Lifetime of learning: Former LV teacher going strong at 95

Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2001 | 9:49 a.m.

Joe Thiriot's philosophy of teaching was simple and effective -- make the lessons fun.

"I found if kids had a good time, you could catch them off guard and, while they were happy, they would learn a lot without realizing they were learning," said Thiriot, a former longtime drama and English teacher at Las Vegas High School. "Students always had fun in my class and wanted to come back."

Although his 33-year teaching career ended 35 years ago, Thiriot has been anything but retired. He has been an accomplished singer, an award-winning photographer and one of the city's top gemologists who, at 95, spends many hours cutting and polishing turquoise and other gemstones and making jewelry.

"Students are like rocks. No two are alike, and they are always better when they are a little bit polished," Thiriot said during an interview Tuesday at the downtown house where he has lived since 1942. It's a home filled with mementos of a lifetime of community service and goodwill.

On Thursday the Clark County School Board is expected to vote to name a yet-to-be-built Las Vegas elementary school after Thiriot, who taught at Las Vegas High from 1940 until his retirement in 1966.

Despite his advanced years, Thiriot said he would visit his namesake school often, talk to the students and even teach them a little bit about drama.

"I would want a school named after me to have a small stage where students can stand up and speak," Thiriot said. "One of the rewarding things about teaching drama, public speaking and debate was that kids would overcome their fear of speaking before others. I've received hundreds of letters from former students who thanked me for helping them overcome that fear."

"There certainly should be a school named for Thiriot," Richard Bryan, a former Nevada governor, ex-U.S. senator and a Las Vegas High graduate, said.

"Whether you had Mr. Thiriot for a class or not, you knew who he was and you admired him," Bryan said. "He really is overdue for this honor. He left a lasting impression on so many of today's community leaders."

Born Aug. 20, 1906, Thiriot graduated from a one-room schoolhouse in Pahranagat Valley in Lincoln County and earned a teaching degree from Brigham Young University in 1930. He got a master's of arts from Northwestern University and taught school in Lincoln County from 1932-39.

In 1940 Thiriot and his wife, Ellen, also a longtime Las Vegas High teacher, moved to Las Vegas, where they raised three children, all LVHS graduates. Joe Thiriot over the years produced numerous school plays and Ellen made the costumes. They also were longtime costume and makeup directors for the Helldorado parade and other local events. Ellen Thiriot died in 1983.

Joe Thiriot co-founded the Las Vegas Little Theater in 1945 and championed the construction of the old Las Vegas High School auditorium in 1953, where the first classes of what is now University of Nevada, Las Vegas were held.

Thiriot long performed as a member of the Westerner Quartet and was for 11 years a member of the internationally renown Desert Chorale. He quit singing three years ago when his voice went hoarse.

Today, when he visits area schools to talk to students on behalf of the Las Vegas Gem Club, Thiriot at times meets youngsters whose grandparents were his former students.

"There are two keys to a long life," Thiriot said. "First, you have to exercise every day to keep the brain as well as the body fit. Second, you have to do things that require change, so you always have something to look forward to. I still have a lot of rocks left to collect and a few photos left to take."