Kenny Sailors and his wife, Marilynne, returned to live in Wyoming in 1999 because of her health. They first lived in Casper and then moved to be with their daughter in Idaho until Marilynne passed away in 2002. During their one year in Casper Kenny cared for her and once again found time to hold youth basketball clinics.
Following his wife’s death Kenny returned to live in Laramie. It was a familiar place for him, and he’d be able to watch his beloved Wyoming Cowboys. He soon became a devoted follower of Cowgirl sports, too.
Back in his home state Kenny was quickly discovered by old friends, the University of Wyoming, and by the media. He was a frequent speaker in and outside of Laramie, conducted countless interviews, received some honors, and benefitted from invitations to multiple lunches and dinners almost every week. In 2009 he returned for a day to his boyhood hometown of Hillsdale and found the farm where his mother, Cora, had raised him and his brother, Bud. This is also the site of where Kenny launched his first jump shots.
Kenny became, once again, a celebrity in the state and city where he had found basketball fame in the 1940s. Although he didn’t seek the attention, he got it anyway. He has faithfully attended now for several years Cowboy football games and Cowboy and Cowgirl basketball games. He often shows up at most other University sporting events. He is “Brown and Gold” through and through.
In 2007 Kenny established his first website and an Email connection with the outside world in order to deal more efficiently with frequent requests for information on his basketball career. Also, from 2010-2011 Kenny recorded several oral history sessions covering his entire life. The latter were produced by the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming and are available for listening by the general public beginning in the fall of 2011.
For more information on these oral histories contact the American Heritage Center by telephone at: (307) 766-3756, by Email at:
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, or through their website at: www.uwyo.edu/ahc.
In this category, we’ll attempt to document many of the things which have occupied Kenny’s time since he returned to live in Laramie, Wyoming. More stories will be added as we discover them.
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