The Butterfly Effect, a cornerstone of chaos theory, holds that seemingly insignificant events can shape the future in unpredictable ways. The single flap of a butterfly’s wings could impact weather systems a world away.

In Las Vegas, UNLV alumna Yvette Wintermute, ’96 BSN and ’05 M.Ed., uplifted an entire system in that way. The former chief nurse for the Clark County School District passed away suddenly from a pulmonary embolism in 2020. She is now remembered — among many other ways — through a UNLV scholarship fund and a butterfly-festooned health services building.

Yvette’s legacy lives on through the school nurses and staff who continue her work and the UNLV students whose path through nursing school will be eased.

“She was beloved by so many,” said Yvonne Hicks, Yvette’s twin sister and the driving force behind the memorial projects. “This scholarship fills my heart. It makes me feel like she's present and alive and in everybody's heart.”

A Hospital-Bound Childhood

Yvette and Yvonne are not identical twins. Both were outgoing, with similar personalities and mannerisms, but Yvette was five inches taller. They were each other’s built-in besties, especially as they moved around Colorado after their father passed away when they were in middle school. “We always knew who we were having lunch with,” Yvonne said.

Her sister had severe childhood asthma and spent prolonged spells in the hospital, said Yvonne, who would bring Yvette her assignments. “We never really talked about it – we just had a shorthand way of communicating – but that could have influenced her,” she said. “At a young age, she always knew she wanted to be a nurse."

Before their senior year, their mother decided to move the girls and their younger sister, Adrienne, to Las Vegas to be near longtime friends.

“Growing up in a small steel mill town, there were a lot of early struggles, and we always knew we wanted to go to college. Our parents were very supportive and encouraging of our academic goals," Yvonne recalled.

The twins wanted to attend UNLV and jumped at the move, enrolling at Clark High School and graduating in 1991.

Ahead in credits, both worked during their senior year to save money — Yvonne  at Fashion Show Mall and Yvette at Smith’s grocery store, where she met both her husband, Matt, and Yvonne’s future husband, Ted. Their double wedding in 1994 at Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church made the local news.

Like many UNLV students, they were first-generation students, and that experience influenced their commitment as alumni, Yvonne said. “We didn't really have the opportunity to take full advantage of all the college events,” she said.

So, as alumni, they went all in. The Wintermute and Hicks families are longtime football tailgaters and season ticket holders, as well as Runnin’ Rebels fans. From Sam Boyd Stadium to Allegiant Stadium, their pride runs deep, Yvonne said.

Their love of learning guided both women. Yvonne earned an undergraduate degree in business from UNLV in 1998 and then three master’s degrees (in business, counseling, and educational administration) from the University of Phoenix. Yvette became a double UNLV alumna, receiving a scholarship to pursue an undergraduate nursing degree and then a master’s degree in educational administration. She also earned a master’s degree in business from the University of Phoenix.

Yvonne’s son, Donovan Hicks, graduated from UNLV this spring with a degree in journalism and communications, magna cum laude, like his “Nina” Yvette [Nina is a cultural term for a beloved godmother]. He’s now starting a career in sports journalism after serving as a sports editor and writer for UNLV’s Scarlet & Gray student newspaper.

Yvette decided not to have children, so they shared Donovan, Yvonne joked. “We raised him together. My son, Donovan, has a lot of my sister’s personality traits. I see a lot of her in him, which warms my heart.”

Growing Into Nurse Leadership

At UNLV, Yvette was always at the top of her class, remembered Jodi Coombs ’96, her friend and fellow nursing student. “Yvette was so smart. I, on the other hand, struggled.”

The two clicked quickly and often studied together. They spent time at Coombs' house with their friends, hanging out at the family’s pool. It was a UNLV crew; Coombs' mother and siblings are also alumni.

“Yvette and I became very close because it’s a hard program,” Coombs said. “The people you put in your tribe, it’s important.”

