People

: William S. Tierney

: William Sears "Will, Bill" Brown

: William Senior Mahoney; "Minus that stint in the Navy and the first three years of his life, William (Bill) “Senior” Mahoney has spent his days in Telluride, skiing its mountains, raising a family, helping the town change and remembering it all with impressive clarity. Telluride is where he attended school as a boy in the ‘30s and where he learned to ski — starting with runs down snow-covered Oak Street on rough-hewn planks. It’s where he worked for a quarter century in the mines and where he met his wife, Twylla, to whom he has been married for 62 years. And it’s where he served four terms on Telluride Town Council. Telluride has certainly played a major role in Mahoney’s life. But he has played a vital part in Telluride’s history as well. Mahoney was instrumental in Telluride’s transition from mining town to destination ski resort — his passion for skiing, hard work and foresight helped steer the town through the metamorphosis and shift its economic base from the extraction that was foundering to the tourism industry that would flourish here. And through it all, Mahoney has stored an impressive memory log of the faces and places, events and mishaps that shaped this town. He has worked extensively with the Telluride Historical Museum over the years, and considers this latest role — helping to preserve the history of the valley — perhaps the most important. Mahoney has been selected at the Telluride Foundation’s 2011 Outstanding Citizen for the extraordinary community service he’s done through the years. The Foundation created the award to honor residents of the county who make remarkable and unselfish contributions to the region. Mahoney’s work in the mines, role in creating the ski area and involvement in numerous non-profits warranted the award, according to Joanne Corzine-Brown, co-chairman of the Telluride Foundation Board. “Senior Mahoney is a living legend of Telluride,” Corzine-Brown said in a release. “Telluride is fortunate to have been impacted by this great man.” “I think this is a good honor,” Mahoney said on Monday from his ranch in Cortez, where he splits his time. “It makes you proud that you had an accomplishment or two in your life.” A forgivable understatement, considering he’s a modest guy. Johnnie Stevens, who has known Mahoney for about 45 years, described Mahoney as a hard-working and tough man. “His work ethic is unbelievable. He’s a worker, No. 1,” Stevens said. “I just always characterize him as how tough he is. He’s really kind of the epitome of what I consider Telluride … and he’s just an incredibly great friend.” Mahoney was born in Bonanza, and moved to Telluride with his family in 1932 when he was just a tike. It was the Great Depression, and jobs were hard to come by. His father, Tom Mahoney, had moved the family to Rico to work on a government-funded project. After that was finished, he found work on a project on Keystone Hill. Eventually, his father served as a law enforcement officer in town. He and his wife had six sons; Billy was the only one who stuck around Telluride. When World War II unfolded and his brothers left to serve in the military, it gave them a chance to see a lot of the world, he said. “They saw a lot of opportunities,” he said, joking that he was the only “fool” to stay around. “I don’t think I was a fool,” he continued. “It treated me well.” After returning home from the Navy, Mahoney mined underground for 25 years for Idarado. And he skied pretty much everything you can ski around these parts. He had started in town, skiing Catholic Hill at the age of 5, and skied when rope tows fired up at Town Park and in Grizzly Gulch. He skied in Bear Creek, and later he and friends made an attempt on nearly every mountain in the county. “It was something to do,” he said. “We’d ski mostly in the springtime … when it was a little safer.” And long before the ski area was a world-class ski resort, Mahoney knew that it could be. He was perhaps the biggest and longest running proponent of a Telluride ski area. So in 1968, when wealthy Californian Joe Zoline came to town with interest in starting a resort, the two struck up a friendship. “He heard that I was kind of an avid nut for skiing. We struck up a good relationship,” Mahoney said. Zoline ended up hiring Mahoney as Telluride’s first ski area employee, and Mahoney went on to help develop the ski area — and Telluride’s future. His work in the industry would later land him in the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame. “He was incredibly instrumental in really the resort we see now and the skiing,” Stevens said. “He helped establish this new economy.” More recently, Mahoney has volunteered at the Telluride Historical Museum giving historical presentations, and he and Twylla have donated skiing and mining memorabilia for display. Much of the footage that went into the documentary “We Skied It” came from a stash of 16mm home movies that belonged to Mahoney. And the Mahoneys continue to help others with Telluride historical and family research. He considers historical preservation a paramount task. Fortunately, he’s got an excellent memory. “I’ve got a million memories, my good God,” he said. Mahoney will receive a commemorative plaque and a grant of $5,000 to be given in his name to the local non-profit of his choice — he figures he’ll give it to the museum. In addition, a community barbecue in honor of Mahoney will take place at the Telluride Historical Museum on Aug. 25 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. “I think it’s deserved,” Stevens said of the award. “The proof’s in the pudding with him. I think it’s absolutely, positively, deserved.” --Taken from The Telluride Daily Planet's article: "A miner, ski pioneer and trove of memories Bill ‘Senior’ Mahoney named 2011 Outstanding Citizen." Written by Katie Klingsporn. August 16, 2011.

: William Shanahan

: William Shea

: William Silzell; He was a pioneer of the Whitewater area who came to Mesa County in 1901. He opened a feed yard and boardinghouse in Whitewater.