Nevada woman leaves legacy in history project

Editor's note: In honor of Women's History Month, the Nevada Appeal will run a biography, provided by the State Library and Archives, each day this month featuring a woman who made a difference in Nevada.

The first, Jean Ford, began the Women's History Project, which is hosting a display this month in the Joseph Anderson Art Gallery at the Nevada State Library and Archives.

For more information on the project, see today's entertainment section on page C1.

Look for more bios daily on page C2 of the Appeal.

Jean Ford was a wife, mother and homemaker when she arrived in Nevada without fanfare in 1962. Raised to fill a traditional woman's role, Ford expected nothing more than to find a home where her husband could work as a dermatologist, her daughters could attend school, and she could enjoy a community of friends and neighbors. Fortunately for Nevada, Ford adopted her new state with open arms. First, she explored it from the Strip in Las Vegas to the backroads of ghost towns, ranches, mines and wilderness areas. She camped and hiked with her family, and she grew to love everything about Nevada from its scenic desert vistas to its wildflowers.

Next, Ford became involved in discovering Nevada. She saw things that needed to be improved, so she volunteered to help with projects such as preserving Red Rock Canyon as a park and creating the Clark County Library.

From volunteer and citizen activist, Ford quickly moved into the Nevada Legislature, serving first in the Assembly (1972-76) and then in the Senate (1978-82). (Between those two legislative terms, she earned a master's degree in public administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.) Improving the legislative system intrigued Ford, and she fought for openness in government.

She supported the Equal Rights Amendment, and after that was defeated, she helped introduce a variety of bills to eliminate discrimination based on sex and to create services for women. Those were just a few of the issues she addressed while serving in the Legislature, and her interest in Nevada did not end with her final senate term.

Following her days in the Legislature, Ford continued traveling throughout the state and serving Nevada in many capacities from public servant and private entrepreneur to educator. Her list of accomplishments includes:

• Director of community relations for the Clark County Library, 1979-1980;

• Owner of a consulting business and co-owner of Nevada Discovery Tours, 1981-1986;

• Appointed by Gov, Richard Bryan to the first Nevada Commission on Tourism and Economic Development in 1983

• Director of Nevada Office of Community Services, 1985-89.

In 1991, Ford temporarily filled the position of director of the Women's Studies Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. When she discovered a lack of information on Nevada women, Ford proposed a statewide campaign to create the Nevada Women's Archives, at the Special Collections Department of the University of Nevada, Reno library. She completed the bibliography to the collection before she died.

Through this work, she became immersed in recovering Nevada women's history, and she discovered many with like interests. By February 1996, Ford had co-founded the Nevada Women's History Project (NWHP), a private, nonprofit organization under the umbrella of the Nevada Women's Fund. NWHP was designed to gather and disseminate information about the roles, accomplishments, and activities of Nevada women from every race, class, and ethnic background who contributed in shaping the state's destiny.

Ford started her life in Nevada as wife, mother and homemaker. Over the years, she expanded her roles to include citizen activist, legislator, businesswoman, public figure, educator, mentor, and role model.

Her oral history recounts her developing leadership skills and is part of her legacy to Nevada. It is available at the University of Nevada Oral History Program (UNOHP) in Reno, the University libraries in Reno and Las Vegas, and in all Nevada libraries. Copies can be purchased by calling UNOHP at (775) 784-6932.

- Biographical sketch by

Victoria Ford

Imogene (Jean) Evelyn Young Ford

Born: Dec. 28, 1929, Miami, Okla. (raised in Joplin, Mo.)

Died: Aug. 26, 1998, Carson City

Maiden name: Imogene Evelyn Young

Race/nationality/ethnic background: White

Married: Sam Ford, April 5, 1955; divorced 1977.

Children: Daughters Janet Lynn and Carla Marie.

Primary county and city of residence and work: Clark County, Las Vegas; Washoe County, Reno; Carson City.

Major fields of work: Community activism, government (legislator), business (tour travel), education, research and preservation (Nevada Women's History Project).

Other role identities: Mentor, role model.