William “Bill” M. Stead ~ Class of 1939

         William “Bill” M. Stead was born May 18, 1920, in Cook County, Illinois. Born William M. Kiley, Stead took his stepfather’s surname after Stead and his family moved from New York to the Wilcox Canyon Ranch near Pyramid Lake in Nevada. There, Stead grew up as a cowboy and learned to manage the ranch. Stead and his brother were homeschooled until 1935 when Stead enrolled at Sparks High School. At Sparks, Stead joined the football team and Ski Club. Stead was elected Vice-President of his senior class and graduated in 1939. That fall, Stead played football as a lineman for Pomona College in Claremont, California. Two years later, Stead went on to attend the California Polytechnic Institute and the University of Nevada Reno.

            In 1942, Stead was drafted as a private for the U.S Army where he served with the U.S. Ski Troops. After the war, Stead took up racing unlimited hydroplanes. In 1953, Stead raced the HURRICANE IV and placed thris in the 1953 LTYC Championships. In 1954, Stead’s Salton Sea performance established the HURRICAN IV’s reputation as one of the fastest boats of her day. Stead won 9 races and became a two-time world champion in the late 1950’s. Stead brought hydroplane racing to Pyramid Lake in 1959 and Lake Tahoe in 1962 serving as general chairman. Stead was inducted in 1961 to the Unlimited Hydroplane Hall of Fame.

Inducted 2015