Eastern Sierra peak will be named Mt. Andrea Lawrence

A 12,240-foot Eastern Sierra peak will be named after the late Andrea Lawrence, the Olympic ski champion and mountain conservationist.

The Mono County peak, now known only by its elevation, is on the border of the Ansel Adams Wilderness, just east of Yosemite National Park. The John Muir Trail is nearby.

Lawrence, who died in 2009 at the age of 76, is the only American alpine skier to win two gold medals in a single Olympics, winning the slalom and giant slalom at the 1952 Winter Games in Oslo.

After moving to Mammoth Lakes in 1968, Lawrence, newly divorced and the mother of five, helped found several conservation groups and campaigned for the passage of wilderness bills protecting parts of the Sierra. She was elected a Mono County supervisor in 1982 and spent 16 years on the board.

“Her passion and achievements were larger than life, which is why I cannot think of a more fitting tribute than to name this majestic peak in her honor,” Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said in a statement. Boxer and Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) sponsored the naming legislation, which passed the House this week and now goes to President Obama for his signature.