Deskin, Ruthe, 1916-2004

Ruthe Deskin was a journalist and an activist for youth causes in Southern Nevada. Deskin was born on February 20, 1916 in Yerington, Nevada and studied journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. After graduating, she became the women's editor of the Reno Evening Gazette. In 1948, she moved to Las Vegas and subsequently worked for the KENO talk radio station for four years. In 1954, Nevada journalist Hank Greenspun hired Deskin to work as his personal assistant at the Las Vegas Sun, a position she held for almost fifty years. In addition to her administrative duties, she was also a writer, regularly publishing a column called "Back and Forth." Her columns often championed rights of women, children, and seniors. She was elected President of the Las Vegas Press Club in 1954, and would later go on to become the Nevada State Press Association President.

Deskin received numerous awards and honors for her work in journalism and the Nevada community, including the "Woman of the Year" from the Nevada Women's Political Caucus; the Silver Makeup Rule award from the Nevada Press Association in 1984; the "Woman of Achievement Award" from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce in 1987; having the Las Vegas city council, county commissioners, and governor of Nevada proclaim a "Ruthe Deskin Day" on October 12, 1980; being memorialized by both the Nevada State Legislature (1989) and Congressional Record (1984); having Ruthe Deskin Elementary School dedicated to her in 1989; and being elected to the Nevada Journalism Hall of Fame in 1998.

She also served on several boards dedicated to helping young people, such as the Clark County Juvenile Welfare Advisory Board, American Cancer Society, Westcare Board, Clark County Juvenile Probation Committee, the Spring Mountain Youth Camp Advisory Board and was the director of the Sun Youth Forum and the Sun Camp Fund.

Ruthe Deskin died in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 14, 2004.