Longhorns Make 40-Year Matterhorn Reunion Climb

By Alan Cundy in Fan Mail, TXEX on January 17, 2019 at 12:57 pm | 1 Comment

Forty years after scaling the Matterhorn in Switzerland in 1978, William Paul Plevich, BA ’77, Life Member; William D. Young, son of late UT math professor David M. Young Jr.; and Andrew D. “Andy” Collins, BS ’75, Life Member; reunited to commemorate the climb with an ascent of Matterhorn Peak in Colorado. Twenty years ago, the trio climbed the Matterhorn in Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains. Each journey was pictured in the Alcalde magazine (seen below).

Collins and Young began climbing after high school and were joined by Plevich when he and Collins met while serving on the Texas Union Recreation Committee. The three have climbed together for over 40 years, scaling peaks such as Grand Teton in Wyoming, Mount Olympus in Washington, numerous fourteeners in California and Colorado, and of course the high point in Texas, Guadalupe Peak.

Today, all three are retired and continue to climb together whenever possible. Among their upcoming agenda: climbing the Sierra Nevada’s Matterhorn Peak in California in 2038. Collins also the owner of Armadillo Racing, an auto racing company that has been doing business for 36 years, and uses burnt orange and white as its company colors.