Ex-Appeal writer accepts clerkship; Republican women host mixer

Former Nevada Appeal writer RonNell Jones has accepted a clerkship with Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor for 2003 and 2004.

RonNell graduated from law school in Ohio a couple of years back and will be working for a federal judge in the Bay area until September.

RonNell has a toddler, Max, so as usual, she is running and gunning.

She worked for the Nevada Appeal while she went to graduate school at UNR. She got her master's degree in the winter of 1996, was named top graduate student at the university and laid out the Appeal's Focus and Business sections in her spare time.

RonNell received recognition from the Nevada Press Association as a journalist of merit in the same year.

By Christmas 1996, she was gone, having moved to Ohio, where husband K.C. got a job as an automotive engineer.

After she's done clerking in September, she plans to go back to work for her old law school a couple of days a week before going to Washington, D.C.

"The main goal was to keep myself present for Max, who is growing up every time I look away," she wrote me on Tuesday. "I went to L.A. for one day and came back and he was speaking in little sentences."

The Republican women gathered on Tuesday night to honor their past presidents and mix with candidates seeking public office in Carson.

About 120 people were on hand for the 50th anniversary of the club and an informal candidates' mixer.

"We're very active," president Audrey Rich said.

Presidents honored by the women go back 40 years and include Marie Wolf, Shirley Clark, Lucille Hill, Evelyn Westsmith, Valarie Lehr, Marian Setterfield, Rosemary Smith, Nancy Dallas and Taunya Milligan.

The women, including Audrey's mom, were escorted to the podium by tuxedoed gentlemen.

I took a photo of incumbent District Attorney Noel Waters talking to greeter Shirley Anker. My rule at candidates' events is to always take a photo of unopposed candidates unless I can get opponents in the same shot, especially if they are pummeling each other.

Shirley is the daughter of Gardnerville resident Leonard and Frances Anker and the mother of Appeal page designer Trina Kleintjes.

My dad was a radioman in the U.S. Air Force, so I've always had a fascination for radio. When I was young, he would repeat sentences in Morse Code.

I was very impressed and intimidated enough by learning it that I never followed through.

However, down in Minden this weekend, amateur radio operators will be broadcasting for 24 hours, practicing emergency communications.

I've been getting items from George and Dorothy Uebele down at the Sierra Intermountain Radio Association for ages.

On Thursday I talked to Robert Tripp, who has been interested in radio since 1963, when he graduated from high school in St. Louis.

Robert and his wife, Teresa, moved to Dayton two years ago after moving from Virginia Beach, Va.

"The month I sold my house, it rained 30 inches," he said. "We got in an RV and started looking around. The air races drew us here and we liked the area, liked Tahoe."

Robert's a pilot and retired naval officer who does a little flight instruction on the side.

Teresa got interested in amateur radio and received her technician's license after taking classes with the Sierra association.

"Her number is KD8RPB, for real pretty babe," he said. "I bought her a handheld radio to celebrate."

Kurt Hildebrand is managing editor of the Nevada Appeal. Reach him at 881-1215 or e-mail him at hildebrand@nevadaappeal.com.