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Washoe County

Raffealli, Sandy

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Sandy Raffealli
Sandy Raffealli is Owner/Partner in Bill Pearce Motors, Inc. in Reno, but came to that position in a round-about manner.  As a young girl the family moved frequently as her father’s positions in the auto industry took him to many states.  Finally settling in Reno, her father, Bill Pearce, was hired at the Waldren Motors Oldsmobile dealership, which he later purchased. Sandy graduated from the...
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Lynch, Patricia A.

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Patricia A. Lynch
Reno native, Judge Patricia Lynch, graduated  from the University of Nevada, Reno and then entered McGeorge School of Law as one of 5 women in her class of 200.  Her career started as a VISTA attorney, and then a legislative assistant in Washington D.C. for Congressman John Moss from Sacramento, Calif.  Patricia came back to Nevada and was hired as the first female city attorney in Reno’s Cit...
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Gibbons, Dawn

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Dawn Gibbons
Dawn Gibbons, Nevada’s 28th First Lady, former State Assemblyman, and successful business owner, has led an interesting life.  Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Dawn moved to Nevada in 1974.  She worked for her mother and stepfather in their wedding chapel businesses and graduated from UNR.  At the age of 28 in 1982 she purchased the business from her parents. She married Jim Gibbons i...
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Del Cohen, Shayne

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Shayne Del Cohen
Shayne Del Cohen first came to Nevada as VISTA volunteer with the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada.  Her interest in community development caused her to go all over the world looking at such efforts but most of her professional life has been spent with various minority populations across the USA. Shayne helped create the first tribally owned/controlled health center at the RSIC and work...
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Bufkin, Marjean Huddleston

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Marjean Huddleston Bufkin
Decatur, Mississippi native, Marjean Huddleston Bufkin describes her family’s three room home as having no electric lights, running water, or refrigerator, and a wood stove was used for cooking and heating. Transportation consisted of walking or a wagon.  The first vehicle, a truck, was purchased when she was 10.  Although the family of nine lived in poverty, she related that on their small f...
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Armstrong, Deborah Bufkin

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Deborah Bufkin Armstrong
Washoe County native, Deborah Bufkin Armstrong, graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in psychology. She first began in social work, gravitating to the Committee to Aid Abused Women, where she found her passion, and which she considers her greatest achievement in working with women and children in abuse situations.  She founded a non-profit program called “Safe Embr...
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Zajick, Dolora – Reno, Washoe

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Dolora Zajick
Born in Salem, Oreg., but raised in Nevada, Delora has attained a stellar career at the international level in opera.  She is known, worldwide, for her dramatic mezzo-soprano voice. After receiving both undergraduate and master’s degrees from UNR, Dolora went on to attend the Manhattan School of Music.  In 1982 she won the Bronze Medal at the 7th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. I...
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Weber, Dorismae – Reno, Washoe

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Dorismae Weber
Born in Chicago. Ill. in 1929 at the start of the Depression, an interesting facet in Doris’ life was playing professional baseball for the Parichy Bloomer Girls baseball team; one of six professional women’s baseball teams that played in the Chicago centered National Girls Softball League (1944-1954). At the end of that “career,” she headed west to San Francisco, eventually finding work with the...
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Moon, Jane – Reno, Washoe

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Jane Moon
Jane was born in New York City where, in 1952, she married William Moon.  A member of the armed forces at that time, he was soon transferred to San Francisco, Cal.  Their children were born in San Francisco. William, became a manager of Schwabacher Fray in 1969 and was transferred to Reno, Nev.   Jane joined local organizations such as the Reno-Sparks NAACP, Eastern Star, Reno Soroptimists, and t...
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Loper, Diane – Reno, Washoe

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Diane Loper
Diane, an early activist in the domestic violence movement, says she has always been involved in human issues. She was born in Montana but came to Nevada in 1967 when husband, Keith was hired as the UNR wrestling and assistant football coach. She has been a driving force behind the enactment of much Nevada legislation concerning domestic violence and other women’s and social issues. Diane was a f...
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Bernard, Carolyn – Reno, Washoe

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Carolyn Bernard
Carolyn Bernard was born in Yerington and is proud of her 4th generation Nevada Heritage. As a stay at home mom until her children were of school age, Carolyn said that her first real job outside the home, was volunteering to help her uncle, Wilson McGowan, in his successful campaign to become Nevada State Controller.  She then became increasingly active in community organizations. She w...
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Rodriguez-Wilson, Isabelle – Reno, Washoe

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Isabelle Rodriguez Wilson
Isabelle is a California native who has enjoyed a fascinating career. From 1993 to 1995, Isabelle served as Senior Advisor to President Bill Clinton directing details associated with domestic and international event, activities, travel, and protocol for both the President and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.  She produced and directed Washington, DC’s “Million Mom March” in 2000, as well a...
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Williams, Joan (Sister Joan) – Reno, Washoe

