Virl Owen Norton (Aug. 1, 1916 - Feb. 10, 1995) of Lovell, Wyo.

In his youth, he earned money by rounding up wild horses, breaking and then selling them for a few dollars.

As a tank gunner in World War II, he fought in the Battle of Bulge and suffered wounds that left him recuperating in an Army hospital in Auburn at the end of the war.

• 1976 Winner of the Great American Horse Race - 3000 mile from New York to Calif.

• 1979 Rode 1000 miles from Effingham, Illinois to Washington DC, USA on two Arabs.

• 1973 - 87 Completed the "Tevis" (Western States Trail Ride) eight times, riding 100 miles in one day over rugged terrain in his 60s and 70s.