Laura Belle Kelch was born September 1, 1912, in Cincinnati, Ohio and came to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1939. Before moving West, she attended the University of Cincinnati and pursued a degree in the field of Applied Arts. Kelch later lived in New York City, New York and Los Angeles, California before finally making Las Vegas her home.
Doris Shoong Lee was born in 1919 in San Francisco, California and was the second of three children. Her family moved to Oakland, California and that’s where she grew up. After Shoong Lee graduated from high school she went on to attend Berkeley University along with her sister. Her father became very interested in the university after both daughters spent time there and consequently he created a scholarship fund for Chinese students. The Lee family then decided to move to China and Shoong Lee and her sister enrolled in Ling Nam University.
Marshall C. Darnell was born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. He receieved his bachelor's degree in social science and English from Eastern Kentucky State College. He moved to Las Vegas in 1960 and began working as a subsititute teacher at Rancho High School. He then began teaching at Bridger Junior High School, and took a leave of absence in 1963 to earn his Master's degree. In 1964, he married Patsy Lucile Pace. After earning his degree, he held several positions in the Clark County School District (CCSD).
William W. Sullivan was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He completed his doctorate over a twelve year period at University of Utah. He helped open the Minority Center there, and was eventually recruited to teach in Missoula, Montana, where he stayed for three years.
F. Andrew Taylor was born June 06, 1963 and was raised in Connecticut. He moved to New England and Georgia before arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1991 at the age of 28. Armed with a degree in painting from the Swain School of Design, Taylor got a job at a Laughlin, Nevada casino as a caricature artist. After a brief stay in Laughlin and Bullhead City, Arizona, he moved to Ward I, Nevada, where his girlfriend, now wife, lived.
Marcia L. Washington was born in Tallulah, Louisiana on February 8th, 1953. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1966, she was 13 and had always attended black only schools. In Las Vegas, she would experience her first school integration and bussing. Marcia Washington and Dave Washington got married on June 10, 1972, and eventually had four children, April, Vernon, Angel and Amber. In 2000, her passions lead her to become the first African American on the State Board of Education, where she was an active voice for eight years.
Ronald Simone was born on June 6, 1935 in New Haven, Connecticut to Florence and George Simone. Simone played trumpet in high school and went on to play piano for his profession. He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada with his friend, violinist Joe Mack in 1960. He played in the Riviera showroom for five and a half years, in the exclusive Monte Carlo Room in the Desert Inn where he played for stars such as Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. for five years, and for nineteen years for all the Casino de Paris shows, line numbers, and production numbers at the Dunes.
Robert Genovese was born and raised in Rochester, New York. He arrived to Las Vegas, Nevada for the first time in 1960 with two other musicians and were booked at the Fremont Hotel and Casino. They performed as a band opposite of Wayne and Jerry Newman for five years on a revolving stage at the Fremont. Over the years, Genovese’ music career flourished and he played showrooms in places like Caesar’s Palace Hotel and Casino, the Flamingo Hotel and Casino, and the Driftwood Lounge. He worked opposite of legends such as Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton.
Linda Lintner was born March 27, 1944 in North Carolina. The daughter of a soldier, she and her mother traveled from North Carolina to Overton, Nevada to stay with Lintner’s grandparents when she was only six weeks old. After her father joined the family, they moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where both her mother and father started working at the Post Office. Lintner attended local elementary school and middle schools in the valley, and graduated from Rancho High School in 1962.
Judith Steele was born November 14, 1943 in New York City. Steele began her career teaching elementary and middle school in New York and Rhode Island. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1969 and received her Master of Education degree in secondary and adult education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Steele held numerous positions within the Clark County School District (CCSD), including Director of Special Education Programs and Services. She designed CCSD's first individualized education program.