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Joan Williams (Sister Joan)
Kentucky born Joan Williams, moved to Cincinnati, Ohio as a young girl after the death of her mother. The effects of WWII had a great influence in her life as, “it just made life more serious.” She found a book on Teresa of Avila in her boarding school library, and from that time on, she knew she would become a Carmelite contemplative nun. Sr. Joan entered the Carmelite Monastery of the Resurrect...
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Wagner, Sue – Reno, Washoe

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Sue Wagner
Maine native, Sue Wagner moved to Arizona with her family at age 10. Sue said that her family had always been politically oriented; her father serving as a Maine State Chairman of the Republican Party. She graduated high school in Tucson and went on to graduate from the University of Arizona. She received her master’s degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Sue, husband, and in...
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Tors, Jane – Reno, Washoe

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Jane Tors
As Director of Research Communications at the University of Nevada, Reno, Jane Tors contributes her considerable skills to the University’s enhanced reputation and capacity as a high-impact research university. Jane was born and raised in Lovelock, Nevada and earned a Bachelor of Journalism Degree from University of Nevada Reno. Before her present position, Jane served as the University’s Directo...
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Thornton, Barbara – Reno, Nevada

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Barbara Thornton
Tonopah native, Barbara Cavanaugh was attending high school in San Francisco when she received word that her home in Tonopah had burned to the ground. Her parents moved to Reno where Barbara graduated from the University of Nevada Reno with a bachelor’s degree and a then a master’s degree in Political Science. Now married, Barbara headed off to the University of Utah with her youngest child in to...
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Suenaga, Florence – Carson City, Carson City

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Florence Suenaga
Florence was the thirteen-year-old daughter of Japanese immigrant parents living a typical American life at the start of WWII. Shortly after December 7, 1941, the family was uprooted from their Gilroy, California farm, taken to the local fairgrounds and then transported to a Japanese Internment camp in Poston, Arizona. Florence’s detailed story of WWII internment replicates the experiences of so ...
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Satre, Jennifer – Reno, Washoe

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Jennifer Satre
Jennifer first moved to Reno from California in 1975. Her record of community service in Reno was interrupted by a nine-year hiatus as a resident of Memphis, Tennessee in 1991, where she served on many committees and boards in that city. Returning to Reno in 1999, Jennifer quickly resumed her community involvement. Some of her many activities include, founding board member and former Chair of the...
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Mullins, Bertha – Reno, Washoe

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Bertha Mullins
Bertha Mullins’ father brought his family to Nevada where he found work at the Hawthorne Army Depot during WWII.  The family, then moved to Reno where she attended local schools and graduated from University of Nevada Reno. Bertha helped develop and implemented a community health center for low income and disadvantaged families in northeast Reno, as well as designed and implemented a podiatry cli...
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Fox, Ada (Sister Michael Fox) – Reno, Washoe

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Ada Fox (Sister Michael Fox)
Sister Michael entered the Carmelite Monastery of the Resurrection in Indianapolis, Indiana and transferred to Nevada in 1956 to help in the building of the Carmel of Reno Order, which had been established just two years before. Although she intended to stay just one year, now more than sixty years later she is still here. Sister Michael is blessed with a wonderful artistic talent and is the ...
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Cafferata, Patricia – Reno, Washoe

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Educator, State Legislator, attorney, State Treasurer, and author of numerous Nevada books and articles, Patty has had a diverse career in law and politics. She was the first woman elected to a constitutional office in Nevada when she was elected State Treasurer in 1982. Patty is a lifelong resident of Reno and is active in recording and preserving the history of Nevada. Patty Cafferata...
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Batjer, Marybel – Reno, Washoe

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Carson City native, Marybel’s job experiences have taken her to Washington DC and California, as well as Nevada. She has held Pentagon and White House positions in both the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. Marybel has worked for 3 Governors; Nevada’s Kenny Guinn, and California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown. She also served as former Vice President of Public Policy and Corp...
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Atcheson, Lynn – Reno, Washoe

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Through her community leadership and professional achievements, Lynn has contributed to the health and vitality of the Truckee Meadows and Washoe County for many years. A native Nevadan, born in White Pine County, Lynn has spent most of her of her adult life in Reno. She has held leadership positions with Sierra Pacific Power Co. (now Nevada Energy), Harrah’s, as Director of Public Affairs, and ...
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Adin, Lucille – Sparks, Washoe

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Lucille Adin, Washoe County
A native of South Carolina, Lucille and her husband came to Nevada in 1962. A stay-at-home mom with her small children, Lucille, nevertheless, found she was always volunteering at her children’s schools. Volunteering was still a part of Lucille’s life even as she worked full-time for Washoe County School District when her children were older. After her retirement she became even more active...
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