Honoring Nevada mothers

Seven local women cited for serving family, community

Special to viewClockwise from left, Elizabeth Vibert of Spring Valley, left, shares a family moment with her daughters, 11-year-old Madeleine and 8-year-old Emily. Vibert recently was selected as a Nevada Community Mother of Honor. Madeleine nominated her for the state?s Mother of the Year Award. Special to viewClockwise from left, Elizabeth Vibert of Spring Valley, left, shares a family moment with her daughters, 11-year-old Madeleine and 8-year-old Emily. Vibert recently was selected as a Nevada Community Mother of Honor. Madeleine nominated her for the state?s Mother of the Year Award. Jennifer fluharty/special to viewPatrice Tew holds her 3-month-old granddaughter at Tew?s Las Vegas home last year. American Mothers Inc. Nevada Association recently named Tew, who has four children and five grandchildren, Mother of the Year for the state of Nevada. Laurel Beckstead, headmaster of the Whitney-area American Heritage Academy, was named American Mothers Inc.?s young mother honoree for Nevada. Beckstead and her husband, Blaine, have four children, from left, Tessa, 13, Quinn, 7, McKenzie, 15, and Colby, 10.Special to view Advertisement

Come Mother's Day, some women get candy, flowers or a card.

Yawn.

Seven Las Vegas Valley mothers were recognized in a big way. They were nominated for Mother of the Year through the American Mothers Inc. Nevada Association.

NEVADA MOTHER OF THE YEAR PATRICE TEW

The state winner was Patrice Tew, 52, a northwest Las Vegas resident who raised four children as an at-home mom and is grandmother to five.

On her nomination form, she noted her favorite quote from James Dobson: "Children ... have been loaned to us ... for the purpose of loving them and instilling a foundation of values on which their future lives will be built."

She said her husband, Wayne, deserves as much credit as he's very involved in their children's lives.

"He's that amazing kind of husband that you don't want to talk about with other women because it'll just make them feel bad," she said.

Patrice Tew graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in English, communications and political science. She intentionally accelerated her studies to earn a juris doctorate from BYU's J. Ruben Clark Law School by 24, graduating when her firstborn was 9 months old. She practiced law part-time for two years but left it behind to raise her children in what she calls the "university of family life." Her law degree, she said, allowed her to be ready for any event and guaranteed her employability at any time. It also helped her achieve what she said was her ultimate goal: to be a mother.

"Nothing has given me greater satisfaction than watching my children's lives unfold," she said.

Philip Bevins, scout executive with the Las Vegas Area Council of Boy Scouts of America, called Tew a tireless worker who "began working in scouting even before the birth of her own three sons."

She served for 14 years in various capacities for the Scouts and currently chairs the Cub Scout Pack Committee.

Her husband is president and chief executive officer of the Clark County Credit Union. Together, they opened their home to take in law students who were interning with local judges, nonviolent former inmates who needed to jump-start their lives and college students in town for various tournaments.

Patrice Tew also is active in her church, is the editor of its monthly newsletter and has taught religious classes. This year, she was a key speaker at a women's conference on raising children that had about 300 attendees.

Her influence also is on an international scale. In 1999, she was a delegate to the World Congress of Families in Geneva, Switzerland. She learned of what opponents viewed as an anti-family agenda being promoted by the United Nations, leading her to join with the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute to lobby for family rights at the 2000 Beijing Plus 5 Conference on Women at the United Nations. In 2007, she and her family went as delegates and sponsors of the WCF in Warsaw, Poland.

YOUNG MOTHER OF THE YEAR LAUREL BECKSTEAD

Each year, American Mothers Inc. also recognizes a young mother whose children are younger than 18. That honor went to Laurel Beckstead, 40, a mother of four. She and her husband, Blaine, an attorney, live in the Summerlin area and have four children.

Laurel Beckstead earned a bachelor's degree in English from BYU and is headmaster of the Whitney-area American Heritage Academy, 6126 S. Sandhill Road.

