life savings to buy 12 cabins on what now stands the Antler Motel. Today she, her husband Creed and her grown children own and manage a reputable package of hotels, mainly the Antler Motel, the 49er Inn and Suites, the Elk Country Inn and the Cowboy Village.

For most mothers of three and grandmas of five, that would be enough, but Law also spent 14 years in the Wyoming House of Representatives, where fellow representatives teased Clarene, for fighting for Brew Pub legislation and allowing the sale of beer at breweries, despite being a devout Mormon. She served seven terms and eventually was the chairman of the powerful Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee.

Law’s pitch for equality for women in the workforce continues to be a model message for young aspiring and professional women throughout Wyoming. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without Clarene being there to pave the way for us,” said a long-time family friend and Teton County Clerk, Sherry Daigle. “She has done so much for women by opening doors.”

Clarene is crazy about Jackson Hole and the fortunate life she built here. Close friends and employees have probably been told that under no uncertain terms does she want anyone to think she’s done this alone; emphasizing that it’s not about her, her talents lie in getting people to work together.

Planet Jackson Hole: At 75, you’ve accomplished a lot, you made a huge impact on the state of Wyoming as a lawmaker and made an empire out of hardly anything. Let’s face it, you’re part of Wyoming history.

Clarene Law: My response would be, “I don’t know why.” [Laugh] I never felt that I did anything. I always felt that it was a joint effort. I always felt if I had a talent it was to appreciate others, and bring them with me to realize any success.

PJH: Tell us about back before the Antler Motel, the early part of your life. How did you get here and who were you?

CL: I was a child of a family whose father was a road construction superintendent. And we moved all the time. It was more important to my parents to keep us together as a family than stay in one place. Consequently, I moved some 20 times before I was in junior high, attending various schools throughout Idaho and Oregon. I was raised with Heidi and Swiss Family Robinson; I was raised sitting at a desk made out of old explosive boxes. I always said that the only furniture I knew was Atlas and Hercules, that was the name of the explosives company.

I went to Idaho State College for a year and a half, got married to a son of one of my professors. I never did graduate from college. We divorced later on.

My first husband and I, we came to Jackson together. I had reason to come up here from Moab, Utah where my husband was teaching school. I was clerk of the court, and I had a newspaper agency. At that time, the Wort Hotel was losing their bookkeeper and they heard I knew something about bookkeeping, so I went to be the bookkeeper at the hotel and that was 1960. I think that at that time I established a great love for the hotel business.

[During this time], it was so difficult. Charisse, my beautiful daughter, was a year-and-a-half old. I lived up there on the hill by the cemetery, and I would have to carry her to work or sometimes to the babysitter – we didn’t plow the streets in those times – I would slosh on down the street to the Wort with tears in my eyes, it was a heartbreak for me. And so it was like a savior when the man that owned [the Antler] property put it on the block for $125,000 for 12 cabins, one lot and this lodge.

In 1962, we bought this business with the aid of the only $10,000 my father had. He had the confidence in me at 28 years old to virtually give me his life savings to get started in business. I think my husband and I had saved $5,000.

PJH:  You mentioned Jackson Hole back then – was it easy to live here?

CL: Housing was a problem. I remember being shown a garage to live in. I remember living at the old Meadowbrook cabins, they had rodents and I’m fearsome of rodents. I remember getting Asian flu and living there and Dr. MacLeod coming in. I remember the first house we had up on the hill and it was a basement house, and it leaked and the kids were sick all the winter. It was very, very difficult.

PJH: As someone who has lived in Jackson since before there were zoning laws, what do you think about the concerns Jackson citizens have about growth?

CL: I served on the first planning commission in Jackson where the first zoning law was crafted, and it was a very difficult transition for the town. It was a difficult commission, because many people didn’t want zoning. But at that time, we began to have some growth … That first zoning effort was very difficult, it was a hard birth.

PJH: Were people concerned about their property rights being violated?

CL: Oh, I really think so. People in Wyoming, and in Jackson Hole, they have always been very, very interested in private property rights and free enterprise, and there were a few people who regarded it as an impediment to free enterprise. But it was intended to make the town a nice, and a pleasant place, to live, and it wasn’t meant to be an impediment for people.

PJH: How has the evolution been questionable?

CL: I really question the early moratoriums. I actually think some of those efforts drove property values up and created inaccessibility for middle class people, but those came later than the first zoning laws. And I’ve always been in the service industry where I need to rely on employees, so you’re always looking out for your employees.

PJH: People are concerned with growth in Jackson, is there anything about the history of Jackson that you think gives insight to where it is going?

CL: Oh, I’m not a prophet about going forward. I’ve experienced a great deal of growth in Jackson Hole, and it largely has been beneficial but it always has to be channeled by the people, and that’s why it’s essential that everyone have a voice.
And they’re doing it right now [in the Comp Plan drafting process]. I’m appreciative of the fact that they’re promoting that right now.

