Almost everyone who has lived in Las Vegas for more than five years has heard of Manny Cortez, a four-term Clark County Commissioner and President and Chief Executive Officer for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for 13 years prior to his retirement in May of 2004.

It was not surprising, therefore, to see Las Vegas’ “movers and shakers” give high praise to Manny in newspaper interviews following the news of his untimely death. He knew them all and called many of them friends. As someone who knew Manny for over twenty years, I too would like to share some of my memories about this remarkable man.

My life first intersected with Manny’s in April of 1981, the month that I arrived in Las Vegas to become the Director of Planning & Evaluation for the Las Vegas/Clark County Consortium, the federally funded Job Training Program serving Southern Nevada. At the time, Manny was a County Commissioner and was also the Chairman of the Executive Board overseeing the Las Vegas/Clark County Consortium. In that role, I regularly came in contact with Manny and quickly grew to admire his unique talent for solving problems.

In early 1984, I informed Manny that I was in the process of writing several grants to obtain funding for a Bilingual Senior Center targeted to Hispanic persons. Manny told me to notify him when the grants were submitted and that he would lobby for their approval. As things turned out, with Manny’s support, and that of Ron Lurie and the late Al Levy, two City of Las Vegas Councilmen, LULAC Council #11081 received $450,000 from the County of Clark, the City of Las Vegas, and the Nevada Division on Aging, to construct the first Bilingual Multi-Purpose Senior Center in the State of Nevada. On May 5, 1984, LULAC Council #11081 held a formal ground breaking ceremony at the future site of the LULAC Multi-Purpose Bilingual Senior Center. Manny, of course, was there and gave an insightful speech about the cooperation that had occurred in order to build the center. Today the Senior Center is operated by the Latin Chamber of Commerce under the name of Manny’s good friend, the late architect, Arturo Cambeiro.

Later, when I went to work in the County Manager’s office as a Senior Management Analyst, I often worked closely with Manny. One example that I still remember fondly was helping to write a speech Manny gave at an international gaming conference held in Shannon, Ireland, in June of 1987. The speech went over so well that when he got back to Las Vegas, Manny came up to my office and thanked me for my assistance. In October of 1989, I left the County for the Clark County School District where I became the first full-time Diversity and Affirmative Action Officer. Manny supported me for that job by writing a wonderful letter and calling my future boss, Dr. Brian Cram. That was the type of stand up guy Manny was. If he liked you there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for you if you asked.

A few years later in 1991, I co-wrote a book with Dr. Melvin “Tony” Miranda, titled Hispanic Profiles in Nevada History: 1829 – 1991. Manny was one of five individuals that I profiled in Part II of the book titled “Contemporary Hispanic Profiles.” In the last paragraph of Manny’s profile, I wrote the following, which seems very appropriate following his death. It read, “Looking back on Manny Cortez’s life and career, one has to be impressed with the scope and breadth of his accomplishments. Without a doubt Manny Cortez left his mark on the Clark County we live in today. His name is enshrined on dedication plaques on many buildings constructed by votes of the Clark County Commission. Less visible but much more significant, Manny’s impact is felt everyday by Clark County residents as they drive on modern highways, drink safe water, flush their toilets, catch a plane at McCarran Airport, pull a slot machine handle, make a bet in a licensed casino, and sleep safely in local hotels protected by the strictest fire safety codes in the world. For all of these reasons, and many more, Manuel “Manny” Cortez has earned his place in Nevada’s history books.”

As much or more than any person in this city’s long history, Manny Cortez has left his mark on Las Vegas and for that he will never be forgotten. There was another less public side to Manny, however, one tied to his Latino roots. For Manny, that was a part of his life that held a special place in his heart until the day he died. In fact, on the Saturday before his death, Manny spent the morning attending a meeting of the “Breakfast Club,” which was formed in February of 2001 and is comprised of a small group of Hispanic friends that meet once a month on the first Saturday of the month.

On that last Saturday morning, Manny was in high spirits and he talked a lot about his daughter Catherine’s race for Nevada Attorney General and how good the race was going. He also had fun teasing his old friend, former casino executive, Tony Alamo, about Tony’s private jet. Tony, in turn, teased Manny about his “golden parachute” retirement package. We had some fun times at those breakfast meetings, talking about upcoming boxing matches, our favorite football and basketball teams, our vacations, local and national politics, local Hispanic issues, and always, about our respective families. It was and still is a totally stress free environment where good friends come together to share a few hours of quality time. Somehow, I don’t think it will be the same without Manny.

At his viewing services, I spoke to his wife, Joanna, and told her that I was a member of the “Breakfast Club” and she smiled and said “When Manny would go to your breakfast meetings he never called it the Breakfast Club. Instead, he would tell me ‘I’m going to see the Mexicans ‘and we would both laugh. I know that he enjoyed

going there.” Manny also had a long association with the Latin Chamber of Commerce and was a featured speaker at many of the Chamber’s famous monthly luncheons and annual banquets. Manny’s first speech was at a luncheon held at the Kung Fu Restaurant where his topic was “The Future of Clark County.” In 1986, Manny was awarded the “Outstanding Hispanic of the Year” Award by the Latin Chamber of Commerce. Like everyone who knew Manny, I’m going to miss him, and even though he lived a relatively long life, I still cannot shake this feeling that he died far too young. In remembering Manny, I will always remember how much he loved this city. He loved the deserts and the mountains, and the golf courses. He also loved the energy, excitement and creativity of the remarkable city that he helped to build. This was his home for over 60 years and he never wanted to be anywhere else, and now, he will be here forever - in the spring, summer, fall and winter - in the only place he called home. Rest well old friend, it was a true pleasure knowing you! – Tom Rodriguez