Vera May Haviland Biographical Sketch

Vera May Haviland was born on May 20, 1903, in Winnemucca, Nevada. Her parents, Carl and Lillian Haviland, were both born in Nevada, as well. Her father operated the Paradise Stage Line between Winnemucca and Paradise Valley, along with a feed store. Later he operated a car dealership and garage in Winnemucca. Vera had two older siblings, her sister Dorothy and her brother Harold.

Vera lived in Manzanita Hall while a student at the University of Nevada and was a member of the Beta Delta sorority. She was also a member of the Commerce Club and the Women's Athletic Association. An honor roll student, she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in education in 1926.

She married Howard E. Browne in October 1927. He was also a native Nevadan. He graduated from Reno High School and earned a Bachelor's degree in history from the University of Nevada in 1918. After attending Harvard Law School and Yale Law School, he served as District Attorney of Lander County for about 15 years. He and Vera lived in Austin, Nevada, during that time. They had two children: Howard E. Browne, Jr., and Bonnie Claire Browne. The Brownes moved to Reno sometime in the early 1940s. Vera was a member of the Daughters of the American Colonists and the Rebekah Lodge in Austin. She was a matron of the Electra Lodge Order of the Eastern Star and was active in the Minerva Club. She died in 1965. Her grandson, Kevin Allec, graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, in 1983.