Northern Nevada Entertainment Industry’s Iconic Voice Dies at the Age of 73
Mel Shields, Northern Nevada’s iconic voice for the entertainment industry, passed away on September 21st, 2018, his birthplace was in Miles City, Montana and he went to study in the University of Chicago. He taught in the city of Chicago, before moving to Reno and making it his permanent place of residence.
He was an English teacher in Reno High School, before moving to McQueen High. He was at this school till 2002, after which, he decided to retire. He was a well-known figure in the Washoe County School District, as he dedicated 33 years of his life there. According to Pat Thomas, a former student, and friend, he was in hospice care for the last few weeks. Pat, who graduated from Reno High School in 1982, remembers him as he was the English teacher.
Pat recollected one time when Shields took the book “How to Kiss with Confidence,” and gave a lecture on its grammar.
However, Mel Shields was also a popular name in the California and Nevada entertainment industry, as he was a writer for several publications. During the early years of the 1970s, Shields was the correspondent for Variety, a magazine which covers show business trade, until it stopped covering casinos.
He was a writer for Showtime, an entertainment magazine in Nevada. Since 1976, he used to write for Sacramento Bee’s weekly entertainment column. His work kept appearing in the newspaper until August 17th, 2018.
According to Lonnie Shields, his brother and retired principal, Mel worked round the clock, to ensure that he had enough time to work as a writer. He would go to a show, go back home, and send his review, before going to school the next day.
Mel Shields entered the industry in 1971, thanks to Nevada State Journal’s entertainment writer and Variety’s correspondent, Foster Church.
Church’s boss wanted him to stop working at Variety, as he was getting a promotion in Nevada State Journal. Church approached Shields, to see if he would be ready to work for Variety. After reading Shields review about a show, he gave the green signal to Variety.
Shields was a monumental figure in casino entertainment, as he interviewed and reviewed numerous acts, consisting of Alice Cooper, Huey Lewis, Frank Sinatra, and Dolly Patron. As he was influential in the industry, every entertainer wanted to be a part of his work.
