A prominent Colorado man and community member has passed away.

Former state legislator and CSU System Board of Governors member Tom Farley died Monday at the age of 75.

Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, released the following statement on the passing of Tom Farley:

“Tom dedicated a lifetime of service to Colorado and especially to the Pueblo community he loved so much. His passion for and commitment to education came through every day, particularly in his work with School District 60 and on the CSU Board of Governors. That Tom continued to work until his final days is a testament to the tenacious spirit for which he will be well remembered. He leaves behind a legacy of service to our state that few will match.”

Farley's biography on the CSU Web site says the following about his career:

"Tom Farley, a former state Representative in Pueblo from 1967-1975, is an attorney and senior partner in Petersen & Fonda in Pueblo who specializes in education and health care law. While in the state Legislature, he served as House Minority Leader. He is a past member and president of the CSU System Board of Governors and the board for Fort Lewis College, once known collectively as the State Board of Agriculture.

He also has served as Community Advisory Director for the Wells Fargo Bank of Pueblo and on boards of the Colorado Forum, Public Service Co. of Colorado, Health Net, Inc., and Colorado Public Radio. He has been a commissioner for the Colorado Division of Wildlife and served as a trustee for the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund and the Catholic Diocese of Pueblo Foundation. He is currently a regent at Santa Clara University.

Among Farley’s many honors are membership in the Pueblo Hall of Fame and Distinguished Service Awards from the University of Colorado and the then-University of Southern Colorado (now CSU-Pueblo). Sierra Club awarded him the honor of “Foremost Among Fifty” in 1978. He is a graduate of Santa Clara University and the University of Colorado School of Law."