Early life Kesterson was born
Lorna Jolley in
St. George, Utah, on December 30, 1925, to parents Donal and Nora Jolley. She moved to
Boulder City, Nevada, ranch with her family during the 1930s and graduated from
Boulder City High School. She covered local Henderson and Boulder City news for the newspapers. Kesterson was next hired as a reporter for the now defunct
Henderson Home News, a local
community paper, for nearly thirty years before launching a career in politics. She later became the
managing editor of the
Henderson Home News as well. Kesterson sold the newspaper's articles to larger publications, including the
Deseret News and the
Las Vegas Sun. She continued to work as a reporter while serving on the Henderson City Council from 1977 to 1985. She retired as managing editor of the
Henderson Home News upon her election as Mayor of Henderson in 1985.
Political career Kesterson did not enter politics until she was 49 years old. She was appointed to the Henderson City Council in 1975. Kesterson was named as Henderson's woman of the year in 1975, the same year as her appointment. Two years later, in 1977, Keterson won re-election to the Henderson city council, and served on the council until 1981. She remained a newspaper reporter and editor while serving on the council until her retirement from the newspaper in 1985. In 1985, Lorna Kesterson was elected Henderson's first female mayor, becoming the first woman to hold that office. She was re-elected to a second, four-year in term in 1989. Henderson experienced unprecedented
population growth during Kesterson's eight-year tenure as mayor, ultimately becoming Nevada's second largest city after
Las Vegas. Kesterson and the city council planned the city's new infrastructure, neighborhoods,
city parks and recreational facilities to accommodate the needs of the new residents. She left office in 1993. In recognition, Henderson named her the "Henderson Woman of Distinction" in 1985. In 1991, the state of Nevada named her "Nevada Public Official of the Year." Lorna J Kesterson Elementary School, dedicated in her honor in February 2001, and a Henderson recreational area are named for Kesterson. She also served on a number of boards of directors within the
Las Vegas Valley, including the Henderson Development Association, the Nevada League of Cities and the
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. She held a seat on the Clark County Board of Health throughout the 1980s. ==Death and legacy==