Parks
Ethel Pearson Park
West Washington Avenue & "D" Street
Ethel Pearson has been a long-standing member of the West Las Vegas community. In 1955 she was honored with the creation of this park in the community. The park was designated as a children's park on July 12, 1999.
Fitzgerald Tot Lot
"H" Street & Monroe Street
H.P. Fitzgerald came to Nevada from Virginia in 1940. After graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1960, he had a career as a teacher and school administrator. In 1956, he became the principal of Kit Carson School, making him the first black school administrator in Nevada. He was also the principal of Jo Mackay School from 1961-1972. Mr. Fitzgerald was active in many community organizations. He passed away in 1965 and in 1983, Governor Richard Bryan named August 28th as H.P. Fitzgerald Recognition Day.
James Gay III Park
Morgan Avenue & "B" Street
Mr. James A. Gay III was Nevada's first black mortician. He began as an employee of Palm Mortuary in 1957 and retired in 1984. He held important positions in several casinos, including positions as the Recreation Center Director at the Aladdin Hotel and Assistant General Manager at the Union Plaza Hotel.[Lubertha Johnson's oral history states that he was the Asst. Personnel Director at the Sands from 1952-1970.] Mr. Gay was active in many community organizations including a long-term membership in the local NAACP chapter and presidency of the Fordyce Club.
Lubertha Johnson Park
Balzar & Concord Street
Lubertha Johnson arrived in Las Vegas from Mississippi in 1943 with her mother and father. Her family owned a 24-acre ranch in Paradise Valley. She was employed as the Recreation Director of the Carver Park Housing Project in Henderson, Nevada. She later worked for the Las Vegas Housing Authority, and was instrumental in opening the Marble Manor, Las Vegas' first public housing project, in 1952. During the 1950s and 1960s, she worked in the nursing field. Ms. Johnson was involved in many community activities: president of the local NAACP chapter and one of the signatories to the Consent Decree ending employment discrimination in the Las Vegas hotel and casino industry.
Schools
H.P. Fitzgerald Elementary
2651 Revere Street
H.P. Fitzgerald came to Nevada from Virginia in 1940. After graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1960, he had a career as a teacher and school administrator. In 1956, he became the principal of Kit Carson School, making him the first black school administrator in Nevada. He was also the principal of Jo Mackay School from 1961-1972.
Addeliar Guy Elementary School
4029 La Madre
Addeliar Guy moved to Nevada in 1967 and became the first black Chief Deputy District Attorney for Las Vegas. In 1975 he was appointed to the Eighth Judicial District Court by Governor Mike O'Callaghan where he served for over 20 years on the bench. He received numerous awards, including an award as a Distinguished Nevadan and he served on the Las Vegas Housing Authority. His name graces the A. D. Guy Club which opened in 1990. (In 1997 this youth center partnered with the City of Las Vegas and the Boys & Girls Clubs to establish a West Las Vegas Club at 800 N. Martin Luther King Blvd., officially known as the Andre Agassi Unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas.) He has also been honored with the naming of the Veteran's Administration Addeliar D. Guy III VA Ambulatory Care Center at 1700 Vegas Drive in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mabel Hoggard Math and Science Magnet School
950 N. Tonopah Drive
Mabel Hoggard has had a long and distinguished career in education as one of Nevada's earliest Black teachers. In a tribute on June 15, 1989, Mrs. Hoggard was honored by the United States House of Representatives, Hon. James H. Bilbray of Nevada: 135 Cong. Rec. 80.
James McMillan Elementary School
700 Walt Lott Drive
Dr. James McMillan was the first black dentist licensed by the state of Nevada. He had a long career in West Las Vegas spanning over 40 years. He participated in numerous community organizations. Highlights were: two terms as president of the local NAACP chapter, the inceptions of the State of Nevada and the City of Las Vegas Equal Rights Commission, and election to the Clark County School District from 1992-1996.
Joseph Neal Elementary School
6651 West. Azure Avenue
Joseph "Joe" Neal has been a State Senator in Nevada's legislature since 1973. Active in Clark County charities and chairing the Clark County Economic Opportunity Board, he has also received several awards, including the Lovejoy Award from the Elks Grand Lodge.
Charles I. West, Jr. Middle School
2050 Sapphire Stone
Dr. West was the first black physician admitted to practice in Nevada and the first black surgeon on the staff of Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital (now the University Medical Center). In the 1950s he was the founder and publisher of the Las Vegas Voice, now known as the Las Vegas Sentinel-Voice.
