The Sheriff Posse's Top Hand Award is given each year to an individual who has given above and beyond the ordinary to our community, the Posse and the Round-Up.
Past recipients are: Harvey McGee - 1997; Dick Nutting - 1998; Irving Symons - 1999; Carlo DeFerrari - 2000; Chris Bateman - 2001.
H. Randolph Holder, Jr., the 2002 Top Hand honoree is an extremely deserving recipient. He is president of Clarke Broadcasting Corporation which his family has owned since 1956. Clarke Broadcasting includes our local radio stations of KKBN, KVML and KZSQ, Sign Pro and Mother Lode Internet, as well as other out of own radio stations.
I mention his ownership of KKBN, KVML and KZSQ up front to make an easy segue into how Randolph has helped the Posse, the Round-Up and his community.
Randolph and his station staff from his general manager Larry England through his clerical, technical and sales staff to his production people have always been and continue to be very friendly, extremely cooperative, positive, always helpful to the Posse and the Round-Up. Specifically, Randolph personally has announced the Round-Up Parade for about 15 years, and continues to do so. His staff, Chris Davis and Lorree Sorrick, also announce the parade. Lorree MC'd the Round-Up Queen Pageant for three years. His sales, clerical and promotion staff, Mia, Theresa, Karen, Laurie, Deborah, etc., are always ready to prepare the script or organize the time. Over the years Randolph and his staff (Doc Weldon, Jim Cumberland, Chris, Lorree, etc.) have given the Posse and the Round-Up countless public service announcements, remote broadcasts and have always opened up their talk and interview radio shows, as many as we need, to promote the Round-Up.
It doesn't stop there, Randolph is a strong supporter of the Mother Lode Fair. He is one of the few multiple buyers at the Junior Livestock Auction. He is a sponsor of the Family to Family Christmas Food and Gift Program. He announces at the annual Frank Salel Super Bowl Breakfast.
Randolph's community service continues. He is past president and director of the Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce, past director of the Central Sierra Arts Council, Founding Board Member of the ABBA Teen Center, past president and current director of the Economic Development Company of Tuolumne County. Past director of Central California Bank, past member of the Civic Advisory Board. Board of Governors of and donor to Sonora Community Hospital, and a member and past president of the Sonora 49er Rotary Club.
Randolph was born in 1954 in Athens, Georgia. Earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Georgia in 1976. he married Betty L. Corlew in 1986 and they moved to Sonora where they felt immediately welcome. Randolph has managed KVML/KZSQ/KKBN since that time. He and Betty (an accomplished artist) and their kitty kids (Zoe and Franny) split their time now between Sonora, their home town and Incline Village, Nevada.
The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Posse sincerely thanks Randolph from the heart for all he has done to support the Posse, the Mother Lode Round-Up, to preserve our rich western tradition and for his contribution to our community over the years. |
