Our
Nevada Day Parade grand marshals come from a variety of
backgrounds. The list includes well known entertainers,
Nevada political leaders, community leaders, Nevada Day
queens, and other interesting Nevadans. We have compiled
the following listing of individual who have served as grand marshal since 1950.
| Year |
Grand
Marshal |
Nevada Day Theme |
| 1950 |
Governor
Vail Pittman |
|
| 1951 |
Clark
Gable, movie star |
Echoes of
Silver Belles |
| 1952 |
Governor
Charles Russell, former newspaperman |
|
| 1953 |
Lieutenant
Governor Rex Bell |
|
| 1954 |
Cactus
Tom Cafferty, Reno TV figure |
|
| 1955 |
Fenton
Finegan Hamilton (12 year old polio victim) |
|
| 1956 |
Ivy
Baker Priest, U. S. Treasurer from Nevada Nevada Capitol Open House |
|
| 1957 |
Lieutenant
Governor Roy Powers of California |
Tribute to
Nevada Counties |
| 1958 |
Jim
Beardon, KOLO Kid/ Reno Carol Lee Scott, Miss Nevada Day/ Statewide Queen
Contest |
Nevada...from Trailways to
Freeways |
| 1959 |
Judge
Clark Guild, co-founder of Nevada Day |
Sports and
Recreation |
|
Top
|
Top
|
| 1960 |
McGuire
Sisters, internationally known singers |
Silver Gateway to
the Golden West |
| 1961 |
Forest
Hall, longtime Nevada Day Parade Chairman |
Pioneers Through the Years |
| 1962 |
George
Gobel, comic and movie star |
Sing a Song of
Silver |
| 1963 |
Cactus
Tom Cafferty, Reno TV figure |
Prelude to
Statehood |
| 1964 |
Loren
Greene and Michael Landon, stars of "Bonanza" |
Nevada's 100th
Birthday |
| 1965 |
Kathie
Blaikie, Miss Nevada, who placed in the national contest |
Future of Nevada |
| 1966 |
Sade
Grant, "The Spirit of Nevada Day" and Roberta Sharp, Miss
Carson City |
Ladies of Nevada |
| 1967 |
Vicki
Landeck, Miss Nevada and Miss Carson City |
Dedicated to Our Youth and Patriotism |
| 1968 |
Unknown |
The Rocket is Nevada's Space Project for Today
and for the Future |
| 1969 |
Fred
Waring and His Pennsylvanians |
1005 Years of
Entertainment |
|
Top
|
Top
|
| 1970 |
Norman
Brown, Pioneer Nevada Rancher, Smith Valley |
Recreation Unlimited |
| 1971 |
Judge
Clark Guild, co-founder of Nevada Day and founder
of Nevada State Museum |
Gentlemen of Nevada |
| 1972 |
Henry
M. Rupert, Nevada Indian Leader |
Nevada's Changing Times |
| 1973 |
William
Lear, Nevada air pioneer |
Nevada's Moving World |
| 1974 |
Sade
Grant, "The Spirit of Nevada Day" -
second appearance |
Nevada Salutes Her Cities |
| 1975 |
Ellis
Folsom, Ormsby Pioneer, postmaster, Legislator, Carson City |
The
State That Saved the Union |
| 1976 |
Governor
Charles Russell, former newspaperman |
A Time for Reflection |
| 1977 |
G.
W. "'Swede" Russell, Nevada Day Chairman five years and longtime
treasurer |
Imagination ‑ Promise of Our Future |
| 1978 |
Dr.
Fred Anderson, famed Nevada physician |
The
State for All Seasons |
| 1979 |
Dr.
Mary Fulstone, pioneer Nevada physician |
The Wonder of Nevada |
|
Top
|
Top
|
| 1980 |
Mrs.
Gae Gih Wah, pioneer central Nevada restaurant owner |
Nevada ‑ Its Magic |
| 1981 |
Benny
Binion, pioneer Las Vegas casino operator |
Silver Turns to Gold |
| 1982 |
Thomas
C. Wilson, co-founder of Nevada Day |
Committee honors Director Bill Dolan's "Pages from the Past |
| 1983 |
Donald
Bently, Douglas County industrial giant |
Nevada Salutes Its Industrial, Past and Present |
| 1984 |
Judi
Klindt, noted Carson City volunteer leader |
Nevada Honors Its Community Volunteers |
| 1985 |
Chris
H. Sheerin, Elko Free Press Publisher |
Nevada
Salutes State Parks Golden Jubilee |
| 1986 |
William
Swackhamer, longtime Nevada Secretary of State |
Land of Contrasts |
| 1987 |
Louise
Curran, Virginia City arts leader |
Nevada's Tribute to the Arts |
| 1988 |
Les
Groth, longtime Carson City Fire Chief |
Silver
Past and Golden Future |
| 1989 |
Robert
Laxalt, noted Nevada author |
125 Years of Progress |
|
Top
|
Top
|
| 1990 |
John
Ascuaga, Sparks casino owner |
126 Years of Entertainment |
| 1991 |
Ronnie
Johnson Family of Clowns |
Salute the Nevada Family |
| 1992 |
Sessions
"Buck" Wheeler, Nevada historian and Dr. James Billington, Library
of Congress head
|
Trails to the Past -
Networks to the Future |
| 1993 |
Bill
Farr, longtime Sparks Fire Chief and Legislator |
A Tribute to Nevada Firefighters |
| 1994 |
John
Tyson, Nevada historian and television reporter |
A Tribute to Nevada Railroads |
| 1995 |
John D
Winters, noted Nevada agriculturalist |
Tribute to Nevada Legends, featuring Hank Monk Pioneer Stage Driver |
| 1996 |
Judge
Mills Lane, Reno Jurist |
A Tribute to Sports |
| 1997 |
The
Gaylords, entertainers (Burt Holiday & Ron Gaylord |
Nevada, Land of Music |
| 1998 |
Hughie
Schoff, longtime Nevada tourism booster |
Blazing Trails into the Future |
| 1999 |
Patty
Sheehan, professional golfer |
Steaming into the Millennium |
| |
Top
|
Top
|
| 2000 |
Richard
Bryan, Nevada Senator |
Pioneering the new Millennium |
| 2001 |
Ed
Blanchard, Bill Dolan, Joe Foster, Mike Shaughnessy, and Jean Stokke, longtime Nevada Day Committee members |
Where The Past Meets the Future |
| 2002 |
Felix
Ike, Robert Quintero, Phil Swain, and Brian Wallace, Native American tribal
representatives |
Nevada is Indian Territory |
| 2003 |
Richard
Sorensen, 1944 Medal of Honor Winner |
A salute to our Veterans |
| 2004 |
Frank
Sinatra, Jr., Entertainer |
Entertainment Nevada Style |
| 2005 |
John Tyson, TV Personality, Author, Nevada Cowboy |
Nevada Day Presents the Wild West |
| 2006 |
Inyo Engine #
22 V & T Railroad |
Nevada Day meets the V & T Railway |
| 2007 |
George Knapp, TV Investigative
Reporter, AREA 51 authority |
Mysteries of
Nevada - AREA 51 |
| 2008 |
Kathryn Grant Crosby |
Hollywood in Nevada - Movies
and Television |
| 2009 |
Wally Earhart |
Nevada Salutes President Lincoln |