Indian Council to improve the welfare of Native Americans living on reservations in the State and to build markets for Native American crafts and other products, such as woven rugs and jewelry; and the extensive updating and expansion of government mental health programs and facilities statewide. During his tenure as governor, Hathaway also served as Chairman of the Western Governor's Conference (whose membership at the time included California Governor and future President Ronald Reagan) and as Chairman of the Interstate Oil Compact Commission, the National Governor's Conference Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Management, and the Federation of Rocky Mountain States. Among his last appointments in office was that of Richard V. Thomas to the Wyoming Supreme Court, a position that Thomas held from December 1974 until February 2001. After retiring from the governor's office in 1975, Hathaway was nominated as Secretary of the Interior by President Gerald Ford, taking office following lengthy and at times contentious confirmation hearings. During his brief tenure at the Department of the Interior, he was responsible for moving the federal coal leasing program forward. Health issues, however, resulted in his resignation as the Interior Secretary later that year, after which the Hathaways returned to Wyoming. Later years and death After returning to Wyoming in October 1975, Hathaway co-founded the law firm of Hathaway, Speight and Kunz in Cheyenne, and returned to the practice of law. He also served on the Boards of Directors of the PacifiCorp, of the Nerco, Inc., of the First Wyoming Bank, and of the Apache Corporation, and was named an Emeritus Member of the University of Wyoming's Ruckelshaus Institute for Environment and Natural Resources. In 2003, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal awarded the "Governor's Art Award for Excellence in the Arts" to Stan and Bobby Hathaway. The Wyoming Legislature in 2005 authorized $400 million for a "Hathaway Student Scholarship Endowment Account". Under this program, Wyoming high school graduates who qualify can receive a Hathaway scholarship for the full cost of tuition and fees at the University of Wyoming, or for attendance at any community college in Wyoming. Hathaway died in Cheyenne, Wyoming, following a lengthy illness, on October 4, 2005, having been preceded in death by his wife Bobby in 2004. The Hathaways are interred in Valley View Cemetery in Torrington, Wyoming. Following his death, both houses of the Wyoming State Legislature in 2006 unanimously passed a Joint Resolution memorializing Governor