PJH: You saw Cindy McCain this morning at Teton Pine, what do you think? Does she have the stuff to be First Lady?

CL: I absolutely do. She has the style and the grace but more than that she seems to be able to speak with common sense. She's not one who's antagonistic and I read her as reasonable.

PJH: Let’s talk for just a minute about the discussions surrounding the current presidential race and all the hysteria around Gov. Sarah Palin. The reason I ask you is because you’re considered a tough Western woman who worked and spent a lot of time being a public servant, all while trying to raise young kids. Some accuse Palin of being a terrible mother because she has chosen the same path. Would you consider yourself a terrible mother because you worked and raised kids at the same time?

CL: I do not, but you’ll have to ask my kids. I have three of the most wonderful children who ever lived. Do I have regrets? You bet. If I could go back I would try to spend more time with my children. In the honesty of my heart, I wish I could have done that. At some point a woman has to decide what is absolutely essential and what just becomes appetite. In my case it was absolutely essential to work. And then at some point perhaps I could have stopped, but it became the pattern of my life. The loss was to myself.

PJH:  So what is your definition of a feminist?

CL: I think a feminist is someone who spends too much time thinking about what they have not been given or what they have not achieved, rather than achieving it.
PJH: How do you feel about the response Palin has gotten from women; some virulently opposed to her.

CL: I’m totally surprised. I see nothing except frustration and their lack of accomplishment to speak like that ... there is no reason on earth ... I’m happy that she is the nominee. I can see many strong women in that same role.

PJH:  It seems like today a feminist is partly defined by her views on abortion. How do you feel about that?

CL: Well, I’m pro-life, personally. And I think that shouldn’t be a defining moment to any campaign. I think that campaigns are defined by much greater issues.
PJH:  ... well how about the notion that if you’re pro-life you’re not for women’s rights ...

CL: Wyoming has a pretty decent law right now. When I was in legislative office, with my appreciation for life and people, I could never criminalize women in any type of law. Because [women] are in a bad place in their lives when they arrive at that decision anyway. 

The Pennsylvania adjudication is what I hang my hat on which, of course, is 24-hour waiting period, parental notification, consent and reasonable things that are in law today. And there are some people who are stricter than me, but in my view you should be able to allow rape, incest and those things to be considered for abortion.

I pretty much have a stand that I don’t like it to be a legislative item, because I don’t think it belongs there. Does that make me pro-choice? I don’t think so – I value life too much to call myself that.

PJH:  Can you imagine having this conversation with a newspaper 50 years ago? Did you ladies talk about this stuff back then?

CL: Yes. I think my mother may have been classified as pro-choice, because she had seen too much – her mother died from having too many children too fast. Some of those pioneer women had seen those sorts of things. Those things were talked about in the back alley and they should be talked about forthright.

PJH: So are women on the right track these days or are we blowing it?

CL: Most women I know are on the right track. Keeping in mind I certainly want equal rights for women. I want equal rights for political office, I want equal rights for jobs, to leadership and pay. We need to do things that help with childcare. Children are the most precious commodity we have and our societal responsibility is to have safe and secure places to have children.

PJH:  What did you sacrifice along the way?

CL: There was sacrifice in my life. It began with my parents who trusted me with their only savings and my father-in-law that I loved very dearly gave me the only few dollars he had. It began with those children that I virtually pushed in the back room while I said, “May I help you,” at the front desk. There was sacrifice involved when I didn’t go home at night, and my daughter would come in and say, “Aren’t you going home to sleep.” And I would say, “Well I have this or that to do,” and she’d say, “Well, I’m staying with you.” That little girl crocheted more afghans than anyone in the world while she slept here and waited for me. [My] kids waited too long in the car while I talked to people. When I say if there are regrets, the regrets are primarily because I feel somewhat selfish and that I might have deprived myself of their warmth and companionship. I think that’s the biggest thing with working women today.

PJH:  Do you sense a change in character in local residents now?

CL: Yeah, I do. In general. In the organizations I belong to they would ask me about my “competition” I would say, “My competition? They’re my friends.”  And today you see more people with a sharp pencil in the business world saying, “How can we compete.” We used to be just a down-to-earth, common community. There’s a turn toward people who are super intellectuals and tend to intellectualize things more. I certainly don’t have anything against new people, in fact I need them very badly and I endorse them being here. But it’s a graduation from things of the heart to things of the head.

PJH:  How do you think the Porter Estate should develop?

CL: I will say this: people have to have places to live. Eventually, there has to be some expansion of the Town of Jackson, and it seems like that is the logical way.

PJH:  Do you still love this town or have you become disenchanted like other long-time locals?

