Creating Quality Education in Southern Nevada: Helen and the late Jack Daseler

More than 40 years ago the initial draw to UNLV for Helen and the late Jack Daseler was not their lifelong commitment to learning, as one might expect. True, they turned to the university for continuing education, but it was the excitement of the Rebels' sports programs that held their interest.

“We had a large social connection through UNLV Athletics,” Helen, a physical education major in college, explains.

That connection evolved into a commitment. The Daselers have become donors to various UNLV programs for more than 25 years, and they know first-hand how private support can invent the future for education.

The Daselers founded the Las Vegas Day School in 1961; it began in a home with a small handful of students, growing steadily over the years to today become a successful private school.

Early in the history of the Las Vegas Day School, there was a moment that perhaps foreshadowed Helen's commitment to education beyond her time in the classroom. An old family friend—Anna G. Derry, for whom the school's library is dedicated—left money to Helen in her will. The Daselers leveraged the gift to help build Las Vegas Day School .

Recently, Helen established a charitable gift to UNLV through her estate plan to provide scholarships for future generations of UNLV students. Her gift allows the Daselers to continue their devotion for quality education in our community.

“I'm so glad we came to Las Vegas when we did, saw it the way it was, watched it develop and grow, saw all of the educational system and the other fabulous community things growing,” Helen relayed in a 1997 interview for UNLV's Oral History Project. “And I think we have a right to be very proud of Las Vegas and to be part of our community.”