Vintage VegaseeeeeeeONE GOOD DEED DESERVES ANOTHEReeeeeeeeeeeeee

My mother, Elizabeth Adams, and her parents, Rose and Ernest "Pop" Adams, came to Las Vegas in 1915. My grandfather was the storekeeper for the Union Pacific Railroad and a member of the Elks. My mother worked in the Union Pacific office.

When my mother married my father, Daniel Hartwell, they moved to 400 E. Bonneville Ave. My father owned a sheet metal shop on Main Street, where he built the windmill for the El Rancho Vegas Hotel. He also built the red, white and blue-striped Union Pacific sign on the old train depot.

My folks moved to Utah around 1944, but came back to Las Vegas in 1947, two months after I was born. They purchased a lot two blocks west of Highland Drive near the Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital on Hastings Avenue.

Our neighbors were Buck Blaine, who was involved with a hotel downtown, and the Hobans, who were involved in hotels on the Strip.

Blaine's house faced Charleston Boulevard, but his back yard was a pasture for horses. The Blaines had huge parties around the pool in their back yard.

Julius "Shorty" DeBrinck and his wife, Irene, were longtime residents of Las Vegas and very good family friends. Shorty worked as the crane operator for the Union Pacific. He was also on the first volunteer fire department and marched in the first Helldorado parade. When Boulder Dam was dedicated, Shorty was deputized Special Police No. 24 for crowd control. I have his fire department and special police badges.

My father helped build Helldorado floats for many organizations, such as the Lions, Elks and some of the schools. I would sit in the stands during Helldorado Days and watch the Old Timers' Parade, then the Kids' Parade and the Beauty Parade --- many days of fun.

My friends and I used to walk to Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital for ice cream cones. The area was very rural and quiet.

When I was 16 years old, I learned to drive on the parking lot of the racetrack where the Las Vegas Hilton is today.

The train depot was an interesting place to visit. We would walk around Circle Park waiting for relatives to come in on the train. Just watching the train come down that long straight track was fascinating. Then, there was all the hustle and bustle as people detrained and luggage was unloaded. We stayed to watch other people get on board to travel to far-off destinations, waving goodbye to friends and family. I loved listening to the train whistles.

I remember going with my parents to the post office downtown and sitting on the front steps waiting for them to come out. Las Vegas was a small town then, and many people passing by would greet me by saying, "Hi." They knew who I was.

I began kindergarten at Fifth Street School. Then, when West Charleston opened, I started first grade there. I attended Hyde Park Junior High when it opened, then moved to Western High School, where I graduated in 1965. This year, I began my 35th year as an art specialist at Ward Elementary School. I am proud to be a product of the Clark County School District.

When I noticed your solicitation requesting identification of very special people among us, one particular person came to mind. Her dedication to service and to others are well known to hundreds of locals. The person I would like to honor is a local elementary school principal named Dr. Linda Griffith. She is presently the principal of Richard C. Priest Elementary School.

I have known Dr. Griffith for about 30 years and that happened when we were painting my son's condominium on Sunday afternoon, something she had volunteered for.

I learned that she was a reading teacher at a local sixth-grade center. I later learned she had worked in that setting because she felt she could be of more service there. She was later promoted to principal and successfully served for many years in that capacity at two different elementary schools.

Like many career educators, she decided that with her experience she could better serve her community if given the opportunity to open a new school. Her request was granted.

During the year that a principal is given to plan her school, she carefully selected a state-of-the-art faculty whose dedication and hard work made the building so attractive it became one for other new schools to try to emulate. Her work ethic was such that she led by example, and anything she would ask anyone to do she would do, as well.

Her philosophy of trying to make the school day the most pleasant time of the child's day has been achieved and virtually every student loves the school. Her school isn't in a prestigious neighborhood attended by wealthy students, it is a true rainbow, with students from different ethnic backgrounds attending harmoniously. The staff regularly goes above and beyond the call of duty, creating special opportunities for students. She had done her part in creating a truly integrated facility.

Dr. Griffith's dedication and her concern for others certainly qualify her for special recognition.