History is full of little quirks and twists, some that are significant and help shape world events, while others are coincidental and trivial. And our recording of history is often uneven and even unfair. Events and even people that pop up on the pages of our histories can sometimes obscure others, who merit notice but whose flames did not burn as brightly as others, at least at the time of their passing. This has often been the case through history on the occasions of people of note, fame, or both have died on the same day.

Sometimes history’s coincidences are fairly evenly matched, such as when, on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, in the evening hours of July 4, 1826, 90-year-old John Adams would speak his final words, “Thomas Jefferson survives,” before dying, unaware the 83-year-old Jefferson – his friend, enemy, rival and partner in revolution – died that same day, but several hours earlier.

More commonly, a famous death eclipses the passing of others less famous. The great writers C.S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley died the same day in 1963, but that day was Nov. 22, and the passing of a president hid their passing from a mourning public.

In the pop world, the death of Farrah Fawcett, a pinup beauty to many my age was outshone by the news of Michael Jackson’s death on June 25, 2009, and one of the most creative minds in entertainment, Jim Henson, the creator and brain behind the Muppets was largely forgotten when Sammy Davis Jr. died that same May 16, 1990. Though not quite tragedies, these historical concurrences have led to some important people not getting the attention and honor their life’s work did, in fact, merit.

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We saw this same thing happen just last week, when the news of the passing of Jimmy Buffett, a popular and talented singer and songwriter, all but overwhelmed the attention paid to the passing of a great American and personal hero of mine, Bill Richardson.

A proud son of the southwest, Richardson served his state of New Mexico and his nation and, frankly, humanity at large, in a number of ways. He represented New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District for seven terms and later became governor of the Land of Enchantment for two terms. He served as President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Energy as well as serving as the 21st U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Richardson was a candidate for president in 2008, and I was an early supporter, as he was a moderate-to-slightly conservative Democrat on most issues, which aligned well with me (and it still does). It was during my own 2008 campaign for congress from Colorado I first met Richardson in person, oddly enough in the dining hall under the Broncos’ stadium, during the Democratic National Convention. I introduced myself and he could not have been nicer.

Later, I would appear at two different campaign events in CD-5 here in Colorado, where Richardson was the representative of the Obama campaign. At one, I wasn’t even expecting to speak, but after finishing his own remarks, he decided to call me up to the stage anyway, and with his arm around my shoulders, I gave my little “vote for me” speech. It was not lost on me the man I wanted to be president was standing at my side – it was a very special moment.

And though his career was not without errors in judgement, his post-office years truly proved his merit. Richardson became the go-to guy to earn the release of Americans improperly held abroad by hostile foreign governments like North Korea. He made a number of trips to Pyongyang as well as to Myanmar, where he brought home Americans seized by corrupt governments in hopes of gaining some traction with the US.

Not long before his death at age 75, Richardson was nominated, and not for the first time, for the Nobel Peace Prize by no less than four U.S. senators for his role in gaining the liberation of 15 political prisoners, including basketball player Brittney Griner. Sadly, the Nobel Prize is never awarded posthumously, but the nomination itself is quite an honor.

Richardson’s service to New Mexico and to the southwest, including Colorado, was considerable, and his work on behalf of the United States as Secretary of Energy and the UN have aided our nation in ways that are important and long lasting. His two terms as governor were largely in sync with his neighbor to the north. In 2007 Richardson signed the bills that made cannabis legal for medical reasons (Colorado passed Amendment 20 in 2000) and he signed the bill repealing the death penalty in New Mexico in 2009, making New Mexico only the second state to do so (after New Jersey). Colorado would follow suit in 2020.

My regular reader (Hi Jeff!) will recall one of my favorite Colorado Politics sections is the Out West Roundup. It matters what happens in our region and it matters who serves the good people of the area. Just as we are fortunate to have Gov. Jared Polis in office, the state of New Mexico was made greater by the service of Bill Richardson.

It’s a pity Jimmy Buffett’s passing may obscure the death of Gov. Richardson for many, but regardless, we are better off for having had his service.

Hal Bidlack is a retired professor of political science and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who taught more than 17 years at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.