Heritage Court 2026
Lady Thelma Cameron
Thelma Cameron has deep roots in the Wood River Valley; still living where she was raised, out Glendale Road. Her Dad’s family, the Cloughton’s, immigrated from England and ran sheep and cattle. Like most ranch kids, Thelma and her two sisters worked; they rolled hay bales, moved cattle, and spent time out at sheep camps. She remembers nurse Gladys Young was at her birth in the Hailey Hospital as well as at the birth of her first daughter. She has children and
Thelma Cameron has deep roots in the Wood River Valley; still living where she was raised, out Glendale Road. Her Dad’s family, the Cloughton’s, immigrated from England and ran sheep and cattle. Like most ranch kids, Thelma and her two sisters worked; they rolled hay bales, moved cattle, and spent time out at sheep camps. She remembers nurse Gladys Young was at her birth in the Hailey Hospital as well as at the birth of her first daughter. She has children and grandchildren here; four generations of Wood River heritage.
After high school, Thelma left the Valley and studied at CSI then BSU, graduating with a music education degree. She taught in Challis then Cambridge. Thelma came back to the Valley and married the guy next door, Les Cameron, whom she had known her entire life. Thelma and Les got married in Fairfield because they needed a big church to hold all the friends and family of a couple with deep roots in the area.
Involved with young people her entire adult life, Thelma has long had a passion for ensuring the youth of the Valley get a solid foundation of values, both spiritual and practical. She continues involvement in 4-H and Awana, two organizations that involve young people in a variety of activities.
She started her involvement in 4-H as a youngster. One activity involved raising bum lambs which she sold, thereby raising the funds needed for a once in a lifetime seven week trip to Europe (one of only three Idahoans). The “Citizen Ambassadors” visited England, Germany, Holland and Russia. Her four kids were active in 4-H and she has “hosted” lambs and swine for those 4-H kids who can’t raise an animal where they live. Currently, she is co-leader of the “Feed Em and Lead Em” 4-H club and is on the 4-H “Market Animal Sale Committee”.
Thelma says she is involved at church with Awana because it instills in young people Godly values that will help them throughout their lives. Awana is an international Christian organization with programs for preschool to high school youth. She also has been involved in the Calvary Bible Church vacation bible school.
Music has also been a passion for Thelma. Piano and guitar lessons when she was young, she played clarinet in college, got her degree in music education, taught music, gave private music lessons and still plays clarinet in the Wood River Orchestra.
Lady Amy Federko
Amy Federko has spent a lifetime helping shape the spirit of the Wood River Valley through community involvement, horsemanship, mentorship, and a deep love of Sun Valley and the western way of life. Born in Pennsylvania into a family with longstanding ranching ties to Idaho and Utah, Amy displayed an independent and determined spirit from an early age. At just sixteen years old, she made the bold decision to leave her family’s recent relocation to California and move permanently to Sun Valley on her own in 1971, drawn by the valley’s sense of home,
community, and outdoor life that she had loved since childhood summers spent here with her family. She quickly immersed herself into the community, working at the Olympic Pool, riding horses, and embracing the active Sun Valley lifestyle.
Amy’s roots in the valley run deep. Her grandparents ran sheep and cattle in the region, and her father first crossed Trail Creek in a sheep wagon as a boy. Her mother, Gail Budge, became one of the early organizers of the Community Library and was part of the dedicated generation of women who quietly helped build many of the valley’s beloved institutions through volunteerism and community spirit. Amy recalls with humorous dismay the Tuesday evenings spent helping her mother wash donated clothing for the Gold Mine thrift store, whose sales helped raise funds for the library.
Amy also fondly remembers the glamorous era of Sun Valley in the late 1960s and 1970s, when the valley’s close-knit social spirit centered around skiing, horses, and community gatherings. Among her cherished friendships was fellow Heritage Court honoree Alice Schernthanner, a beloved Sun Valley ski instructor and community leader.
After attending Boise State University and ranching in Salmon, Idaho, Amy eventually returned to Sun Valley to raise her children in the same outdoor-centered, community-minded environment she cherished growing up. Along the way, she balanced family life with a remarkable work ethic, serving in numerous roles including with Sun Valley Company, managing a flooring contracting business for more than two decades, and helping manage local ranch properties alongside her husband, Mike Federko, including the historic Reinheimer and Lane Ranches.
Perhaps nowhere has Amy left a greater mark than through her lifelong dedication to horses, youth mentorship, and western heritage. Amy remains one of the last enduring members of the historic Warm Springs Riding Club, one of the oldest riding clubs in Idaho. She recalls fondly the Wednesday evening rides of earlier Sun Valley days, when friends could rent horses from the Sun Valley Stables and ride together out Adams Gulch before gathering afterward for community barbecues and fellowship.
Amy later became deeply involved in 4-H and the Wood River High School Rodeo Team. For more than sixteen years, she has mentored countless young riders through a 4-H program she helped build to give opportunities to children who did not own horses of their own. Not only did she help provide horses, but she also offered steady guidance, calm instruction, and unwavering support while teaching horsemanship, confidence, and responsibility.
Known for her honesty, grit, and straightforward nature, traits she credits to her father, Amy believes deeply in the values of honesty, showing up, and community. Throughout her life, she has held herself and those around her to high standards of responsibility, dedication, and follow-through. She has served the community through organizations including Ketchum Rotary, the YMCA steering committee, the Senior Connection, local rodeo programs, and numerous volunteer efforts over the years.
