Theron and Naomi Goynes are longtime leaders in the North Las Vegas community and strong education advocates. We would now like to honor them by sharing a short biography of their lives and accomplishments.

Mr. Goynes was born on August 20, 1929 in Texarkana, Texas. His father was a contractor and his mother was a cashier at a local movie theater. He graduated from Dunbar High School in 1947. During his years of schooling, starting in 6th grade, he also worked as a handyman, following in his fathers’ footsteps. After graduation, he attended Prairie View A&M University in Texas, receiving a degree in business administration. Next, he went on to serve in the US Air Force. He is described as a proud man with a sharp sense of humor.

Mr. Goynes is a retired elementary school principal and remembers being "told" of his new school assignment during desegregation. He has also spent twenty years on the North Las Vegas City Council, twelve of them as Mayor Pro Tempore. He is said to be the first elected black person in Nevada history to head a government body. During his career in Clark County, Mr. Goynes served as a teacher, counselor, adult education coordinator, assistant principal and principal.

Naomi (Jackson) Goynes was born in Memphis, TN, and was a minister's daughter. Her first job was a maid, but she had dreams of attending college. Eventually those dreams were realized, and she attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff where she earned a degree in home economics.

Mrs. Goynes is also an inspirational educator serving as a kindergarten teacher, reading specialist, dean of students and junior high school assistant principal. She is described by her family as caring, loving, and determined.

In 1956, Theron and Naomi Goynes' paths crossed in Nashville, Arkansas where they were both young teachers. Theron had recently been discharged from the US Air Force, and Naomi had just graduated from college. By 1958 they were married, living in Los Angeles, and soon accepted positions with the Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs to teach on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona.

In 1964, they both signed teaching contracts with the Clark County School District and moved to Las Vegas with their young children. They have resided in North Las Vegas ever since. They now have three grown children and five grandchildren, and have spent decades serving the North Las Vegas community.

What an honor it is that our elementary school has been named for Theron and Naomi Goynes!