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Transcript of interview with Susan Molasky by Barbara Tabach, March 11, 2014
In this interview, Susan Molasky discusses her childhood and teenaged years growing up in London, where she worked with in a fabric store. Molasky shares photos and momentos with the interviewer, and talks about originally coming to Las Vegas with her first husband, Leo Frey, in the late 1950s. She discusses raising her children in Las Vegas, and her bout with ovarian cancer, which prompted her involvement in Nathan Adelson Hospice. She continues to discuss her life with second husband, Irwin Molasky, and the causes they are involved in.
Susan Molasky was born in Israel (what was then-Palestine) in mid-1930s, the daughter of Bukharian Jewish immigrants. With the end of World War II, at the age of nine Susan, her sister and mother were able to get visas to live with her father in London. It was in England where Susan learned English and began working, at a fabric shop on Regent Street. In 1957, Susan married her first husband, and the couple moved to Las Vegas on January 1, 1958. She knew immediately that the city would be her home. Susan and her husband moved to Las Vegas to help her brother-in-law, Leo Frey, renovate and manage the Moulin Rouge; their primary business was long-term room rentals to casino employees, occasionally renting to tourists when the casino hotels were full. After two years, her husband changed careers paths and the couple moved to Europe. They had three sons before returning to Las Vegas in 1964. In 1973, Susan married Irwin Molasky, whom she had met through her work with the Sisterhood at Temple Beth Sholom; both sat on the temple's board. Susan enjoyed the excitement and glamour that defined Las Vegas during the 1970s, attending show openings, visiting movie sets, and socializing with stars. But more than this, Susan devoted herself to helping others, most notably through the opening of Nathan Adelson Hospice. Her own battle with cancer, as well as serving as a caretaker for others, ignited her commitment to establish quality hospice care in her beloved city, and she has continuously led the organization's fundraising efforts. There are now two Nathan Adelson Hospice facilities serving the greater Las Vegas area.
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Campbell, John (John Frederick), 1943-
John Frederick Campbell was born on July 1, 1943 in La Jolla, California. Campbell has four children: Brandi, Kimberly, Johnna, and Keawe'.
Campbell was an engineer and mining superintendent for Reynolds Electric and Engineering Company (REECo) and as a government employee at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) for a combined 27 years. He was involved in the planning and construction of many tunnels that were used for atomic testing.
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Ford, Katie, 1929-
Katie Ford was born April 13, 1929 in Ely, Nevada. Her family lived in multiple cities in the state before moving to Beatty, Nevada when Ford was two years old. She worked at her family’s gas station and hotel while she was a teenager. When Ford moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1945, she continued her career as a waitress.
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Craig, Junior
Junior Craig was born around 1921. He moved from Los Angeles, California to Southern Nevada with his father on January 16, 1946 with trucks to work on the construction of Davis Dam. At the time, Craig worked as a trailer court operator. He also worked as a goldminer in Searchlight, Nevada for a couple of years. Craig was also an active member of the civil defense in Clark County, Nevada.
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Connell, Daniel
Daniel Connell was born in November 1937 in Ocean Gate, New Jersey. He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1954. He went to the military for two years, upon returning, he married his wife Linda and in 1973 settled in the Westleigh neighborhood of Ward 1. He eventually was hired by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to follow his father's footsteps in law enforcement.
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Bellver, C. G. (Catherine Gullo)
Dr. Catherine Bellver is Distinguished Professor of Spanish at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her work has appeared in many scholarly journals. She worked over fifteen years to create the Women's Studies Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dr. Bellver also worked with a volunteer group to create and staff the first Women's Center on campus.
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Smith, Melville B., 1904-1987
Melville B. Smith was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on December 10, 1904 to Juliette and Melville Thomas Smith. He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955 and went to work for the Planning and Development Division of the City of Las Vegas, and worked for the City of Las Vegas for over twenty years. He was active in the community and died in Las Vegas on January 25, 1987.
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Bearce, Patricia, 1938-
Patricia Bearce was born in 1938 and moved to Nevada in 1940 when she was two years old. She was educated in Southern Nevada and attended Las Vegas High School. She attended Nevada College of Commerce. She worked in a few offices and then went to work for Episcopal Church until her daughter Debbie was born. Bearce was married on July 06, 1957.
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Brown, Harry A., 1912-
Harry A. Brown was born in Independence, Missouri in 1912. Brown moved to Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife in 1934 during the Great Depression in order to start working on the construction of Boulder Dam. Brown continued his occupation as a carpenter throughout the years while living in Las Vegas and resided in several properties with his family in Las Vegas and North Las Vegas.
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Buchanan, Richard E., 1951-
Richard E. Buchanan was born February 11, 1951 in Chicago, Illinois. Buchanan’s family relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1951. He also spent some years living in Laguna Beach, California, and Reno and Pioche, Nevada, yet always returned to Las Vegas. Buchanan worked in a variety of career fields, starting as a construction worker and ending as a mental health technician.
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