WORLAND - Passion for an idea comes in many forms. Larry McGarvin just happens to have a passion for his home state. And he believes his fellow Wyomingites feel the same way.

Ask anyone what comes to mind when the name "Wyoming" is mentioned and it's the bucking horse and rider, which is the single most recognizable symbol in the state.

"We're the only state that has a logo, as far as an animal is concerned," McGarvin said. "Why am I doing it? To have a consistency in Wyoming with the logo, which we don't have now."

But what about the Wyoming state flag? What symbol is on it? Why is the bison, a plains animal, on the flag?

"A lot of people don't know what's on the flag," McGarvin said. "They only see it at a rest stop."

Is it time for a change?

McGarvin thinks so. He's leading a grassroots effort to get the symbol on the flag changed to the bucking horse and rider.

He's made a composite of the flag with the bucking horse symbol in place of the bison - one in white, one in black - both with the same familiar red, white and blue.

"I guess what I would like to see is the consistent use of the bucking horse," he said.

He's "bucking" a system that's been in place since the flag was adopted on Jan. 13, 1917, a bill signed into law by the late Gov. Robert D. Carey.

He's declared open season on the flag design created by Verna Keays, whose father encouraged, then insisted, his daughter take the skills she learned after graduating from the Art Institute of Chicago and submit a design in hopes of winning a $20 prize.

The bucking-horse-and-rider logo may date back to at least 1918, and it became the Cowboy State's trademark symbol in 1935. It first appeared on Wyoming license plates in 1936.

Wyoming is very protective of its symbol - as Oklahoma State University discovered years ago when it tried to use the bucking-horse-and-rider logo and found itself in court - and on the losing end.

The bison - sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "buffalo" - is symbolic of the plains states and the University of Colorado, McGarvin said.

Yet the bison is on the Wyoming state flag.

"Why the inconsistency?" McGarvin asked. "People who come to Wyoming, tourists, etcetera, the front of the pamphlets by the government and tourist industry have the bucking horse on them."

"I remember when I was in Phoenix, I saw a Wyoming license plate," he said. "I said to myself, 'I bet I know 'em.' I did!"

There's plenty of humorous bantering about the name of the horse and rider. Some say it's Clayton Danks on Steamboat. But Steamboat had two white socks while the bronco has four brown legs. Or maybe it's Ed McCarty on Silver City.

Does it matter? Most will agree it's a Wyoming cowboy on a Wyoming horse competing at a Wyoming rodeo.

Lester C. Hunt, a Wyoming governor and U.S. Senator, paid an artist $75 to draw the horse, McGarvin said.

"Wyoming is very proud of it," he said. "Don't mess with it."

Since January, McGarvin has sent letters to every state representative and senator to round up support for his cause.

Rep. Elaine Harvey, R-Big Horn County, wrote back, "Wow! What a thought-provoking letter! I think this is worth pursuing."

Harvey said she would co-sponsor a bill if McGarvin can get state Sen. Gerald Geis and Washakie County Rep. Debbie Hammons on board.

Cambell County Rep. Sue Wallis wrote she "might even be inclined to work with you on that."

Johnson County Rep. Mike Madden had to wrangle with the proposal.

"You make some good points! However, since the present flag was designed by a young Buffalo, Wyo., native many years ago, I am afraid you will need to find somebody else to champion your cause. I want to stay alive for at least a few more years!" Madden replied.

Any logo change probably won't happen this year. It's a budget session year in the Legislature.

"We'll try to get it in the hopper," McGarvin said. "The first course of action is to get it introduced. We'll try this session. From there it will go from committee to committee to committee."

If he's successful in getting it into committee, it will still take two or three years to get it into law.

"This does not set precedence," he said. "South Carolina in the last 10 years changed their flag."

McGarvin sent out the e-mails and letters "just to get the idea out there." If he gets enough support, he'll continue his quest.

"The first course is to see how much interest there is," he said. "There are a couple of options. Let it die or try to put it where we have something people can sign. I hope it doesn't come to that.

"It doesn't rank in the top 10 of human events."

McGarvin has lived in Wyoming all his life. He grew up in Worland. He and wife Sue moved to Ten Sleep permanently in 1990 after practicing dentistry in Gillette for a number of years. He continues his skills every Monday and Tuesday, driving back and forth.

He also served on the State Education Board, on the Delta Dental Board for nine years, and on the Wyoming Sports Board.

"We're going to pursue this," he said. "You never know until you try. We're Worlandites. We're Wyomingites."