Thursday evening inside the Parkway Plaza Hotel ballroom was one of those rare times in a community when everybody's line was the best of the night, when people laughed and then were moved to tears seconds later, when the congratulations were hearty and the gratitude genuine.

The Salvation Army Advisory Board presented long-time Casper and Wyoming educator, lawmaker and volunteer Dr. Tom Walsh with its prestigious "Others" award with 133 in attendance.

Among those was Gov. Dave Freudenthal, who used his time at the podium to "roast" as well as pay tribute to his long-time fellow Thermopolis friend.

If the governor chooses not to run for office again, perhaps he will consider a stint as a stand-up comedian.

Of his wife, Nancy, Freudenthal said to Walsh, "She actually likes you. I do not know why."

And of Walsh's wife, Rita, Freudenthal said, "Rita is a saint. She has endured a great deal for no apparent reason."

Switching to the serious stuff, Freudenthal said, "The truth is we're all grains of sand and all of it disappears. Veterans and our deployed folks owe Tom a great debt of gratitude for all of his work on their behalf."

Freudenthal recalled sending Walsh, then a state legislator, on a fact-finding mission to Mississippi some years ago to see if guard troops were being treated as well as active duty military personnel.

"We stirred the pot, caused a fair amount of trouble, and the end result was that we were able to ensure that our Guard folks got the same equipment, training and degree of respect as the regular military," Freudenthal said.

Referring to an earlier mention that he had been "bullied" in school at Thermopolis by the older -- but shorter -- Walsh, Freudenthal joked, "I'll be damned if I'll give you clemency for that -- it is assault. He shaped my life. I might have been a Republican, but I knew he'd be a Republican, so I became a Democrat."

Freudenthal also read a lengthy and personal proclamation making September 17, 2009, "Dr. Tom Walsh Day in Wyoming."

Others praising Walsh included former superintendent of schools Jim Lowham; former educator Barbara Scifers; former Trooper Drum & Bugle Corps member Renee Penton-Jones; former Casper mayor Paul Bertoglio; state legislator Roy Cohee; veterans advocate Stan Lowe, and Casper Fire Chief Mark Young.

Young told the crowd about Walsh's 14 trips at his own expense to Southeast Asia to search for remains of U.S. military personnel listed as missing in action.

Both Lowe and Young remarked that Walsh, who served in the Army and Army Reserves from 1959 to 1995, felt "great disappointment" at not being called to active duty to serve his country in Vietnam.

Young said Walsh, who has recently battled leukemia, told him recently, "I'd be doing it today if I just felt a little better."

"He is a role model for all of us, " Young said. "We can learn compassion and that selfless attitude toward others from him."

Victor Doughty, Salvation Army Rocky Mountain divisional commander from Denver, presented Walsh with his handsome award.

He gave a brief history of the Salvation Army, and said Walsh has much in common with its founder, the late William Booth.

"They lived their lives for God and country, for family and community," he said.

A native of Thermopolis, Walsh, 66, served as a teacher and administrator for more than 30 years; served 37 years in the U.S. Army and Reserve before retiring as lieutenant colonel; was a member of the Casper City Council; was mayor of Casper; served in the state House of Representatives; was a member of the Troopers Foundation board and the Salvation Army Advisory Board, among much other community service.

Currently, he volunteers at the Salvation Army every Thursday morning, cooking breakfast for anyone who needs a hot meal to start the day.

He is married to retired teacher Rita Walsh and has two sons, Chris and Thomas Jr.; and four grandchildren.

Community News editor Sally Ann Shurmur can be reached at (307) 266-0520 or sallyann.shurmur@trib.com. Read Sal's blog at tribtown.trib.com/Sal/blog and follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WYOSAS