CL: Not a bit. I still love the people of this town. I love this town. I feel the same patriotism I’ve always felt. I feel very, very loyal to this town.

PJH:  How do you feel about Town as Heart?

CL: I like it, but it’s very hard to develop in that way because of property values. I like the concept, but the reality is that it’s hard to do.

PJH:  How do you retain such loyal employees?

CL: I just feel blessed. My philosophy is a funny philosophy. My father worked always for the same company and they developed this intense employer/employee loyalty. It’s really appreciating that employee. And you don’t patronize that employee. You just absolutely value their hard work. It is not just pay. I don’t pay the highest in the valley. I listen to their concerns. I have an adaptive schedule if they have children they need to care for.

PJH:  It seems that nobody has anything bad to say about you, could that be? There’s got to be something, are you a terrible cook? Is your house a mess? Who are your critics?

CL: I think if you talked to my children they would say, “Momma didn’t have enough time for me.” Some people say I’m too soft.

PJH:  Can you think of a time when you just wanted to tell someone to ... you know what?

CL: Yes. During [legislative] reapportionment. When I went down there I was the last representative elected from Teton County. I got up to talk about it and I was a new legislator. Well I was called in immediately to the back rooms of the Republican caucus and they said, “You can’t do that, that’s a Democrat[ic] plan.” I said, “No it’s my plan.” I think that’s one day I thought, “Should I even be doing this.” I think I would have quit.

I put my neck out and served on the first planning commission in the early 60s. That’s where I got a lot of heat. People did not want planning for the Town of Jackson. I had one gentleman call me, he was a little under the booze, but he threatened my life if I was going to help write the zoning ordinance. It was a very problematic time when people didn’t want change. We used to get angry.

PJH:  Who is your favorite Wyoming politician? And don’t say Al Simpson.

CL: Well, then I’d have to say Cliff Hansen [former Governor of Wyoming]. Cliff Hansen to me was the greatest example of humanity, the greatest example of honesty, the greatest example of politeness coupled with humor. And I want to be like Cliff Hansen when I grow up.

PJH:  How does your faith fit into your life? Are you still active in the LDS church?

CL: Yes. I love my faith. My faith is a very participatory faith, it’s one you step into and that’s the way my life is. My mother was active in the faith. It’s a good way of life and I cherish my faith.

PJH:  How does your husband, Creed, deal with all your running around from one thing to another?

CL: [Laughs] He’s long-suffering and supportive. We have a division of duties, and it works well. We’ve been married 35 years, and we’re doing fine.

PJH:  What was the biggest obstacle you encountered and how did you overcome it?

CL: I think the biggest obstacle is change and the acknowledgment of change in Jackson Hole. Even though it’s my philosophy to step into the stream of progress, it’s easier said than done. One has to evaluate what it takes to go forward and it’s been a difficult transition in my life.

PJH:  When you look back at your life, is there a time when you say, “Wow, those were challenging times. I hope I don’t have to go through that again” ?

CL: Starting this business was awfully hard. Trying to rent rooms, clean rooms, raising little children and having a child while I was living here was very challenging.

The days of having to rent rooms and stay up all night, those were hard times, no doubt about it. We didn’t have the help and we started with almost no money. But the faith from my family and from my parents, I wasn’t going to let anybody down. I had a hard time in those years trying to match it all up. And women still have a hard time matching it up, I know that.

PJH:  This may seem like an insipid question, but how did you do it? How did you work, raise kids, be a lawmaker and pay attention to your husband all at the same time?

CL: Well I failed at some of that, that’s what I did. And I had a lot of help. Two families come to mind: The Walker family; 40 members of that family worked for me. Another family was the Robertson family. They helped me build this. They helped me do it. I could not have done it and supported my children without them. My family and my friends surrounded me with love and support.

PJH:  What does retirement look like for you?

CL: Well, I think people who just sit around, die. It’s too late for me to die young. It means gradual withdraw and turning things over to my children and employees. I think life is a series of step backs for me. I’ve spent my lifetime in these businesses. I’m having a bit of a hard time defining what is “me,” separate from these businesses. I assume I’m something outside this business. I have desires, I want to spend a great deal more time with my husband, more time with my wonderful children and frankly, a little more time for myself to write.

PJH:  Will you ever sell out and leave here?

CL: No, I can’t see myself ever leaving Jackson Hole. My husband and I have a couple of plots up there above the town.

PJH:  [On Sept. 24], before Cindy McCain was introduced you gave the convocation, and in it you mentioned “the sweetness of life.” What does that mean to you?

CL: The sweetness of life. It’s almost the immeasurable gratitude that I feel for being here in Jackson Hole; the good people, the surroundings and the good fortune.

Photo by Cary Tijerina
Clarene Law


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