heron Hulan Goynes was born in Texarkana, Texas, in 1929. After graduating from Dunbar High School in 1947, he attended Prairie View A & M University where he majored in Business Administration and minored in Secondary Education. He graduated in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree. Later that year, he entered the United States Air Force and served for four years. After an honorable discharge, he began his career in education as a teacher. In 1963, he was awarded a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration from Northern Arizona University at Flagstaff, Arizona.
Mr. Goynes served as a teacher, elementary assistant principal, and principal during his career with the district. His last position before his retirement was as the principal of the Madison Sixth Grade Center.
In addition to his service with the school district, Mr. Goynes served a total of 20 years on the North Las Vegas City Council. Twelve of those years, he was Mayor Pro Tempore. On September 16, 1981, he chaired the North Las Vegas City Council meeting in the absence of the mayor, thus becoming the first black elected representative to officially head a government body in Nevada’s 117-year history.
Mr. Goynes' diverse, tireless involvement in and support of educational, civic, and community services has been exemplary. The Nevada League of Cities honored him as the "1992 Public Official of the Year." He has also received numerous awards and honors from various local, county, and state agencies and organizations in recognition of his service to the people of Clark County, the State of Nevada, and the nation. Mr. Goynes continues to serve the community on elected and appointed boards and committees.
aomi Delores Jackson Goynes was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1933. In 1956, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Her first teaching assignment was in Nashville, Arkansas. In 1970, she completed her Master of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Music from Northern Arizona University at Flagstaff, Arizona. She completed her educational specialist degree in Educational Administration with a minor in Curriculum from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1977.
Mrs. Goynes has served the Clark County School District as a teacher, Assessment Team member, Teacher Corps Team leader, Kindergarten Task Force member, Reading Specialist, high school dean, and assistant principal. At the time of her retirement, she was the assistant principal of Jim Bridger Junior High School.
At Jim Bridger, she instilled self-esteem, character, and hope in the hearts and minds of many students. Mrs. Goynes did not flinch at the development of programs designed to resist gang behaviors and drug abuse. Students were always eager to take advice from Mrs. Goynes, and her work with teenagers has had a powerful impact on students living in a difficult environment.
Mrs. Goynes has worked long and hard as an educator, wife, mother, grandmother, and campaign manager for her husband. In her 42 years as an educator, she was known as being tireless, dedicated, and sensitive in her efforts to meet the needs of students, parents, and staff.
r. and Mrs. Goynes taught in Arkansas, California, and Arizona before moving to Las Vegas in 1964 to teach in the Clark County School District. Theron and Naomi Goynes collectively served sixty-three years educating youth in the Clark County School District. Mr. Goynes retired in 1991 after 27 years of service. Mrs. Goynes retired in 2000 after 36 years of service.
Mr. and Mrs. Goynes have been dedicated, active members of their church. They have been active leaders in the Girl Scouts of America, as well as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Theron and Naomi Goynes have been married forty-six years as of July 2004 and have three children, Kimberly Lynee', Byron Anthony and Pamela Allison Goynes. They are the proud grandparents of five grandchildren Bobby Ray Owens III Mahlia Caprice Posey, Joi Antoniette Goynes, Michael Anthony Owens, and Joshua Anthony Goynes. All three of their children are successful college graduates and have followed in their parents' footsteps. Kimberly and Pamela currently work for the Clark County School District. Byron is happily married to Lydia Goynes who is a Senior Loan Processor-Closer with Republic Mortgage. Byron currently works for the A.T.C. CAT-Bus as a customer service manager and serves as a commissioner on the Las Vegas Planning Board.
Our school has been named after educators and community leaders that made a difference in the state of Nevada and especially in the Las Vegas Valley. We are grateful that our school history is forever linked to our namesakes, Mr. Theron Goynes and Mrs. Naomi Goynes. These individuals have made an important impact in the the community that we serve as a school and their undaughting regard for family, education, and the community spanned a lifetime of achievement.
