Lopez, Horacio, 1938-

Horacio Lopez was born on January 12, 1938, in Cordova, New Mexico to Elias and Cordelia Lopez. Lopez describes his hometown as self-sufficient and self-reliant and that his family grew their own food and raised livestock. His father only received a second-grade education and worked as a miner.

Lopez’s high school days were filled with athletics and pursuing the school’s cheerleaders. Upon graduation, Lopez decided that he wanted to enlist in the United States Navy, only to discover that his father had different plans for him. Accompanied by his father, Lopez traveled to New Mexico Highlands University to register for classes. Lopez would go on to attend the University of New Mexico and eventually realized his dream to serve in the military when he volunteered for the draft.

After leaving the military, Lopez arrived in Las Vegas in 1963 and went to work at the Nevada Testing Site. His brother Jimmy Lopez was a janitor at the test facility at the same time.

Lopez also stepped into roles with organizations that often advocated for disadvantaged individuals. He played a vital role in establishing organizations that help Latino business owners, such as N.A.L.A (Nevada Association for Latin Americans), the Latin Chamber of Commerce, Nevada Hispanic Business Roundtable, Nevada Minority Business Enterprise Coalition and the New Ventures Capital Development Company.

As Lopez continued to work in Las Vegas, he developed a close professional relationship with African American community leader, Bob Bailey. Under the mentorship of Bailey, Lopez was able to learn how to effectively help the Las Vegas Latino community.

After years of helping members of his community establish successful business in the Las Vegas Valley, Lopez decided to lead by example and began his own, The Southern Nevada Courier Service. The Southern Nevada Courier Service worked closely with the University Medical Center (UMC), transporting medical supplies to their destinations.