Thalia Dondero is most famous for being the first woman elected to the Clark County Commission. She ran her first successful campaign in 1974 and held office for twenty years. While on the commission, Dondero helped to create Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire state parks, to modernize McCarran International Airport and University Medical Center, and served on the Water Authority Board. She served as a member of the Board of Regents for the Nevada System of Higher Education for twelve years after retiring from the County Commission in 1994. Dondero died September 4, 2016 from complications from congestive heart failure. Thalia Marie Dondero was born January 23, 1920. Her father, Doyle Sperry, was a taxidermist and her mother, Sylvia Peck, was a violinist and worked in a laundry. She lived in both Colorado and Wyoming before her family settled in Bakersfield, California. Dondero moved to Las Vegas in 1943 when her employer took a job with Basic Magnesium, Inc. and requested that she follow him. On June 21, 1946 she married Harvey Dondero who taught English and journalism for local high schools,. The couple had two daughters and three sons together. Dondero was very active in her community. While her children were in school, she volunteered for the Parent Teacher Association and even served as the organization’s president. She was also very active with local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts troops in Las Vegas. She served as executive director of the girl scouts and was instrumental in creating the Foxtail Girl Scout Camp at Mount Charleston. Throughout her life, Dondero volunteered with a number of Las Vegas organizations, including the Junior League, the International Women’s Foundation, and the Gilcrease Foundation.

Leain Vashon educated his three children, taken care of any family medical challenge, purchased property, and lived the American Dream because of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. As a dedicated union man, he has volunteered as shop steward, committee member, organizer, volunteer organizer, and Vice President, an elected position. His children have walked picket lines since five and six years of age. They know the value of their father’s job and his activism in the labor movement. They know that they can be anything they desire. Vashon sees the future as: “The pension that we're going to have is going to be the best pension in the United States. The livable wage we have is going to be some of the highest. The healthcare that we have is going to be one of the best. We are going to insist on those things. We are not going to go backwards. We're not going to go anywhere. The jobs that we do inside the hotel are going to continue to carry dignity. We are going to continue to be the best workers and we are going to give the corporations and the hotels the best that we have to offer. We're going to be great workers. And by having great workers, you are going to have guests who are satisfied because that's the link, how satisfied your worker is and how satisfied your guest is. If every CEO up and down the Strip knew that our fights would be minimal. You take care of the worker; they'll take care of your guest, …and you're going to have the best thing that you can have, which is return guests.”