Tony West: A shooting star at 17

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Local News

October 15, 2019 - 10:35 AM

Tony Joe West made the cover of Skeet Shooting Review in March 1977 at age 17. The teenager skyrocketed to international fame as a champion skeet shooter. West graduated from Baldwin City High School in 1978. His mother, Mary Louise West Henry, now age 90, resides in Yates Center.

About the same time Tony West  became a skilled skeet shooter, he developed an interest in cars. According to his grandmother, Mary Louise West Henry of Yates Center, ?His grandfather kept him in cars.?

He had two Ford Mustangs, a 1966 convertible, a 1969 fastback coupe, and even an older Corvette. 

Tony and a friend would tinker around with the cars with intentions of restoring them or customizing them, but because of his limited time availability and limited money, nothing much ever came of it. One project involved a 1970 Pontiac GTO with the goal of making it into a drag racer, but that never went anywhere either. When it came to spending money, Tony had to make a choice: car parts or shotgun shells. The ammunition won out every time.  After all, money was tight.

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