Nancy Gomes

Nancy Gomes was born in Nevada in 1926. She received a B.A. from the University of Nevada in 1948 and studied social service administration at the University of Chicago graduate school.

Ms. Gomes worked as a social worker for the State of Nevada and Catholic Welfare agency and as a welfare consultant. From 1967-1968 she founded and directed the Foster Grandparent Program in Reno, and was deputy director of the Washoe County Office of Economic Opportunity from 1968-1970. She initiated and lobbied for state legislation on public assistance, child welfare, adoption reform, and the initial Nevada Juvenile Code; and was the author of publications on those issues.

Ms. Gomes was a member of the Washoe County School Board from 1972-1976. Beginning in 1973 she served as the treasurer of the State Democratic Party Central Committee. In 1976 she ran and was elected to the Nevada State Assembly for District 24. Ms. Gomes filed for re-election in 1978 but withdrew her name from the ballot because of poor health.

Nancy was active in the League of Women Voters and served as president of the League for one term. She also served on the Counties Blue Ribbon Task Force. An elementary school in Cold Springs was named for her. Nancy Gomes died in 1979.

 

Scope and Content

The Nancy Gomes papers were donated to the Special Collections Department in 1993 by her husband, John Gomes. The papers date from 1965-1979 and consist of two cubic feet of material. There are no restrictions on use of the collection.

The papers document two aspects of Ms. Gomes public life: her service on the Washoe County School Board, 1972-1976, and educational issues; and her election and service on the Nevada State Assembly, 1976-1978. There are also a few files related to other interests of Ms. Gomes'; they are filed in Series Three.

Series One concerns the Washoe County School Board and includes materials created during Gomes' election campaign, issues brought before the school board, pupil achievement reports, law suits involving the school board, urban Indian education, and miscellaneous reports on children and education. There is also some correspondence about the naming of the Nancy Gomes Elementary School.

The political materials in Series Two include campaign materials; documents on issues brought before the legislature, especially welfare reform and women's concerns; correspondence; reports; and folders on the election of Maya Miller and Barbara Bennett. There is also some material related to the State Democratic Party.

Series Three consists of miscellaneous files on Women Associates - a Consulting Firm, the Center for Religious Life, volunteerism, a contract with Clark County to investigate welfare problems, and research papers for a Women in Politics class taught by Gomes and Faun Dixon in 1978.

Processed by: Susan Searcy
Date: May 19, 1993

 

The papers of Nancy Gomes have been arranged into the following series:

1. School Board and Education
2. Politics
3. Other Activities

 

Series 1. School Board and Education. 1969-1979. .75 cu. ft.

Box 1

1/1-3 Gomes for school board [election]. 1972.

1/4-8 School Board issues, court cases. Includes Virginia Cain lawsuit.

1/9 Regulations for School Contract Negotiations.

1/10 Washoe County School Board.

1/11 Nancy Gomes School.

1/12 Letter of recommendation for Ed Reed.

1/13-15 Pupil achievement report.

1/16 Reports of the 10th and 13th Meetings of the Nevada Educational Seminars, 1975, 1976.

1/17 Urban Indian Education.

1/18 Children & Law: conference sponsored by the Foresta Institute. 1974.

1/19 A Survey of Public Services for Juveniles in Washoe County [report]. 1969.

 

Series 2. Politics. 1976-1989. 1 cu. ft.

Box 1

2/1-3 Election materials. 1976.

2/4-7 1977 Legislature.

2/8-9 Correspondence.

2/10 Correspondence - Democratic State Party.

 

Box 2

2/11-12 Legislative issues. 1978.

2/13 Energy generation (originally filed as "Correspondence - Misc.").

2/14 Transportation.

2/15-22 Welfare reform.

2/23-25 Women's issues.

2/26 Audio tapes, Nancy Gomes.

2/27 Nevada Democratic State Central Committee. 1973-1974.

2/28 Blue Ribbon Task Force Program. Growth and Development, Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County. Report.

2/29 Clippings: misc. public issues.

2/30 Charles Springer, attorney - campaign funds controversy.

2/31-32 Maya Miller campaign.

2/33 Barbara Bennett election. 1976-1977.

 

Series 3. Other Activities. ca 1973-1978. .25 cu. ft.

Box 2

3/1-2 Women Associates - A Women's Consulting Firm.

3/3 The Center for Religion and Life. 1973.

3/4 Northern Nevada Labor Movement Research Project. 1975.

3/5 Clark County contract with the Board of County Commissioners [on welfare problems].

3/6 Women in Politics class projects. Taught by Gomes and Faun Dixon. 1978.

Manuscripts | Special Collections

Please direct questions to Jacquelyn Sundstrand
Updated June 25, 2008