Longtime Pony Express rider seeks other past riders

I got to spend a little time with Carson City's Bill Williamson and his dog, Beauregard, June 18.

Beau is a character. Every time Bill would leave the room, the dog would try to take my hand and lean on me.

Bill invited me over to see two leather rifle scabbards the Pony Express Association is raffling off. He'd read that I bought a couple of tickets to help renovate the Pony Express memorial out in front of the Nevada State Museum.

He has a special attachment to the memorial because his name is on it.

Bill was one of the riders in the original re-ride in 1960. Since riders had to be 21 at the time, that gives you a glimpse into how long Bill's been in the saddle.

The scabbards were made by Edward Guyton, who owns a saddle shop in Salmon, Idaho.

Bill rode out of Sand Springs in central Nevada. Every one of the 1,000 original riders were given a bronze medallion to commemorate the event.

Bill's medallion disappeared during a break-in, but then he came across one in a gun show and was able to buy it for $25.

Now you have to know one of the original riders or one of their agents to get a raffle ticket, but Bill is working with the museum on that.

He expects the raffle drawing will be sometime in September.

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2003 Douglas High graduate Pvt. Matt Williams is in Tikrit, Iraq, with the U.S. Army and is hoping to hear from some of his friends.

Matt is the son of Cheryl Gray of Fish Springs and the grandson of Carol Jeanblanc of Gardnerville.

According to Carol, Matt worked at the Valley Do-It Center in Minden before he went into the service.

Matt's address is:

PV2 Williams, Matthew

HHG 2nd BDE, 1st ID

OIFII FOB dagger

APO AE 09392

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Record-Courier intern Tracy Tierney wanted to be on the "Real Life MTV" at Lake Tahoe this week, but a family obligation will prevent it. Tracy says that's OK, because she has already been on MTV.

When she was in the sixth grade, she and her sisters made a Hansen parody video, which the network aired.

Tracy said all her relatives watched the show to see her and her sisters portray the boy band.

"I was the young one in the braids," she said.

Tracy said her sister later became a Hansen fan and found an e-mail from another fan, talking about the video.

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People Editor Karel Ancona-Henry is leaving The Record-Courier on Wednesday to spend more time with her family and to try and get her children's books published.

A Dayton resident, Karel stepped into some pretty big shoes when she took over for Joyce Hollister. She did a great job down in Gardnerville, and she will be sorely missed.

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Susie Vasquez took over as The Record-Courier's county reporter week before last.

Susie grew up in Ely, and is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno's Donrey School of Journalism.

She was most recently the business reporter at the Nevada Appeal. I hired her away from the Reno Gazette-Journal, where she was writing features, when I was at the Appeal.

Kurt Hildebrand is the editor of The Record-Courier. Contact him at khildebrand@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 215.