New cry for peacemakers: '1-2-3 Joe McGowan!'

Last fall, Wyoming’s present and future peacemakers learned about a new hero for them to emulate, when a young Lander man was killed while trying to break up a fight in Laramie.

I knew Joe McGowan his entire life. If there ever was a nicer young man, I have not found him. He had no enemies. When described by his friends, his big smile and wonderful attitude were always mentioned.

An artist and a skateboarder, he was a student at the University of Wyoming and looking forward to a wonderful life.

Until Oct. 31, that is.

During one of those ubiquitous Halloween parties held near college campuses...