LaMerne Kozlowski – Class of 1955

            LaMerne Kozlowski was born LaMerne Sommerhalder on March 20, 1937 in Eugene, Oregon.  She moved to Sparks in 1947.  She attended Robert Mitchell Elementary School, Sparks Junior High School and graduated from Sparks High School in 1955.  She took two years of criminal justice at Truckee Meadows Community College.  LaMerne married Gene Kozlowski on March 3, 1956 and had five sons:  Mike, Casey, Kris, Todd, and Scot.  LaMerne worked a total of nine years with Jacks Carnival.  Along with Bill Vallandingham, she developed a bicycle safety program that extended to all of Washoe County for which she received an award from the Washoe County Teacher’s Association.

            She remains involved in SHS, having attended all eleven of the Quarter Auctions and served on the Hall of Fame committee for three years.  Her volunteer activities extended to sorting books for the Friends of Washoe County.  LaMerne worked in the post office for Shelly’s Hardware and worked as a vault supervisory for Sierra Sid’s Casino.  Since casinos weren’t really her thing, she started working for the state in the welfare department.  She worked there for 17 years until retiring from the investigations in 2002.

            Now she spends her time supporting her favorite hockey team – the Pittsburg Penguins, camping at Pyramid Lake with her family and friends, playing Cribbage and Bunco with friends, reading crime novels and attending Broadway Comes to Reno.  Her favorite musical artists is Neil Diamond and she loves to travel, most of all she’s proud of her children and grandchildren and the people they’ve become.

Inducted 2012