Lester J. Hilp was born in White Pine County, Nevada, in 1891. His father, Sol Hilp, was a pioneer of the region, serving Mineral City, Ely, Ward, and Taylor, Nevada, as merchant, stage and freight line operator, postmaster, and political leader. The family moved to Reno, Nevada, in 1900. There, Lester Hilp studied for a career in pharmacy, and entered the profession as a young man. He practiced in several Nevada communities, and in 1915 he bought a drugstore in Reno, where he has been engaged in business ever since. In addition to becoming a prominent businessman of Reno, Mr. Hilp has also been an active civic leader, and is especially well known for his activities in connection with the Shrine Circus.

Mr. Hilp's memoir includes reminiscences about Sol Hilp, discussion of the practices of medicine and pharmacy in Reno, accounts of Reno civic life, and a philosophical conclusion.