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Clancy, Alan
Alan Clancy was born on April 05, 1949 in Sidney, Australia. His parents enrolled him in the Shirley de Paul Studio to learn gymnastics, tap, ballet, and Jazz. Clancy also became a soprano singer. He moved to the Rudas Acrobatic Studio and was eventually contracted by Tibor Rudas to join The Las Vegas Dancers. Clancy went on a 2 1/2 year international entertainment tour with that group. Eventually Tibor Rudas offered Alan a contract to work in the Folies Bergère at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Person
Collins, Gene, 1943-
Gene Collins was born to Gertha and Isaac Collins in Lake Providence, Louisiana. Gene's mother relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950's with his sisters but Gene stayed in Louisiana with his grandparents until college and then migrated to Las Vegas in 1966. Gene and his family lived in West Las Vegas which at the time was a thriving community due to segregation on the Strip. Gene worked as an operator's engineer at the Nevada Test Site and later trained as an engineer.
Person
Alderman, Icepick Willie
Israel "Icepick Willie" Alderman was a Las Vegas, Nevada casino investor and manager with ties to organized crime. Along with his associates Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Moe Sedway, David Berman, and Gus Greenbaum, he was involved in the El Cortez, the Riviera, the Flamingo, and the Las Vegas Club. Prior to living in Las Vegas, he was mob enforcer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was given his nickname based on his perfection of the icepick method of murder.
Person
Engel, Philip
Philip Engel is a Las Vegas CPA and was president of the Las Vegas Jewish Federation from 1983-1984. Engel was born in New York and educated at the
University of Illinois and University of California Los Angeles where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Engel came to Southern Nevada in 1950
as part of a professional team responsible for installing a state-of-the-art- accounting system for the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino. Engel stayed in
Person
Figgins, Benny Louis, 1943-
Benny Louis Figgins was born November 27, 1943. He began working for Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel and Casino on its grand opening on August 6, 1966 as a custodian, then as a table dealer for games including blackjack. He left the company briefly near the beginning of his employment, but returned in April 1967 and is currently still working.
Sources:
Genealogy files about "Benny Louis Figgins." Accessed on May 29, 2020 on familysearch.org
Person
Transcript of interview with Thelma Coblentz by Judith Chavez, February 17, 1980
On February 17, 1980, Judith Chavez interviewed Thelma Coblentz (born 1911 in New Jersey) about her experiences in Southern Nevada. Coblentz first talks about her move to Lovelock, Nevada, where her husband provided medical care as one of the first physicians in the small town. She later talks about her move to Las Vegas and some of the services she helped to provide at Nellis Air Force Base. Coblentz later describes Downtown Las Vegas, specifically the development of the casinos and shopping businesses. She later talks about the rainstorms and dust storms that the city would experience before recalling some of the entertainers who would perform on the Las Vegas Strip. The interview concludes with a discussion on the first physicians in Las Vegas and the increasing population of the city.
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Photograph of the Las Vegas High School class of 1929 50th reunion banquet, Las Vegas (Nev.), May 5, 1979
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Photograph of Minsky's showgirl posing on a sofa at the Playboy Hotel, Chicago (Ill.), circa 1977
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Photograph of a Minsky's Burlesque showgirl, Playboy Hotel, Chicago (Ill.), circa 1977
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