School namesakes

Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005 | 11:13 a.m.

William H. "Bob" Bailey Middle School, 2500 N. Hollywood Blvd., Las Vegas. The first black Nevadan to receive a presidential appointment, Bailey is known for his longtime commitment to minority business development and his work on behalf of civil rights.

Kathy L. Batterman Elementary School, 10135 W. Quail Ave., Las Vegas. Batterman, the first certified flight nurse in the United States, spent 18 years as a critical care nurse. She was one of the first members of Flight for Life in Las Vegas. Batterman was killed in April 1999 in a medical transport helicopter crash near Indian Springs.

Theron H. and Naomi D. Goynes Elementary School, 3409 Deer Springs Way, North Las Vegas. The Goyneses spent more than 40 years teaching in public schools in Nevada, Arkansas, Arizona and California. Their combined tenure in the Clark County School District was 63 years. Goynes is a former elementary school principal in Las Vegas and a former North Las Vegas councilman.

Liliam Lujan Hickey Elementary School, 2450 N. Hollywood Blvd., Las Vegas. Hickey was the first Hispanic woman to be elected to a statewide office in Nevada, serving on the state Board of Education for 12 years. Hickey, who immigrated to the United States from Cuba, is co-founder and past president of both the Classroom on Wheels program and the Latin Chamber of Commerce.

Jay W. Jeffers Elementary School, 2320 Clifford St., Las Vegas. A longtime school administrator, Jeffers assisted in the consolidation of 13 districts into the Clark County School District in 1956. He also founded the district's elementary string music program and established an English-as-a-second-language program.

Jerome D. Mack Middle School, 4250 Karen Ave., Las Vegas. Jerome D. "Jerry" Mack was one of the founders of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His civic activities included the Boy Scouts of America, the United Way and politics at the local, state and national level. He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the nominating commission for judges of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Aldeane Comito Ries Elementary School, 9805 S. Lindell Road, Las Vegas. In 1994 Ries became the first female administrator tapped to open a new high school in Clark County. As principal of Silverado, which at the time was the state's largest high school with an enrollment of nearly 4,000, Ries was known for her ability to recall the names of thousands of her students. She spent 38 years as an educator in Clark County.

Del E. Webb Middle School, 2200 Reunion Drive, Henderson. Webb, who died July 4, 1974, is perhaps best known for the homes and master-planned communities built by his company throughout the southwestern United States. He also owned the New York Yankees when the team included Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, among other standouts, and owned several hotels in Nevada.

John Tartan Elementary School, 3030 E. Tropical Parkway, North Las Vegas. A career teacher, coach and administrator in the Clark County School District, Tartan guided five high school baseball teams to state championships. As a student at White Pine High School in the 1930s Tartan excelled in football and basketball, winning a spot on a Cincinnati Reds farm team and an athletic scholarship to Utah State University.

Joseph E. Thiriot Elementary School, 5700 W. Harmon Ave., Las Vegas. Thiriot had a long career in Clark County as an educator and community leader. In 1919, at age 13, he moved from Utah to Lincoln County, attending classes in a one-room schoolhouse in Pahranagat Valley. After seven years working at Lincoln County High School, Thiriot went on to a 28-year career at Las Vegas High School, teaching drama and English literature. Now 99, Thiriot still resides in Nevada.