Monument honors Vegas High
Proud graduates of old Las Vegas High were tired of being walked on, and they decided to do something about it.
The annual placement of the “senior squares” at the original Las Vegas High on Seventh Street was a cherished tradition for the Wildcats of a previous era. The squares were so respected that students dared not walk on them.
That has changed over the years as the tradition — and the tiles — faded during the school’s transition into Las Vegas Academy.
Now those original tiles have been replaced by a monument to the Wildcats’ senior classes of the past. Alumni from the original high school will gather at 9 a.m. Monday to dedicate the monument. The event will be led by Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Wildcat and former Nevada Gov. and U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan.
“It represents senior classes as far back as the war years,” Carole (Inghram) Montalto of the Class of ’56 says. “This has all been done with donations.”
For information, check out the Las Vegas High School Alumni Association website at lvhsaa.com.
DJS PJS: Hey, that’s a lot of drawers. Organizers for the 11th annual DJS for PJS, which runs throughout today, hope to collect 8,000 pairs of new pajamas with the help of local on-air radio personalities. They, of course, get to work in their pajamas.
The event collects new pajamas for children and distributes them throughout the valley through charities such as The Shade Tree women and children’s shelter and the Women’s Development Center. Donate today at Southern Nevada Kohl’s stores. For more information, go to djsforpjs.org.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: In addition to her duties as principal at Jo Mackey Magnet Elementary School, Kemala Washington is joining forces with her staff and parents to make a statement that ought to make the public school’s students — and the rest of us — proud.
As part of Saturday’s Make a Difference Day school project, the group from Mackey is painting the exterior of the home of 84-year-old resident Norina Falon. The volunteers will also landscape Falon’s front yard. The group of approximately three dozen is getting an assist from local Wells Fargo bank employees.
“We’re pretty excited about it,” Washington says. “It’s been a big project but a satisfying one. We’re doing what we tell the kids they should be doing.”
WRIGHT STUFF: It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since Las Vegas historian Frank Wright’s death. Those who knew Frank — and relied on his encyclopedic knowledge of the Las Vegas story — cherish his wisdom and lack of pretense. For those who never met him, think of Wright as a one-man Google search of Nevada history.
To learn more about Nevada history and Frank’s work, I highly recommend his book, “Nevada Yesterdays.”
“I’m not the only one who misses him,” Frank’s widow, Dorothy Wright, says.
BOOK IT: The soon-to-be-released “Hit Me! Fighting the Las Vegas Mob by the Numbers” is a readable and remarkable tribute to the late gaming regulator and casino man Dennis Gomes penned by daughter Danielle Gomes and Jay Bonansinga.
ON THE BOULEVARD: Longtime Metro Intelligence Bureau leader Dave Logue retired earlier this month and accepted an executive security position at Wynn Resorts. ... For some reason, Sheriff Doug Gillespie’s recent announcement that he will seek a third term hasn’t stopped the speculation about possible opponents. Talk about a political suicide mission. No bookmaker would put that long shot on the board against the incumbent. ... While cabbies at other local taxi companies have struck and organized, on April 20, drivers at Nellis Cab quietly voted 247-125 against joining the union.
BOULEVARD II: There’s still time to get tickets to Saturday’s Evening of Hope event to benefit Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Information: Candlelighters.org.
Have an item for Bard of the Boulevard? Email comments and contributions to jsmith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. Follow him on Twitter @jlnevadasmith.
