Reynaldo Martinez was born in Chama, New Mexico, in 1937. He was raised in Henderson, Nevada and was a student at Basic High School in 1957. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Arizona State University in 1961. Before he started his teaching career, he served in the United States Naval Reserve.
Mr. Martinez began his teaching career at Western High School. He was named Outstanding Teacher in Clark County in 1966. Mr. Martinez was also recognized for his time as a baseball coach and coached two state high school championships and one legion state championship. He was also named Outstanding Baseball Coach in Nevada.
Mr. Martinez’s early work in politics began in 1968 when he was selected to join the staff of the National Education Association (NEA) as the organizational, political and legislative consultant. In 1976, he became a lobbyist for the NEA and would later be recognized as one of the outstanding political and legislative consultants for the NEA. Mr. Martinez would continue his political career serving as an advisor to several political campaigns including Governor Bob Miller, Mike O’Callaghan and Senator Richard Bryan. Mr. Martinez most notably served as Chief of Staff for Senator Harry Reid. Mr. Martinez and Senator Reid were classmates at Basic High School and played baseball together.
In 1990, the Latin Chamber of Commerce recognized Mr. Martinez as Outstanding Hispanic of the Year. Reynaldo Martinez Elementary School opened in 2000. He passed away in March 2022.
