Long-standing Las Vegas family named entire development after themselves

Dick Worthen and his wife, LaRue, have not one street named after them, but two. Both are near Westcliff and Buffalo drives. There's Worthen Circle to the south and La Rue Court immediately north.

In 1983, the Worthens bought 10 acres of barren desert land in the Las Vegas Valley for about $150,000. Don Worthen, a general contractor, planned to use lots on five of those acres for all seven of his children. As the developer, he got to name the streets they would contain.

"We had to pay for the sewer, the electricity, the sidewalks," said his daughter, Margaret Worthen Terry. "There's no gas, because they were going to charge us a fortune. There was nothing between here and Rainbow at the time."

The Worthens sold off the five acres to the north. The family began building their homes with the Terrys, and Dick and LaRue's were completed first. The fastest-built home was mostly done in a weekend as cousins and aunts and uncles converged on the project. Dick Worthen's parents came to live in that one, making five generations living on the circle.

Their home is now a guest house. It serves as overflow housing when family comes to visit -- of which there is a lot. The Worthens have 38 grandchildren and 62 great-grandchildren. Three more are on the way.

Today, there are 12 homes on Worthen Circle. The final one was built two years ago. The largest home on Worthen Circle is about 4,000 square feet, and the smallest is that first home, now referred to as "Grandma's cottage." The Worthens' youngest daughter built it to live in while they built their home.

The couple met as teens in the early 1940s after both of their families moved to Las Vegas. Dick Worthen came from St. George, Utah. LaRue Worthen was from Salt Lake City.

Both attended Las Vegas High School and recalled being hired as extras for a Roy Rogers movie filming in Las Vegas. That movie was "Helldorado."

"They were shooting the race scene, and the guy said, 'Whatever you do, don't get ahead of Roy,' " said LaRue Worthen. "My horse took off, and -- I was not a horseman, I was just hanging on -- I beat Roy Rogers."

She recalled riding with her father on his Wonder Bread routes.

"He went door to door, blowing a whistle," she said. "People heard it and knew the bread man was there."

After high school, LaRue Worthen focused on raising a family. Dick Worthen focused on providing for them. He saw the writing on the wall when air conditioners took the place of swamp coolers and opened an Amana dealership.

The big money was in selling AC units to casinos and hospitals and public buildings, but Worthen focused on a smaller segment: the residential market.

"Everybody said I'd never make it," he said

The more Las Vegas' population grew, the more AC units he sold and installed. "Everybody" had to eat their words.

As the children grew up, they took on trades such as plumbers, electricians, roofers. All the homes on Worthen Circle were built, literally, by Worthen hands.

The family said people will often confuse their last name with a local automobile dealership.

"Ted Warthen joked with me," Dick Worthen said. "He said, 'We got mad at you, so we moved to Georgia and changed our name from an 'O' to an 'A.' "

In truth, the two are friends but not related.

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