Vernon W. Prigmore was born in 1907. He came to Nevada in the middle 1930s and stayed by accident when his car broke down in Ely and the parts couldn't be replaced. Being a jack-of-all-trades, he was able to find work as a butcher in Ely during the Depression years. Gambling was just coming into Nevada at that time, and he went into the new business, eventually ending up as a keno writer. He retired in 1972 after working thirty-two years at Harolds Club.

Mr. Prigmore spent sixteen years in the military. He served on the U.S.S. Arizona for three years during peacetime, and following the Pearl Harbor attack, he was back on the recruiting house steps the next morning. He was retreaded, as he calls it, when the Korean War broke out.

In his oral history, Mr. Prigmore describes the formation of the Coast Guard Auxiliary patrols as a public safety and rescue group. His boating knowledge and "bulldogging" in early years contributed much to the established membership of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Prigmore recounts his activities and offices he held in the organization. In later years he was awarded a life membership in recognition of long years of service and was commended several times for his work as a Training Officer.