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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) today introduced legislation to rename Peak 12,240 in Mono County “Mt. Andrea Lawrence,” in memory of the late Andrea Lawrence – a conservationist, three-time Olympian and member of the Mono County Board of Supervisors.
Senator Boxer said, “Andrea Lawrence’s life centered on mountains, first as a talented Olympic skier and then as a dedicated conservationist who worked to protect the Eastern Sierra. Andrea’s spirit and accomplishments were both larger than life, which is why it is so fitting to name this majestic peak after her.”
Congressman McKeon said, “By naming a peak for Andrea Lawrence, we will celebrate her accomplishments as an Olympian and honor her service as an advocate for conservation in the Eastern Sierra. Andrea had the true Olympic spirit and worked tirelessly to protect Mono Lake and then expanded her mission to confront challenges to the entire Eastern Sierra. I am proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Boxer to honor the life of a great American and committed conservationist.”
Andrea Mead Lawrence was a three-time Olympian who remains the only American double gold medalist in alpine skiing. She was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1958 at the age of 25, and in 2002, sports documentarian Bud Greenspan called her “the greatest Olympian of all time.”
Lawrence was also a committed conservationist who worked to protect and restore Mono Lake and reduce air pollution in the Great Basin. She served for 16 years on the Mono County Board of Supervisors and in 2003 founded the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers to work for environmental protection and economic vitality in the region. Lawrence passed away on March 31, 2009.
Peak 12,240 , currently only identified by its elevation, is located in Mono County near the Tuolumne County border. It is located on the border of the Ansel Adams Wilderness and just east of Yosemite National Park. The John Muir trail passes close to the peak.
The Mono County Board of Supervisors, the Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, the Mono County Democratic Central Committee, the Mammoth Town Council, the Mono Lake Committee, the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers, the CEO of the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, former Mono County Supervisor and local businessmen Tim Alpers and Andrea Lawrence’s family all support for legislation.
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