Bill was born in Fredericksburg, Texas, on November 26, 1937. He moved to San Antonio with his parents when he was 5 years old and lived there until he graduated high school. He then joined the Navy and spent two years in North Carolina. After leaving military service, he moved to Austin, Texas, and earned his bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of Texas. Bill then worked for the Austin Independent School District as the Director of Plant Management, designing all of its schools’ science labs.

A record crowd gathered this past Saturday for the 40th annual Polo on the Prairie, as the longtime West Texas fundraiser drew an estimated 2,000 attendees for its milestone year.

Event founder Henry Musselman said the 2026 crowd was the largest in the event’s history, continuing a tradition that has grown steadily over four decades. What began as a small gathering in 1987 has now become one of the most recognized fundraising events supporting UT MD Anderson Cancer Center.

McCollum performance draws larger crowd

Albany High School has announced honor students for the Class of 2026, with Woods Peterson named valedictorian and Mimi Ivy selected as salutatorian.

Seven other seniors were recognized as honor students, representing the top 25 percent of the class.

Peterson earned a four-year average of 102.71, while Ivy posted a 102 average. Other honor students, in rank order, are Allison McDaniel, Ryan Turner, Jaxson Street, Madison Parrott, Hollis Yeates, Cache Clark and Caysn Hargett.

One of the most accomplished athletes to ever come out of Albany is now part of the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame, as Kami Norton Richey was inducted during last week’s annual banquet in Abilene.

Richey’s career, which began with a dominant run at Albany High School and carried through to national championships at the collegiate level, made her a clear choice for the honor.

“It was definitely a trip back down memory lane,” Richey said. “Coming back to the Big Country and getting to share that with my family was really special.”