Joseph Elliott, who served Northern Nevada as an assemblyman and journalist, died on Nov. 26. He was 70.
Elliott graduated from Clovis (Calif.) High and attended Fresno State before enlisting in the U.S. Navy and eventually served in Vietnam. After leaving the Navy, Elliott moved to Reno to be near his father and fell in love with Northern Nevada’s rugged terrain. He earned a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Nevada and worked as a reporter for the Reno Evening Gazette and the Nevada State Journal.
He went on to become director of the Y-Riders, a national program for troubled youth. He also taught a film production class at Hug High School that received national recognition from the Kodak Corporation. He taught at Hug for seven years before moving to Southern California to work in motion pictures and write screenplays. His screenplay for “The Red Fury” was featured on the Disney Channel for two years.
Elliott taught humanities, video production and English at the Nevada State Prison.
In 1991, Elliott was elected to the assembly, serving Washoe County and Carson City. A celebration of Elliott’s life will be held in the spring in Lake Almanor, Calif.