"My utmost priority as a young mother is to teach my children to have faith because what we believe determines how we live ... I want my children to understand that life is a journey, and in that journey they must resolve to maintain their faith, whatever the cost, rain or shine," she said.

She and her husband enjoy traditions such as vacationing each summer in Carlsbad, Calif., collecting a jar of sand from any beach they visit -- they have more than 100 -- and visiting historical sites. Monday nights are family nights. That doesn't mean that they sit at home. The family has used it for community service or attended a community event together.

Laurel Beckstead said each day she kisses her children and her husband and tells them she loves them.

"When we know we are loved and reminded daily, we try to do our best every day," she said.

CLARK COUNTY MOTHERS HONORED

Five other Clark County mothers also were honored by American Mothers Inc.

Elizabeth Vibert of Spring Valley was nominated by one of her two children, Madeleine, a fifth-grader at Cornerstone Christian Academy, 5825 Eldora Ave.

"She didn't have to do it," Vibert said. "It wasn't a class assignment or anything."

Vibert, a single mother who adopted her children from China, said usually the kids will hand-make her cards and treat her special all day for Mother's Day.

"I'm the luckiest mom in the world," she said. "I'm privileged to be their parent."

Sherry Thomas' son Ralph submitted her name. He is one of 12 children, 11 boys and one girl, ages 23 to 46. Sherry and her husband, Larrie, moved to Las Vegas soon after their first child was born.

Sherry Thomas said she suspects she was being honored because all 11 boys were Eagle Scouts and because "great kids make you look good."

Her husband supported the family as a welder and opened his own business.

"We did without a lot of things so I could stay home with the kids," she said.

Apparently, the tight budget was a mere hiccup in their children's lives. Ralph Thomas said he was always amazed how his mother could "make money stretch and be creative instead of spending a lot. We never felt like we did without anything."

Sherry and Larrie Thomas have 50 grandchildren and expect to welcome No. 51 in September.

Lorrie Curriden and her husband, Dan, have four children, ages 13 to 20. When the children were little, Mother's Day included making her breakfast in bed. Her youngest son would toss rose petals as the tray was carefully presented to her.

"I can't tell you how many near disasters we had," she said. "It still cracks me up."

Actually, Lorrie Curriden has about 15 other children she's taken under her wing. She's been a Court Appointed Special Advocate for nearly 10 years, representing foster children when they appear in court or have custody issues.

"You strive for a day when they won't need you, when you can step back," she said. "But it's hard to say goodbye."

Nigel Baker and her husband, Charles, have five children, ages 9 to 17. She said between after-school and academic activities, they keep her hopping.

"It's a job, definitely," she said.

Nigel Baker, a Henderson resident, has a lot on her plate these days. Her husband has been diagnosed with brain cancer.

Michelle Hannah and her husband, Jeffrey, adopted a little boy, Kolby, now 11. The family enjoys fishing, the movies, church and Kolby's baseball games.

She was nominated by her son, a fifth-grader at Mountain View Christian School. She said he'd also written an essay titled "What My Mom Means to Me" for a school project and won a state award for it.

She and Kolby share a special moment when she tucks him in each night.

"We're always saying things like, 'I love you to the ends of the Earth,' " she said. "And he'll say back, 'I love you more, to infinity and beyond.' "

American Mothers Inc. is an interfaith, nonpolitical, nonprofit organization. Its goal is to strengthen mothers, and through their influence, strengthen society. It has awarded a national Mother of the Year award since 1935. The Nevada organization started 10 years later.

Cristi Bulloch, resource development chairwoman, said each year, the organization receives about 65 nominations for the Mother's awards. Anyone can make a nomination. It looks for women who do things in the interest of children, have a community link where they give of themselves and those who open their hearts to helping other families.

For more information, visit www.americanmothers.org.

Contact Summerlin and Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.