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Star journalists in Aspen when news hits

Troy Hooper, Special to the News

Published July 6, 2006 at midnight

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ASPEN - For those who followed his dishonored career, the first reaction to the death of Enron Corp. founder Ken Lay was disbelief.

But for Jack Riggs, the executive director of the Aspen Institute's energy program, the second reaction to the loss of the nation's most recognizable face of corporate fraud was tinged with mixed emotion.

"I feel some sadness. He wasn't a personal friend, but he was a supporter of our program here at the Aspen Institute and a longtime participant," Riggs said.

"I liked him. Also, and this may sound bad, but there is maybe a sense of this isn't so bad because he was such a vibrant guy, the thought of him spending the rest of his life in jail is sadder to me than his death," said Riggs, who served as deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy in the early 1990s.

News of Lay's passing crept into the informal discussions at the Aspen Ideas Festival, where throngs of big thinkers are gathering to discuss a broad array of world issues.

"The whole story is sort of a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions," said Katie Couric, the longtime Today Show host who will become anchor of the CBS Evening News in September.

"His fall from grace was so intense and so public. I was very shocked, and he was only 64 years old. It made me think a lot about the effects of stress on your physical well-being."

Wolf Blitzer, the anchor of CNN's The Situation Room, said the biggest national news story of the day drastically changed the start of his day.

"I found out about it early this morning, and CNN knew I was here in Aspen, so I drove over to the hospital to see what was going on," said Blitzer, who was in town for the conference.

While most of the world likely will remember Lay as a crook, Riggs said he will remember Lay for his contributions to deregulating the energy industry.

"He was a real innovator in the industry. He was an entrepreneur. He was articulate, and he was friendly. I respected him for being an early advocate for a less-rigorous system of regulation and creating more competition," Riggs said.