H. Roger McPike

H. Roger McPike was born in Boise, Idaho, on May 2, 1934, the eldest of four children of Harry McPike and Mary Pike. He graduated as salutatorian from Payette High School in Idaho in 1952 and earned a pre-law degree from the University of Idaho in 1956. He went on to receive his law degree from Stanford Law School in 1963.

Mr. McPike built his legal career in commercial law and litigation, with a practice spanning construction, insurance coverage, and natural resources. He was a senior partner in the San Francisco law firm of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson and Bridges before moving to Nevada, coming to Las Vegas in 1989 to join the firm of Beckley, Singleton, Delanoy, Jemison and List. Over his career he belonged to numerous professional organizations, including the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Nevada, the State Bar of California, the San Francisco Bar Association, the Clark County Bar Association, the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, the International Bar Association, and the Nevada and California Trial Lawyers Associations.

Alongside the law, Mr. McPike served his country as a reserve officer in the United States Marine Corps. After four years of active duty from 1956 to 1960, during which he served as a platoon leader and intelligence air observer for the First Marine Division, he remained an active member throughout 31 years in the reserves, retiring as a colonel in 1987. He was remembered for his gracious nature, his love of humor, art, and the written word, his devotion to the great outdoors and the underdog, and his lasting pride in the Marine Corps. He died on March 18, 1997, at the age of 62.