Bill Lane Western Heritage Award

The 2011 Woodside Junior Rodeo will include a special award honoring the legacy of long-time Mounted Patrol member, Bill Lane. This Bill Lane Western Heritage Award will include a $1,000 Scholarship and a silver belt buckle. The winner will be selected by the Past Captains of the Mounted Patrol, and based upon the candidates academic record, horsemanship, and an essay.

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Bill Lane was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1919. His father Larry Lane had served in WW I, and while working for Better Homes and Gardens realized the potential of a regional monthly magazine in CA founded by Southern Pacific Railroad in 1898. In 1928, his father purchased Sunset Magazine, and the family moved to Burlingame, CA. Bill graduated from Palo Alto HS in 1938. After a year at Pomona College, he transferred to Stanford to receive a degree in Journalism. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, Bill enlisted in the US Navy as a gunnery officer.

In 1942, when the Mounted Patrol was organized to patrol the San Mateo coast on horseback, Bill was patrolling the Pacific coastal waters with US Navy. Later, Bill was assigned to Public Relations at Treasure Island Hospital under Admiral Wright when burn victims were returning from combat in the South Pacific. By 1944, Bill finally had his request for sea duty approved as a Lt. JG on a Liberty troop ship in the Pacific. During operations of the Battle of Iwo Jima, a nearby ship was damaged and Bill's ship had to return to Seattle for repairs. When Japan surrendered, Bill found himself back in San Francisco with his brother Mel (also USN) ready to help with the family business.

After years of barely breaking even, Sunset Magazine and Books blossomed in the 1940's. Bill's father Larry (an early member of the Mounted Patrol) bought what has become the Quail Hollow County Park near Santa Cruz where Bill kept first horse, Pal. In 1951, Bill joined the Mounted Patrol, and began building his "Sunset" style ranch home in Portola Valley with acreage for horses.

Bill remained publisher of Sunset Magazine from 1961 to 1989, and personally knew most of the US Presidents since the 1960's. Like Sunset's "Spirit of the West", Bill was a common sense environmentalist long before "green" became popular. Bill served as US Ambassador to both Japan and Australia. The Mounted Patrol was blessed with the experience and wisdom of Bill Lane, and especially honors his US Navy service in WWII.