Selma Bartlett, a trailblazing banker and strong-willed philanthropist whose work advanced education in Southern Nevada and were integral to the development of Henderson, has died. She was 97.

Ed Ratliff, a nephew of Bartlett, said she died Sept. 16 of natural causes while at Nathan Adelson Hospice one week before her 98th birthday.

Bartlett’s community investments and business loans are credited with helping propel the rapid growth of Henderson into becoming the second largest city in Nevada. Her influence extended across Southern Nevada as she helped found Nevada State University, the St. Rose Dominican Hospital system, Henderson’s first senior center and the Smith Center.

But it was her support for education at all levels that those who knew Bartlett said she viewed as her greatest a

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