By MIKE CORN

Hays Daily News

His list of accomplishments were many: He was an attorney, a municipal court judge, a teacher and a former reporter.

Gene Anderson simply was a "good guy," friend and fellow motorcyclist Alan States said.

Anderson died Saturday at a hospital in Farmington, N.M., on the second day of a three-week trip on his motorcycle.

Indications are his death likely will not be a result of an accident. Instead, it appears he simply drove off the road in southeast Utah and into the desert. The responding trooper said Anderson was found next to his motorcycle, which was on its side. He was airlifted to the Farmington hospital, where he died. An autopsy is planned to determine the cause of death.

Anderson was on his way west to meet his son, Adam, near Yosemite, and a motorcycle trip along the West Coast.

"It was a shock," States said of news of Anderson's death.

"But he was doing what he wanted to do," States said.

States said Anderson, a partner in the law firm of Anderson and Wichman, with attorney Ross Wichman, had carved out time to take a three-week motorcycle trip. States has accompanied him on several trips, as had 23rd Judicial District Coroner Lyle Nordhooek, who was among the group of people who met frequently for coffee or lunch.

In fact, Anderson on Friday called the lunch group and was put on speaker phone, said friend and District Judge Ed Bouker. That group is not just lawyers, but instead a diverse group.

Bouker said Anderson was "the spirit of our discussion group."

And while those discussions often were quite spirited, Bouker said there never was any animosity.

Anderson was a 1973 graduate of Washburn Law School, which he attended after serving in the Air Force and working as a reporter for The Hays Daily News.

Attorney John Bird said Anderson was born in Russell and graduated in 1970 from Fort Hays State University, later obtaining his master's degree in 1993.

He was Hays municipal court judge since 1981 and had been an instructor of classes in criminal law and legal issues in journalism at FHSU. He also served as a representative for the ACLU in cases in the western half of the state.

"He was a believer in the Constitution," Bird said of Anderson. "I know he wasn't afraid to take on an unpopular issue if the Constitution was at stake."

Bird had nothing but kind words for Anderson, a classmate of his at Washburn.

Anderson graduated a semester earlier than Bird, and then went to work for former state Sen. Frank Gaines in Augusta. After Bird graduated, he worked for Gaines on the senator's campaign for Congress.

Then they both returned to Hays, where they practiced law.

They've been friends for the 35 years since then, and their children were about the same age.

"When I was in high school, I remembered him being a news reporter," Bird said.

So when they both showed up for law school, Bird was surprised.

Anderson had served a term in the Air Force out of high school, he said.

"He had so many interests that it would be a disservice to him to try to sum him up in a sentence," Bird said. "He was intellectually curious, intellectually honest. He was committed to the practice of law."

Bird said he thought of Anderson as a perpetual student.

"He eventually went back to school and got his master's," while practicing law, he said, "which is practically unheard of."

"Gene was a very kind and considerate gentleman who really took the interests of the community and was very giving of his time to the groups that he was interested in," Noordhoek said. "And I think the community will miss him.

"Personally, I enjoyed chatting with him about anything under the sun."

Noordhoek and Bouker were among a group of people who got together for coffee and sometimes lunch. The number would vary from six to a dozen.

The group started at Bohm's and has moved around some since.

Noordhoek said he also took a few motorcycle rides with Anderson.

Anderson often was the catalyst for discussion at the lunch meetings, Bouker said.

"Something is not right when the group gets together and Gene's not there," he said.

Anderson was a dedicated motorcyclist, Bouker said, often riding on weekends.

"It literally looks like he rode off into the sunset," Bird said of Anderson's final moments. "And he would think that was appropriate."

Special-projects coordinator Mike Corn can be reached at (785) 628-101, Ext. 129 or by e-mail at

mcorn@dailynews.net.