Denton, Hazel Baker, 1887-1962.

Hazel Baker was born in Utah in 1887. She graduated from Ogden High School in 1907 with a teacher's certificate. She moved to Prince Mine in Nevada in 1914 to teach in a one room all-grade school, then to Caliente, Nevada, in 1916, to teach the first and second grades. In Caliente she met Floyd Howard Denton of Nebraska, a saloon owner and future under-sheriff of Caliente. They married in 1916 and had four children. Denton's civic and professional activities were considerable. She served as president of the Lincoln County Board of Education for twelve years and as director for the National Education Association of Nevada from 1933-1936. She also served as president of the Nevada Federation of Women's Clubs (1944-1946) and the Lincoln County Classroom Teacher's Association (1948-1949). She was elected as a Democrat to the Nevada State Assembly in 1952 and was re-elected in 1954. During her time in the Assembly, she introduced bills and resolutions that were intended to improve free public libraries and state parks. In addition to her achievements in the classroom, Denton was an accomplished writer. Her published work is comprised of several newspaper columns including "Caliente all the Time" (1937-1939) and "While the Toast Burns" (1948-1953). In 1955, she published her book, Ironing day, a collection of poetry essays and short stories. Denton often used the pen name "JMR." Hazel Denton died in Las Vegas on January 30, 1962, at the age of 74.