Carolyn Hanna

Carolyn Hanna and her late husband, Gary, made a commitment to help the residents of Las Vegas, the city they called home for more than 50 years. Carolyn Hanna recollected Gary often saying, “The people of Las Vegas supported my business, so I want to give back.” Gary founded, owned, and operated Las Vegas Dodge, Chrysler-Plymouth and Nissan, and was recognized by Time magazine as Man of the Year in the automotive category for the most cars sold nationwide. Married for 46 years, the couple began to focus on their philanthropic legacy after Gary retired in 1997. Gary passed away in 2011, and Carolyn focused on bringing his wishes to fruition.

Carolyn embraced occasions to give of her time, talent, and treasure in the city of Las Vegas, which had been so good to her family. She became a founder of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts and a generous benefactor of Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The arts and medicine were two charitable causes, among many, near and dear to Carolyn’s heart. But she was pleased to learn of an opportunity to support men’s soccer at UNLV. She subsequently established the Gary W. Hanna and Carolyn Jan Hanna Soccer Endowment Fund. Her purpose for doing so was simple and two-fold — to support local students in need and to inspire others to do the same.

As a former flight attendant for Bonanza Airlines, Carolyn knows that the sky’s the limit. She hopes to instill this kind of thinking in UNLV students and is glad to help provide the means for them to achieve their dreams. “I can think of no better way to give back to our community than to help our young people reach their educational and career goals.”