Mrs. Elaine Wynn

Elaine Pascal Wynn was born in New York City but later moved with her family to Florida, where she graduated from Miami Beach High School in 1960. After high school, she attended UCLA before transferring to George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She graduated from GWU in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

In 1963, she married Stephen Alan Wynn. Their first daughter, Kevyn, was born in 1966. The next year the family moved to Las Vegas - a town they knew was full of exciting opportunities and possibilities for both their business and their family. (And, boy, were they right about that!) Kevyn's sister, Gillian, came along in 1969, and the young Wynn family was complete.

For the next several years, Mrs. Wynn spent much of her time with her daughters. Like most mothers, she wanted to make sure her children grew up healthy, happy and well educated so they would not be limited in what they could choose to do as adults.

Although she was busy with her children, Mrs. Wynn still found time to serve as a leader in her community. She worked hard to see that Las Vegas provided plenty of educational and cultural opportunities for all who lived here. Over the years, she has offered her time and her heart to organizations like the UNLV Foundation, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Golden Nugget Scholarship Foundation, Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art and The Nevada Gaming Foundation for Educational Excellence.

She currently serves as a member of the Nevada Council to Establish Academic Standards - which is a fancy way of saying she's working with a group of other people who care very much about Nevada's kids and want to make sure they have the best schools, the best teachers and the best programs possible.

For the past several years, Mrs. Wynn has chaired the Greater Las Vegas Inner City Games. This program provides kids with fun activities like sports and art that help them channel all their energy in a positive way. She spends many Saturdays mixing paint, shooting free throws or dancing hip-hop with the Inner City Games kids.

In addition to all of her community activities, Mrs. Wynn had devoted lots of time and effort to helping develop the family business. She and Mr. Wynn started their hotel-casino company in 1973 with one little hotel in downtown Las Vegas called the Golden Nugget. Over the years, they have expanded their company and created some of our city's most well known spots - The Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio. Now they're working on plans for something new and exciting right in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip on property that was formerly the Desert Inn.

When she has free time, Mrs. Wynn loves to snow ski and watch basketball. She enjoys concerts and plays, especially musicals. She and Mr. Wynn collect art, and she particularly loves paintings by Paul Cezanne and Georges Seurat. But her very favorite thing to do is play with her grandchildren. (Like most families, the Wynn family has grown over the years).

One of the proudest moments of Mrs. Wynn's life was when Elaine Wynn Elementary School opened in the fall of 1990. She enjoys visiting the children there. She particularly likes watching them learn and grow and develop into fine young people who are ready to take on new challenges in their lives.

Mrs. Wynn wants for all children the same things she wants for her own children and grandchildren - limitless possibilities. She hopes they all understand that school is a wonderful place, that learning can be incredibly fun and that the more you know, the further you'll go. The sky's the limit!