The Nevada to Exeter Connection

People don't often think of Nevada and Exeter in the same sentence. That may be because there aren't many similarities between them. Nevada is often thought of as the land of casinos and powder-filled ski slopes, while Exeter is the city of murals often described as charming and quaint.

But we have two men to thank - Kenny Guinn and Robert List - for establishing the Nevada to Exeter connection. Remarkably, both men graduated from Exeter Union High School and went on to serve the great state of Nevada as governor. This very unusual and coincidental career path was recently called "mind-boggling" in a Sept. 12 article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

List served as governor of Nevada from 1979 to 1983, while Guinn served as governor from 1999 to 2007. Guinn, who passed away in July at the age of 73, was even named one of the nation's best governors by Time Magazine.

Both men were great examples of the hard working people of Tulare County. Not only did they work hard, they made people want to know more about our great county. They were two of Tulare County the Greats.