Name — Scenic Nevada Heroe

LeRoy Pendleton

On a beautiful sloping hillside in southwest Reno, you can find a commemorative plaque attached to a boulder. Next to the boulder is a bench that allows any passerby to sit and enjoy a magnificent view facing south towards the Sierras. By reading the plaque mounted on the boulder, you can also see the difference that one person can make.

LeRoy Pendleton's generous donation of eleven and a half acres of land, designated to remain open space, is an excellent example of why Scenic Nevada established its Hero's Award Program. Through the years, Scenic Nevada has had the opportunity, as well as the honor, to recognize a number of unusually gifted, uniquely talented individuals from Northern Nevada.

LeRoy had promised his wife Joyce that the land they had purchased and enjoyed together for so many wonderful years would never be built upon. After losing his wife of 49 years and 2 days, LeRoy knew it was time to find a way to fulfill his promise to Joyce. On the advice of a friend, LeRoy contacted the Nevada Land Conservancy, which is Nevada's homegrown land trust dedicated to preserving special places and open spaces. Sixteen months later, the necessary details and arrangements were in place and on June 29, 2007 the property was officially handed over to the City of Reno. A ceremony was held with LeRoy, Mayor Bob Cashell, representatives of the City of Reno along with many friends and neighbors of Joyce and LeRoy Pendleton in attendance. The property, donated in honor of LeRoy's wife, Joyce, is located west of Cashill Boulevard and south of San Mateo Drive.

Born in 1920 in Petaluma, California, LeRoy spent his formative years in the north San Francisco Bay area. Serving his country by helping to build ships and submarines in World War II, LeRoy also participated in developing a new technology of the time known as Radar.

While teaching electronics at Mare Island he met his future wife, Joyce. Both LeRoy and Joyce had been previously married and both had lost their spouses to devastating illnesses. LeRoy's earlier marriage produced a son who currently lives in Petaluma.

After coming to Reno in 1956 to get married, LeRoy chose to accept a job in the Truckee Meadows as an electronic engineer for Nevada Air Products. Eventually starting his own company LeRoy worked in a number of fields including building auxiliary projectors for planetariums and maintaining surgical equipment based on electro-surgical techniques.

Retiring in 1984 at the age of 64, LeRoy and Joyce continued to pursue their many interests including a love of animals, art and nature. With Joyce's passing in 2005, LeRoy finds much comfort from his friend of 25 years, Smokey. Smokey is an African parrot with quite a vocabulary.

LeRoy continues to be an inspiration to those that have the pleasure of knowing him and his gift to our community will resonate for many years to come.

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