Thursday, July 1, 1999 | 11:23 a.m.
Helen Herr, the first woman elected to the Nevada Senate who fought ardently for social reforms and championed the rights of women, children and the elderly, has died. She was 91.
Herr, a longtime Las Vegas real estate broker who as a Democrat served 18 years in the Nevada legislature, died June 23 of heart failure at her home in Victorville, Calif., where she had lived the last two years. There were no services for the former Las Vegas resident of 49 years.
"There were so few of us women in the Legislature back then (in the 1960s) that we could have met in a phone booth," former Nevada Assemblywoman Eileen Brookman said.
"Helen worked hard to pass a lot of legislation dealing with social issues from seniors to children. She would do anything to help children. We worked together on legislation that made it mandatory for school-aged children to get shots to prevent the measles."
Brookman recalled that Herr was able to make considerable headway against a "good old boys" atmosphere in the Legislature.
"It was not easy being a woman in the Legislature in those days," she said. "We overcame a lot just to get bills drafted and out of committees."
Herr served in the Assembly from 1957-1961 and 1963-66. In 1966 she became the first woman elected to the state Senate and served three terms before losing in the 1976 primary.
In May 1993 Herr became the first and only woman senator to be inducted into the Nevada Senate Hall of Fame. During the induction ceremonies, Herr was remembered as being influential in areas of roads and transportation.
An elementary school in Las Vegas is named for Herr.
Ironically the defeat that ended Herr's legislative career was sparked by her opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, even though she was a feminist.
"I'm in favor of equality for women -- I've worked for it my whole life," Herr, the chairwoman of the state's Stop ERA movement, said in a 1976 Sun story. "But ERA would cause more problems than it would solve."
In September 1976 she placed fifth in the Democratic primary, as the top four advanced to the general election -- U.S. Senator-to-be Richard Bryan, longtime state Sen. Floyd Lamb, former Assembly Speaker Keith Ashworth and television executive William Hernstadt.
Two years later Herr was vindicated when Nevada voters soundly defeated the ERA on an advisory referendum question.
Lamb, who served as a Democratic senator from Lincoln County, said Herr helped him with his bill to put the state girls training center in Caliente. They also worked together on a bill to reduce the age of retirement by five years for police and firemen.
"She was a good friend," he said upon hearing of her death Wednesday.
Herr's other legislative victories included:
* Sponsorship of a 1973 bill that was passed mandating that women receive equal pay for equal work.
* Sponsorship of legislation that led to improved conditions in the state's prisons, including the establishment of a minimum-security facility.
* Sponsorship of a 1975 bill that required hair coverings for food handlers -- a law still in effect today.
* Sponsorship of a bill that was passed to increase monthly allowances for the blind.
In 1976 Herr was named the Catholic Welfare Humanitarian of the Year for her help with starting the Regina Hall facility for unwed mothers.
Former State Sen. John Foley called Herr: "A fine legislator who always had her constituents firmly in mind."
Former Assemblyman Norman "Ty" Hilbrecht remembered his friend as "one of the first feminists to serve on the Legislature," noting that she, "fought hard for social issues and issues that were important to many women."
Former two-term Nevada Gov. Mike O'Callaghan said: "Helen wasn't a flamboyant legislator, but she was effective both as a member of the Assembly and Senate. She developed the trading skills necessary to gain projects that benefited her constituents."
It was a single cause that launched Herr into the political spotlight in 1956 -- the controversial proposal to turn Boulder Highway into a freeway. Herr led the fight against the Nevada Highway Department's plan because she said it would ruin established businesses and neighborhoods along Boulder Highway.
Using that as the cornerstone of her campaign, Herr was elected to the Assembly in the fall of 1956. A short time later, Gov. Charles Russell nixed the Boulder Highway Freeway plan. Decades later, U.S. 95 was built as an alternative to Boulder Highway, connecting Las Vegas and Henderson.
Herr was born Helen Kolb on Aug. 3, 1907, in Fargo, N.D. Her parents were Conrad Kolb and the former Hilma Johnson.
Herr attended State Teachers College in Valley City, N.D. In 1984 the institution, renamed Valley City State College, made her just the 29th alumna in the school's 95-year history to receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Herr moved to Las Vegas from Los Angeles in 1948 after doctors recommended a drier climate for health reasons. In 1950 she obtained her real estate license and opened Helen Herr Realty, which she operated through the 1980s. It was located at 1330 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Her slogan was: "Specialist in Nevada acreage."
In the early 1980s Herr worked as a lobbyist for the Nevada Council of Senior Citizens where she continued to fight for the rights of the elderly.
At one time Herr was married to former Clark County Deputy Sheriff Joe Bartell. Herr had one child, Derri Bauer. The Victor Valley Funeral Home released just a partial list of survivors: A granddaughter, Cathleen Chow, of Las Vegas; and a nephew who lives in Victorville.
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