Today, Amy continues to share her love of Sun Valley with the next generation, especially her grandchildren, who now come to spend summers riding horses, attending camp, and making memories in the valley she has loved for decades.Through her dedication to preserving western heritage, mentoring youth, and strengthening community ties, Amy remains deeply devoted to the enduring spirit and values that have long defined the Wood River Valley.
Lady Gail Peterson
Gail Peterson is a lifelong resident of the Wood River Valley, born and raised in Hailey, Idaho, during a time when the town’s population was just over 1,100 people. She grew up in a large family alongside nine siblings and attended Hailey schools. Gail was active in the Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir and taught Bible School, experiences that helped shape her lifelong values of faith, kindness, and community.
While attending Hailey High School, Gail worked as a cook at The Mint Café. It was there that she met Alan “Buster” Peterson,
who would stop in after National Guard meetings. The two married in August of 1958 and moved to Carey, where they have now shared 69 years of marriage and built a life centered around family, hard work, and community.
Together, Gail and Buster raised five children: Rod (deceased), Ron of Boise, Lisa of Carey, Chris of Jerome, and Dustin of Twin Falls. Today, Gail is the proud grandmother of 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Family remains her greatest joy and proudest accomplishment, and she treasures the simple moments spent gathered around the table together.
Gail worked for many years as a bookkeeper for numerous businesses throughout the region before retiring at age 70. Even in retirement, she has remained active and creative, continuing many of the homemaking traditions she loves most. Known especially for her quilting, canning, and cooking, Gail is famous among family and friends for her homemade pickles, jams, and jellies. At 86 years old, she still enjoys quilting and is looking forward to growing a garden again this year.
An accomplished quilter and teacher, Gail shared her talents with the next generation through a 4-H quilting club she led for six years. At its largest, the club included twelve girls and one boy. Gail lovingly guided the children through selecting fabrics, learning patterns, and creating quilts entirely of their own. Her granddaughter Alyssa participated all six years and proudly has six quilts to show for what she learned from her grandmother. Gail remains deeply proud of all the children she taught and encouraged through the program.
Gail and Buster were also active members of the Carey Riding Club for many years, and several of their children participated in 4-H sheep and horse programs while growing up. Gail additionally devoted countless hours volunteering with the Blaine County Fair Open Class, helping register exhibits and assist judges for many years. Though health challenges temporarily slowed her down, Gail made a remarkable recovery and has happily returned to many of the activities she loves.
When asked what matters most in life, Gail’s answer is simple: family, kindness, and enjoying the life you are given. Over the decades, she has watched the Valley grow and change dramatically, but she continues to cherish the peaceful rhythm of small-town Carey life and the farm she and Buster built together. Gail Peterson’s story is one of devotion, resilience, generosity, and the enduring strength of family and community.
Lady Vicki Smith
Vicki Stewart Smith, 2026 Heritage Court Lady representing the City of Hailey, is a proud fourth-generation Idahoan whose roots in the Wood River Valley run deep.
Born in the Sun Valley Lodge during the resort’s early years, she grew up in Ketchum with her sister, Dana (Quinney) surrounded by horses, fly fishing, skiing, and the close-knit spirit of a small mountain town.
The family house was across from what is now the Community Library and Vicki and Dana walked a few blocks to
Ketchum Grade School, once located where Giacobbi Square now stands. Her parents, Clayton and Bernice Stewart, were part of Sun Valley’s early history. Her mother worked as the secretary to Averell Harriman, president of the Union Pacific Railroad, and later became a successful real estate agent. Her father served as a hunting and fishing guide for notable celebrities including Ernest Hemingway and Gary Cooper and later rose to become Administration VickiManager of Sun Valley under the Janss Corporation.
In 1964 she became part of the first freshman class at Wood River High School, which was formerly known as Hailey High School. After a few years of college, Vicki moved to Alaska and eventually moved back to Hailey. She later returned to school at Boise State University while raising her children. She began her career in education as a teacher’s aide in 1977 and went on to teach third grade for 27 years, dedicating her life to helping children learn and grow.
Vicki has lived in Hailey since 1972 in the same beloved home she affectionately calls her “This Old House.” She and her husband, Paul Smith, recently celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary. They have two children: their daughter Joy Dobson, is a high school teacher in Meridian, and their son Todd Smith, teaches guitar in the Seattle area.
Vicki is especially proud of her two granddaughters, Megan, who is earning her PhD in microbiology at Berkeley, and Madie, who is seeking her degree in optometry at Midwestern University in Phoenix. Faith has always been the foundation in Vicki’s life. She volunteers with local organizations, but principally at the Catholic Church, where she is active in various ministries. She has traveled on pilgrimages around the world and values deepening her faith and learning from different cultures and peoples.
Family remains central to her life, as well. Vicki treasures the family gatherings and time together “to catch up on one another’s lives.” Though the Wood River Valley has grown and changed, the mountains, clean air and strong community continue to ground her. Among her proudest accomplishments is earning her master’s degree at age 52!
Climbing Carbonate Mt. every other day, working on her home, gardening, enjoying sharing faith with friends, and serving others, Vicki continues to embrace life with gratitude, service, and a deep appreciation for the place she has always called home.
