Letter: Not many knew — or know — Nevada better than Jean Ford

Friday, Sept. 4, 1998 | 11:49 a.m.

Nevada has lost one of its finest citizens. Jean Ford, community leader, legislator, teacher, historian, and champion of citizen involvement has died of pancreatic cancer.

In her last year, Jean struggled with the thought of leaving her family and friends, as each of us would. But, beyond that, Jean struggled to say goodbye to Nevada.

Jean moved to Nevada with her husband and two daughters in 1962. She immediately got to know her new state by traveling and hiking throughout Nevada. Her first taste of citizen activism occurred when she decided that the citizens of Clark County needed a library. At that time only city residents had library services. Jean researched what was needed to form a tax district and organized a group of people to do just that.

Jean believed in the power of the citizen to change the system. The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District recently established the Jean Ford Special Collections for Citizen Action/Community Building to house her collection of citizen resources.

It would take a book to list Jean's work -- both paid and volunteer -- toward the betterment of Nevada. A sampler: League of Women Voters, state Parks Commission, state assemblywoman, state senator, State Tourism Commission, Futures Commission, Nevada Women's Political Caucus, UNR Women's Studies Director, UNR and UNLV Nevada Women's Archives, and the Nevada Women's History Project.

Organizing and leading bus tours of rural Nevada was one of Jean's great loves. This she continued to do down to the last weeks of her life. She was actively planning an "Artists and Authors" tour of eastern and Southern Nevada. Even though she knew her chances of living to make the October trip were virtually nil, she still took on the project with zeal.

Throughout her life in Nevada, Jean balanced multiple projects at all times. She could outwork everyone and still have time to hike, enjoy wildflowers, and kick up her heels dancing. She was a walking encyclopedia of Nevada culture, history, politics, flora and fauna. There was not a place in the state where Jean did not know someone, and know everything about the place as well.

At the very end of her life, she was in great pain. The last time I talked to her she cried; not so much from the physical pain, but because she could no longer work on the projects she loved. And, she cried because she was saying goodbye to Nevada.

Carol A. Corbett