Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Don’t forget unheralded heroes

Ruthe Deskin

Thursday, Dec. 9, 1999 | 9:51 a.m.

Ruthe Deskin is assistant to the publisher. Her column appears Thursdays. Reach her at deskin@vegas.com.

With 2000 closing in, we are destined to see all kinds of lists naming the most influential people of the millennium.

Already an expert panel has selected Johann Gutenberg as the No. 1 man for his invention of the printing press. Their rationalization is that without print, great scientists, authors, state and religious leaders, doctors and educators would have had no method of spreading their doctrines.

Gutenberg was born in 1398 and died in 1468, leaving behind an invention that would enlighten the world. However, he left very little of a personal biography. Choosing from all those who have passed through this millennium is a Herculean task and certainly one whose results will never be unanimous.

In Las Vegas, a local committee chose 100 people who were instrumental in turning a dusty, Western railroad town into a modern metropolis. In the 1930s the proximity of Las Vegas to the construction site of Boulder Dam started the growth cycle that exists to this very day and seems unlikely to end anytime soon. Those people were honored at a gala dinner recently. They deserve the plaudits, but I can't help but feel there were many who were overlooked.

When I first came to Southern Nevada, the big name on the Strip was William "Bill" Moore, a builder and manager of the Last Frontier hotel and a member of the powerful Nevada Tax Commission, which regulated gambling in the state. Although he was considered a cinch should he run for public office, he chose not to follow that path and today is all but forgotten. Dr. Clare Woodbury was one of the most admired physicians and educators. He served on several state boards and was a school board trustee for many years. Gov. Kenny Guinn became superintendent of schools while Dr. Woodbury was on the board. They established a lifelong friendship.

Mabel Hoggard, for whom a school has been named, was the first black woman to have a contract to teach in Nevada. She was always active in the NAACP and the Westside Credit Union and a leader in the black community. Banker Spence Butterfield gave dozens of local entrepreneurs their start with loans from the bank. Lt. Gov. Cliff Jones was a community leader as well, as were attorneys Artemus Ham, Lou Wiener and George Radial. Who could forget County Commissioner and labor leader James Sailor Ryan? Or banker/developer Jerry Mack, educator/author R. Guild Gray, Sheriff John Moan and businessman Archive Grant?

Bill Peccole was involved in city politics and youth athletics. Today, Peccole Ranch stands as a tribute to his business acumen. And, there was Helen Herr, the first woman from Southern Nevada to sit in the state Senate. Dr. James Dickinson was the guiding light behind UNLV, and Wayne Newton is the quintessential Las Vegas performer. Nancy Williams counseled thousands of troubled youngsters during 30 years with juvenile court services.

There are hundreds more whose contributions to our city have been meaningful and that is why it is almost impossible to get a consensus on the most influential citizens. Most of all, we should never forget hundreds of individuals who perform good deeds and go about their daily business without fanfare or approbation. They are the backbone of any community -- the salt of the Earth. What captains accomplish depends on the crews.