Lanning is a true Wyoming firebrand

Weighing in at two pounds and 10 to 12 ounces, prospects for baby Lavitra Bodley Lanning's survival, on Bodley's Hill, were tenuous at best.

Lanning recalls her mother telling her she was placed in a box on a table with jars of hot water in all four corners and a light bulb above her head. While not a practice used in modern medicine, her mother's home remedy proved effective. Little Lavitra survived and has done so for 87 years.

"I guess there is reason I'm supposed to be here; to give everybody a bad time," Lanning said.

She punctuated her statement with laugh that is a surprisingly pleasing...