Mayor Goodman Dedicates Marilyn Gillespie Way in Honor of Las Vegas Natural History Museum Founder, Marilyn Gillespie

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The road leading from North Las Vegas Blvd., past the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, to Heritage Park was dedicated by Mayor Goodman on June 23 in honor of Marilyn Gillespie, founder and retired executive director of the Museum. Gillespie retired in 2021 as one of Southern Nevada's longest-serving museum directors.

From left to right: Mayor Goodman, City of Las Vegas; Marilyn Gillespie, Founder and Retired Executive Director; Laurie Thomas, Co-Executive Director of the Museum (Courtesy of the Las Vegas Natural History Museum)

A resident of Las Vegas since 1988, Gillespie played a key role in lobbying the city of Las Vegas for a facility to house a new natural history museum for the community. After starting with no public funds, collections, or financial assets, the Museum is now a Smithsonian Affiliate, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, and an educational resource that encompasses a working paleontology lab, a state and federal collections repository for paleontological and archaeological materials, a meteorite repository for the International Meteoritics and Planetary Science Society, and galleries with content ranging from Ancient Egypt and dinosaurs to marine life.

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