Lyle Rivera died recently. His story is worth telling, and so is a bigger story he was part of.
Like me, Lyle was born elsewhere but only really remembered Las Vegas. His family moved here when he was two, in 1944. His father worked for decades in gaming. Lyle Rivera graduated from Las Vegas High School, then earned a history degree at the university in Reno and his law degree at the University of Utah. He came back to Las Vegas and worked for the Clark County district attorney, then as a deputy attorney general for the two terms served by my predecessor there, Bob List. Then Rivera became chief development officer for UNLV and assistant general counsel for the state higher education system. He became vice president for the UNLV Foundation in 1984 and held that job until 1995. He did everything from helping found the International Association of Gaming Attorneys and the William S. Boyd School of Law to bringing legendary UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian the National Finals Rodeo to Las Vegas. He was active in the community, and loved this community. And living here for 80 years, he became part of the fabric of this community.
But that fabric was even greater than you may realize if you just knew about Lyle, and even if you know his wife Mary Ann. Her family had quite a history, too. Her father, R. Julian Moore, came to Las Vegas in 1937. He became an executive with Basic Magnesium after World War II, and was heavily involved in converting the plant to an industrial complex. It became an important economic driver for southern Nevada, and especially the city of Henderson. He also developed apartment complexes around the valley. He became one of the original directors of the Showboat Hotel, which was the first locals-oriented property here. He was a director with the Bank of Las Vegas and became chairman of Frontier Savings.
His wife was Frances Moore. She was born in Las Vegas in 1916, and did a lot for the community. She helped found the Service League, now the Junior League, which has done numerous good works. She also helped start the Home of the Good Shepherd, which helps troubled youth.
Her maiden name was McNamee. That takes us back farther and deeper. Her mother was also named Frances. Her father was Leo McNamee, a longtime attorney for the Union Pacific Railroad. He started coming to Las Vegas to represent its interests once he passed the bar, and became a pillar of the legal community. His other children included two other lawyers, John and Joe. Leo’s brother Luke practiced law with him, as did the youngest brother, Frank, who became a district judge and then a Nevada Supreme Court justice.
Frank was a junior. His and Leo’s father, Frank McNamee, Senior, came to Eureka, Nevada, in the 1880s. He eventually moved to Lincoln County and practiced law there, frequently coming to Las Vegas on the Union Pacific’s behalf until his death in 1933.
From the McNamees to the Moores to the Riveras. Lyle Rivera continued his family’s tradition of service, and became part of a bigger family with that tradition. And as with so many aspects of history, there was his important story, and then there was more.