LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Household, pals, and neighborhood members gathered at Polly Gonzalez Memorial Park to have fun Nevada’s first Latina night information anchor’s life and legacy, 20 years after her passing.
Polly Gonzalez was a trailblazing information anchor and beloved member of the Las Vegas neighborhood. She began her profession in 1994 and have become the first-ever Latina information anchor in Nevada.
“She loved the community obviously, but she was always going to schools talking to kids,” Gonzalez’s sister, Linda Gonzalez, mentioned.
Gonzalez was born and raised in San Jose, California, the place she was the primary member of her household to attend school.
Outdoors of her award-winning work, Gonzalez had a ardour for molding the following technology of journalists. She spent a lot of her time mentoring younger Hispanic college students who have been considering a profession in journalism.
“When she would come to our school to visit and mentor the students there was nothing but positive things to say, about her,” mentioned Mike Bashay, Principal of Knudson Academy of the Arts.
On March 28, 2005, Gonzalez’s life was minimize quick in a automotive accident whereas driving together with her daughters who survived the crash close to the California-Nevada border. The information of her passing shocked the neighborhood and left a void that continues to be felt.
“The things that she has done they weren’t for her. They were for the kids, for the people and the parents. She was somebody you could look at as a positive influence,” Linda Gonzalez mentioned.
Within the years since her passing, Gonzalez’s legacy has lived on by way of scholarships, mentorship packages, and the numerous lives she touched throughout her profession. The Nevada Broadcasters Affiliation and Basis established a scholarship in her identify.
A everlasting plaque honoring Gonzalez shall be positioned on the park within the coming weeks.
