The day after the 1976 election, Democrats huddled in a room off the side of the Colorado House of Representatives. Two years earlier, voters had put them in charge, but now they were back in the minority again — and would remain so until the 2004 election.

Outgoing Speaker Ruben Valdez turned to the chief sergeant of arms, Bill Purcell.

“Bill,” he said, “would you get us some beer?”

“Go get your own beer,” Purcell said. “You’re no longer speaker.”

Valdez doubled over in laughter, recalled Bob Kirscht, a Pueblo Democrat who served as majority leader during the 1975 and 1976 sessions.

“I didn’t always agree with Ruben on the issues but he was an excellent speaker,” Kirscht said. “He had a sense of humor, which really helped.”

Valdez died Oct. 1 at 82. Tributes poured in for the Trinidad native who advocated for bilingual education, served in President Jimmy Carter’s administration and later formed a lobbying firm with his granddaughter, Amber. Admirers called him a true public servant, a statesman and a trailblazer.

It was Valdez who advised the Democrats when they finally won back the majority in 2004 to keep the good staffers, even though they had been hired by Republicans.

Valdez’s family had no idea how many lives he impacted until his death, and that’s why it took so much time to plan the memorial. They realized they were going to need a bigger venue. The memorial is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Coors Field. Parking lots will be open and you can enter through Gate C.

Here are more views of Valdez, based on interviews, tweets and Facebook postings:

Erik Hansen: He was our lobbyist when I was mayor in Thornton. Always a classy guy.

Polly Baca: I got elected to the House in 1974, part of the Watergate wave that gave Democrats the majority. Shortly afterward, I realized I was pregnant. There were very few women who served in the legislature to begin with, and then to have someone who was pregnant. I was nervous. I confided in some people, including Ruben. The last day of the session that year was at 6 p.m. on July 1. I didn’t think we were ever going to get out of there. The next day at 5:27 p.m. I delivered my baby. I don’t think I would have made it through that first session without Ruben.

Rick Enstrom: I served with the speaker on the Great Outdoors Colorado board. What a good dude!

Lobbyist Maria Garcia Berry: I met Ruben in 1972 when I was working on George McGovern’s presidential campaign. I was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach. After that, Ruben said, “Why don’t you become my intern? The University of Colorado will give you six hours credit.” Democrats were in the minority and he was the caucus chairman. Dick Lamm, who would go on to be governor, was the assistant minority leader.

Ruben told me, ‘You’ve got to figure out what to do because you can’t come to me all the time. We’re busy down here.’ He was my life preserver but I had to learn to swim. The first day I showed up wearing pants — I was in college — and the clerk sent me home and said women cannot wear pants on the House floor. After Democrats won the majority in 1974, I was hired as a staffer. So it was Ruben who was my first boss and my mentor who started me on my career path.

Alan Salazar: Colorado lost a very fine public servant and a genuinely good human. I met him as a high school student and while he never remembered that time, he did take me under his wing when I first started working out of law school for U.S. Sen. Gary Hart. He was always available with advice and encouragement. He was a revered figure in our political life, in large part because his passion for doing good never descended into self-righteousness or anger.

Mark Grueskin: I will never forget my first Governor’s Office retreat with Ruben. He headed up the Labor Department; I was the new guy, hired to lobby for Gov. Lamm. After our first dinner, Ruben turned to me and said, “You wouldn’t happen to play poker?” I learned more about politics and card-playing that night than I’d ever absorbed in one sitting. He never tired of teaching. What a gem of a man!!!

Steve Katich: I had the great fortune to serve as the reading clerk in the House when Ruben was speaker. He was a wonderful guy with a welcoming smile and a twinkle in his eye. As soon as the gavel went down to end the day’s work, Ruben and a small bipartisan group of legislators and the clerk of the House, Evelyn Davidson, would make a beeline to an adjacent room and get out the cards.

Former Speaker Andrew Romanoff: Speaker Valdez was a genuine statesman, a wonderful role model and a good friend. It’s been nearly 15 years since he ushered me into what was then a tiny club – a group of Democratic speakers I gladly doubled! An enormous loss for Colorado and all who loved him.

Former Speaker Mark Ferrandino (now a deputy superintendent at Denver Public Schools): Speaker Valdez was an amazing public servant who always helped to mentor new leaders, including myself. He had a passion for policy but a love of politics. I remember when we started working on DPS’ 2016 bond-and-mill levy campaign, of which he was co-chair. He was ready to get into campaign mode to get people to support it. He also cared so much about future generations.

Former Speaker Frank McNulty: For obvious reasons, I couldn’t help but notice that they called Ruben “Mr. Speaker” long after he was gone from the House.

Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb: Colorado lost a political giant with the passing of Ruben Valdez. I had the honor of serving with him in the Colorado legislature while he served as speaker of the House and I served as caucus chairman and chair of the Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee. We also joined the federal government together in the Carter administration.

Amber Valdez: My grandpa was out mowing the lawn one day when the State Patrol drove up. They said the governor and lieutenant governor are out of state so you’re the governor (because he was the speaker). So he quit mowing the lawn, went in the house and put up his feet. My grandma Virginia asked what he was doing and he said, ‘I’m the governor of Colorado and everyone knows the governor doesn’t mow his own lawn.’ My grandma said, well I’m speaker of THIS house, and you better get out and finish that. My uncle used to joke, ‘That’s the day the governor of Colorado mowed our lawn.’

Lynn Bartels can be reached at againlynn@gmail.com.