Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Bob Davis remembers Nov. 17, 2003 like it was yesterday.
That's when the Erie County Republican Party, which Davis chaired at the time, hosted a lengthy visit by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.
That day brought back memories for Davis, now Amherst Republican Party chairman, in the wake of Cheney, 84, dying on Nov. 4.
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Cheney spent part of the day in a closed-door, hour-long private meeting with 20 of Buffalo's leading business executives.
"It was a very frank and open discussion," Davis recalled.
After the meeting, Cheney attended a Bush-Cheney '04 campaign fundraiser at the gone but fabled Park Lane restaurant overlooking Gates Circle.
Cheney was the keynote speaker at the fundraising dinner that was hosted by then-Gov. George Pataki and local Republican Party leaders and insiders. The dinner netted more than $400,000 for the Bush-Cheney campaign.
Cheney's 16-minute speech highlighted accomplishments made during the first term of the Bush-Cheney administration and made a few promises going forward.
"The vice president was very down-to-earth and a very bright guy," Davis said.
Davis is not alone in that assessment.
For Clarence Congressman Tom Reynolds agreed that Cheney was both articulate and sincere.
"He was my mentor on many fronts," Reynolds said.
During his lengthy political career, Cheney spent six terms representing his native Wyoming as its sole congressman. That helped create a bond between Cheney and Reynolds.
"At his heart, he was a house guy," Reynolds said.
Cheney had some close ties to New York state and that helped Reynolds forge his relationship with the vice president.
"Above all else, he was a honorable man," Reynolds said.