Alta Ham was a philanthropist and an early Las Vegas, Nevada resident. Alta Mereness was born on June 26, 1896 in Early, Iowa. After marrying Artemus Ham in 1915, the couple moved to Las Vegas. Alta donated to Nevada Southern University, now the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and was the namesake for the Alta Ham Fine Arts building on its campus. Ham was a member of the Mesquite Club, Community Chest, Methodist Church, and the Variety Club Auxillary. Alta Mereness Ham passed away on April 23, 1974 at the age of 77.

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