NU grad and Olympic torch bearer to speak here today
By Dave Moller
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12:01 a.m. PT Apr 14, 2008
By Dave Moller
Senior Staff Writer
Though family members couldn't see her because of thousands of China protesters, Nevada Union High School graduate Jill Mason was able to participate in the Olympic torch relay Wednesday.
"She actually got to carry the torch on her wheelchair," said proud father Larry Mason. "We couldn't get there because of all the protesters, so we watched her on TV."
The protesters were so thick that the route was changed for security reasons. Jill, 30, who graduated from NU in 1995, had to wait three hours before she was allowed to be in the relay, Larry Mason said.
"It was pretty amazing, she was very happy about it," Larry Mason said. "She said it was a really humbling experience."
The torch bearer now living in Sacramento will be back in the area today for a meeting starting at 11:45 a.m. at the Miners Foundry in Nevada City. She will be the guest speaker for the 5th Annual Crime Victims Awareness Luncheon put on by the Nevada County Victim/Witness Assistance Center, the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Western Nevada County and the Law Enforcement and Fire Protection Council.
On Easter in 2004, Jill was riding bicycles with her boyfriend, Alan Liu, in Sonoma County, when they were hit by a drunk driver. Alan was killed and Jill was left with a head injury and a severed spinal cord, which put her in a wheelchair.
Since then, she has spoken in Northern California high schools for the "Every 15 Minutes" program to teach the repercussions of drunk driving to teens.
To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.
