Nearly two dozen leaders to be honored at Historic Westside park
Twenty-three leaders and icons revered in west Las Vegas were named Tuesday as this year’s slate of honorees to be enshrined at the Historic Westside Legacy Park, which opened in December to lionize significant contributors to the historically Black neighborhood.
The honorees include lawmakers, activists, educators and other community pioneers.
Among them: the late Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson; civil rights activists Ida Gaines and Rev. Donald Clark; longtime educators Dr. Beverly Mathis and Claude and Stella Parson; former Assemblyman and educator Harvey Munford; Roosevelt Toston, the first Black news anchor in Las Vegas; former Clark County School District board president Linda Young; and Q.B. Bush, who was a craps dealer at the city’s first interracial casino, the Moulin Rouge.
The list also includes: Eugene Collins; Louis Conner, Sr.; Cranford Crawford, Jr.; John Edmond; Marzette Lewis; William McCurdy, Sr.; Henry J. Moore, Sr.; Dr. Anthony and Diane Pollard; Eva Simmons; Dr. Lonnie Sisson; and David and Marcia Washington.
“The honorees added to the Historic Westside Legacy Park fought righteously for the social and economic benefit of our community,” county Commissioner William McCurdy said in a statement. “This transformative park will memorialize these change agents and preserve their legacies for future generations.” The commissioner’s father, a longtime Las Vegas politico, is on the list.
The $3.2 million park is a joint project between the city of Las Vegas and the county. Thirty-six nominees were honored in 2021, and officials have said the plan is to add new names every year.
Located at 1600 Mount Mariah Dr., near West Lake Mead and Martin Luther King boulevards, the park is modeled in a mid-century modern style and features a timeline of the Historic Westside as well as an interpretive walking trail, a playground and public artwork.
“The park is a beautiful place where people can stroll and experience the history of the Westside and remember all who have paved the way for future generations in the community,” said Las Vegas Councilman Cedric Crear in a statement.
Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.