Bruce Trent Park honors city of Las Vegas’ first parks and recreation superintendent

Have you ever driven past Bruce Trent Park and wondered, "Who was Bruce Trent?"

Bruce Trent Park, 1600 N. Rampart Blvd., sits at the intersection of Rampart B oulevard and Vegas D rive. It is named for a former city of Las Vegas employee whose passion in life revolved around sports and physical exercise.

Local resident Theresa Miller said she figured the man had something to do with the area but could not fathom a guess beyond that.

A memorial tells park users that Bruce Trent lived from 1914 to 1991 and was the first superintendent of parks and recreation for Las Vegas. He spent three decades overseeing the planning and execution of various projects.

But the memorial yields little other information.

Searching for Bruce Trent on Google and Yahoo revealed no relevant information. But then, the man was around even before Nevada legalized gambling.

A search of city records revealed only one document. It's from more than 20 years ago, when Summerlin was just getting started. The document regarded the naming of the park , stating: Bruce Trent's first employment was with the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. He was hired in 1933 as a basketball player and later coached the team from 1938 to 1941. His assignment was to head up the employee's activities program, which consisted of sports, holiday programs, picnics, credit unions, etc.

In 1946 he accepted the position of director of recreation for the city of Wadsworth, Ohio. During this period he served with five groups , including the National Recreation Association, as president of the Ohio State Recreation Association and as a member of the American Recreation Society.

In 1951 he was recalled into the Air Force as a captain. He was assigned to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. His responsibilities included the entire athletic program.

In 1953 he was hired by the city of Las Vegas as the director of recreation. He worked in developing programs and the department , building two new recreation centers, five swimming pools and seven new city parks and established the coordinated program between the c ity of Las Vegas and the Clark County School District.

He resigned in 1962 to accept a position as chief of construction control and chief loan officer for Frontier Fidelity Savings and Loan.

In January 1969 he again accepted employment with the c ity of Las Vegas as a recreation supervising specialist.

Clark County Commissioner Larry Brown said Trent was to be commended for his vision.

"Without pioneers like Brice Trent, we'd have an entirely different community," said Brown. "His commitment to parks, community centers, open space reflect on his (value for) the quality of life."

These days, the 28-acre park plays host to the Las Vegas Farmers Market each Wednesday afternoon . The park connects to the city's walking trail system and includes a fitness course, two playgrounds, picnic areas, two tennis courts, water play features, a restroom facility and open space. The Las Vegas Sports Arena is accessed by the park.

Contact Summerlin and Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.