She had to take shots for migraines and Yvette gave them to her – one time even in the car. “She did a good job,” Coombs said, laughing.

Coombs went on to work around the country, eventually becoming a senior healthcare administrator. Yvette worked as a hospital neonatal nurse in mother-baby units at Sunrise and Southern Hills hospitals. Around 2003, she became a school nurse for CCSD working her way up over 18 years to become chief nurse.

“She was very humble,” Coombs said. “She had that deep, caring soul about her, and she made sure no one was left behind.”

Yvonne was a perfect sounding board as Yvette weighed her decision to join CCSD. Yvonne has worked in educational finance and, for nearly 20 years, in secondary education with CCSD. She knew her sister loved children from her years as a labor and delivery nurse and encouraged her decision to become a school nurse.

Yvette thrived at CCSD. She started at El Dorado High School and was then promoted to nursing coordinator. She was involved in a program to ensure every school has life-saving AED devices,  and she pioneered a healthcare data tracking system. Eventually, she was promoted to chief nurse and helped lead the district through the COVID-19 crisis.

Diana Tayler, former CCSD director of Health Services, mentored Yvette. “I like to say I discovered Yvette. But really, I just saw her. She excelled in everything. I said, ‘We’re going to keep moving her up, and up and up!’”

Yvette was professional and friendly, and the students loved her, Tayler said. “She had an air of confidence, and she really listened. When you have a nurse like Yvette in a school, everyone is calm. She created comfort for the kids and comfort for the staff.”

Yvette also took on community leadership roles, serving on the Clark County Child Death Review Team and the Emergency Medical Services for Children’s Committee, among other volunteer groups.

Outside of work, she loved to travel with her husband and walk her beloved dogs – “her kids,” Yvonne lovingly acknowledged.

She continued her hospital work with babies, working per diem at Southern Hills Hospital for years. Ironically, she was taken there when she passed, Yvonne said.

It was shocking, Yvonne said. Her sister was her best friend, her conference travel buddy, her son’s second mom. But the experience of losing their father so young taught her how to cope, Yvonne said.

“After Yvette passed, I just fell back to filling my cup,” she said. “I wanted to show my son that you keep moving forward.”

Establishing scholarships “helps me see the good in something so tragic. I always have that mindset of … how can we make this into something that supports other people’s dreams?”

Their father, Frank John Gallardo, was also honored at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2018, Yvonne said. “His recognition and acknowledgment as a veteran filled my cup and also helped my son understand an important legacy within our family.”

The Butterfly Effect

The Yvette Wintermute Building, part of CCSD’s Health Services Complex on Pecos-McLeod and East Twain Avenue, is blooming. In the garden, there are stucco walls, vibrant greenery, and purple flowers (purple being Yvette’s favorite color). A shaded bench bears her name beside her cheerful picture.

Inside, colorful tiles with inspirational quotes and names adorn a wall covered in engraved butterflies. The butterflies carry the names of staff who have received the Yvette Wintermute Award for exhibiting her characteristics.

A flyer with a QR code collects donations. There are several scholarships in Yvette’s name now. One is for CCSD health services staff interested in pursuing nursing careers. UNLV’s Yvette Wintermute Legacy Scholarship is for third- and fourth-year students to help them complete their undergraduate nursing degrees. An older scholarship through the state board of nursing is transitioning to the new funds. “These funds will give students a little bit of breathing room,” Yvonne said.

The building is a labor of love and community. Friends donated the landscaping and painted the walls. A district engineer installed the tiles. At the building dedication in April, “I don’t believe there was a dry eye in the audience,” Yvonne said. “Yvette was a friend to all.”

Yvette always advocated for student care, especially when parents were not available. She sat in special education meetings, representing students’ healthcare needs. “She would push for care, and she was authoritative and calm. She was the voice for those who couldn't advocate for themselves,” Yvonne said.

Her legacy will be the growth and development of others, symbolized by the butterfly, her sister said. “It’s all about the ripple effect we have on others and our communities.”