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Williams, Mary Louise, 1926-
Mary Louise Williams was born on October 20, 1926 in Cleveland, Ohio to Carrie Randolph and Tom Forte. She was musically trained and first arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955 to work at the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino. Even though as a dancer she worked frequently in Las Vegas and visited the city many times, she didn't move to Las Vegas until her retirement from her career in social work and teaching in New York.
Person
Orrock, Kevin T., 1951-
Kevin T. Orrock is president of Summerlin and vice president of Master Planned Communities for The Howard Hughes Corporation. He was born in Pioche, Nevada, and spent his early years in the San Francisco Bay area and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Kevin graduated from a small liberal arts college with a degree in accounting, came to Las Vegas in 1974, and started working in the accounting department at the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino. He later earned his M.B.A. from University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Person
Wallerstein, Harry
Harry Wallerstein (?-1971) was a Las Vegas, Nevada businessman who owned Tinch Furniture on South Main Street with Max Goot. Wallerstein served as president of Temple Beth Sholom from 1963 to 1964 and helped come up with the idea of holding a gin rummy tournament sponsored by local casinos to raise money for the temple.
"Former leader of LV Jewish community Wallerstein dies." Las Vegas Sun. July 2, 2003. Accessed July 25, 2016.
Person
Tucker, Sam
Sam Tucker was a Las Vegas, Nevada casino executive and former bootlegger. He was an associate of Moe Dalitz in the Prohibition-era liquor trade in Cleveland before moving to Las Vegas in the late 1940s to invest in the Desert Inn with Dalitz and others. Tucker served as chair of the United Jewish Appeal in Las Vegas from 1953 to 1956.
Person
Downs, Sheree L., 1956-
Born on April 2, 1956, Sheree Downs worked as a concert photographer for the vocal trio the Lettermen from 1976 to 1978. The Lettermen performed at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada twice a year during that time, and Downs accompanied them on these trips. She made personal visits to Las Vegas after she stopped working for the singing group, during which she documented the landscape through the eyes of a visitor. As of 2020, Sheree Downs lives in Colorado.
Person
Anna Jennings Welsh oral history interview
Oral history interview with Anna Jennings Welsh conducted by Judith Siu on July 05, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Welsh begins by describing her family's history in Las Vegas, Nevada, beginning in 1911 with her grandmother. She discusses her grandmother's life and her collection of artifacts, which would later become part of the Southern Nevada Museum by the Henderson, Nevada Chamber of Commerce (now the Clark County Museum). Welsh continues talking about her own life, including her education, hobbies, family, friends, and living in Las Vegas. She also discusses nuclear weapons testing, the history of casinos in Las Vegas, her father's work constructing Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam), and how Las Vegas has changed.
Archival Collection
Ida Pinckney oral history interviews
Oral history interviews with Ida Pinckney conducted by Claytee D. White on August 23, 2012 and November 05, 2012 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Pinckney discusses her personal history and life in Las Vegas, Nevada after moving there with her family as a child in 1942. She begins by talking about her family and living in a tent house in the Westside community of Las Vegas. Pinckney describes how she feels Westside development has been stunted by an overabundance of churches in the area not paying taxes, life in the Westside during the 1940s, and her experiences as an African American woman in Las Vegas. Other topics of discussion include Pinckney being a member of Culinary Workers Union Local 226, her father and brother working at the Nevada Test Site, and various aspects of Las Vegas history. Willie Jean Beatty also participates in the interview, helping Pinckney expand on topics such as the presence of organized crime in casinos and her involvement in the Sisters Network: An Afro-American Breast Cancer Survivors Organization.
Archival Collection
Clark, Wilbur, 1908-1965
Wilbur Clark (1908-1966) developed and designed the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. As the head of the resort, he promoted the Desert Inn and Las Vegas throughout the nation.
Born to Shirley and Lulu Clark in Keyesport, Illinois on December 27, 1908, Wilbur Clark moved to San Diego, California at sixteen. He worked a series of jobs before moving to Reno, Nevada in 1951 and starting a career in gaming. After several years in Reno, he moved to Las Vegas in 1938 and, with several partners, opened a casino on Boulder Highway.
Person
Grant, Arthur George, 1924-2012
Arthur George Grant, a resident of Las Vegas, Nevada since 1951, was involved in gaming businesses and real estate. Grant was part owner of the Nevada Club, established Honest John’s Casino, and was owner of Western Avenue Business Properties.
Person