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Transcript of interview with Patsy Brinton, Margaret Carnell, and Sharon Schmitt by Lois Goodall, April 30, 2014
In 1905 a twenty-two-year-old second-generation Swiss American left Los Angeles with a friend for Lincoln County, Nevada. Edward "Ed" Von Tobel (1873-1967) and his friend Jake Beckley had heard about some land that was going up for auction. Together they purchased a parcel on the second day in the new desert town of Las Vegas, where they established Von Tobel's Lumber Company, which served Southern Nevada from 1905 until it closed in 1976. In Las Vegas Von Tobel met and married fellow German-speaker Mary Hameril, and together the couple raised four children in the city: Jake, Katherine Elizabeth, Ed Jr., and George. Many Von Tobel descendants live here still. Margaret Carnell, granddaughter of Ed Von Tobel and Mary Hameril and the oldest of three daughters of Elizabeth Von Tobel and Kenneth Zahn, was born in Las Vegas in 1939. After attending Arizona State University Margaret married in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1958 Margaret raised two children in Scottsdale, Arizona, before returning to Las Vegas in 1983. Margaret manages the Von Tobel family properties and in her spare time likes to travel. Patricia "Patsy" Brinton is the second daughter of Elizabeth Von Tobel and Kenneth Zahn. Like her sisters Patsy was raised in Las Vegas, where in 1972 she married real estate broker Robert Brinton. The Brintons raised two daughters and a son. Like her cousin Sharon, Patsy donates considerable volunteer hours through Assistance League of Las Vegas and Junior League of Las Vegas. Patsy enjoys traveling and playing golf and tennis. Sharon Schmitt, the second of four daughters of Edward Von Tobel Jr. and Evelyne Leonard, was born in Las Vegas in 1940. In 1963 in Las Vegas Sharon married Larry Schmitt, an agent for Allstate Insurance. Besides enjoying traveling and playing tennis, Sharon has long been an active community volunteer through Assistance League of Las Vegas, Junior League of Las Vegas, and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. Together the Schmitts raised a family of three children, who still live in Las Vegas and are raising the next generation of the Von Tobel family.
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Photographs of Luv-it Frozen Custard stand, Las Vegas (Nev.), January 27, 2017
Site address: 505 E Oakey Blvd
Sign owner: Brittany and Brandon Tiedemann
Sign details: Luv-It Frozen Custard has been a Las Vegas dessert shop since 1973. They specialize in their "shakes, cones, malts, and hard packs to go." The same family, the Tiedemann's, have been operating the business for four generations. The great-grandmother of the family who opened this modest frozen custard stand originally worked at another famous frozen custard shop called Leon's in Milwaukee, WI. She brought her desire to make frozen custard to Las Vegas and made her own signature flavors. They have been using the same vendors and products to create their delectable ever since they opened. They say the only thing that has changed since they opened is "a new generation of the family and a new color for our building."
Sign condition: 4, the sign is in very good condition. However, the red paint in the letters has faded away slightly.
Sign form: Fascia, Backlit
Sign-specific description: The sign has a very modest design. The signage when looking at the front facade of the building is broken up into three different sections. The first section on the left hand are the words "Luv It" in red, serif style font and a small red heart between the two words. These words are up against a plain white background. Next to that is a small square sign that has a painted vanilla custard cone on it, also with a white background. The sign next to that reads "Frozen Custard" in the same shade of red as the "Luv It" sign and has a white background as well. On the right side of the building over the walk-up window is another sign that reads "Luv It Frozen Custard," which appears to be a combination of the "Luv It" and "Frozen Custard" signs on the front of the building.
Sign - type of display: Backlit
Sign - media: Plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Paint
Sign environment: The environment for this humble frozen custard stand straddles Las Vegas Boulevard and a residential neighborhood nearby. It resides near other popular properties along Las Vegas Boulevard as well, such as: Viva Las Arepas, Art of Flavors, Dino's Lounge, and many wedding chapels. It also sits fairly close to John S. Park Historic Neighborhood.
Sign - date of installation: 1973
Sign - thematic influences: The sign looks old fashioned today because they had it ever since they opened. It is a modest sign to reflect the modest business. The element of the sign that reflects back to the business is the frozen yogurt cone portion of the sign that tells you what the business is for.
Sign - artistic significance: This sign uses a symbol to articulate what the business serves. This has been a popular technique for businesses because it is easy for motorists and pedestrians to see what the business is for without having to read any other text.
Survey - research locations: Luvit website
Survey - research notes: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2009/sep/16/sketchy-neighborhood- bites-back/
Surveyor: Lauren Vaccaro
Survey - date completed: 2017-08-25
Sign keywords: Fascia; Backlit; Plastic; Paint
Mixed Content
Tanaka, Wayne N., 1948-
Known for his remarkable service in the Clark County School District, Wayne Tanaka has made brilliant impacts in the lives of his students, colleagues, and the Las Vegas community as a whole. He was born in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, as a second generation Asian-American to a Japanese father and a Japanese-American mother. He grew up with a strong sense of community and attended Kamehameha III School and Lahainaluna High School. Tanaka eventually went to University of Utah majoring in geography and minoring in political science and history.
Person
West Charleston Neighborhoods: an Oral History Project of Ward 1
"Adjacent to the area where the early city’s water supply spewed up from the earth, these neighborhoods have held their charm and housed legends. Well known communities in this area include Artesian Heights, Glen Heather, McNeil, the Palominos, the Ranchos, Scotch Eighties, and Westleigh. Some families can trace generations who live in these neighborhoods. We learn why and begin to understand why these prestigious neighborhoods are now being included in the "new downtown" demographic."
Source: https://www.library.unlv.edu/speccol/ohrc/projects
Corporate Body
Fine, Jeffrey
Jeffrey Fine is a third generation entrepreneur involved in the real estate, retail, and gaming industries in Southern Nevada. He is the owner and co-founder of Fifth Street Gaming, which owns and manages multiple casinos, hotels, bars, and restaurants throughout Las Vegas Valley. The company's flagship casino is the Downtown Grand in downtown Las Vegas. In 2002 he established Fine Concepts to manage his food and beverage business ventures, including the exclusive development of the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf franchise in Nevada.
Person
Bustamante Adams, Irene, 1968-
Irene Bustamante Adams believes in the reinvention of oneself as the path to the future. And since coming to Nevada in 1990 she has proven that anything is possible.
She was born and raised in rural California where she worked the fields alongside her family members growing up. Her mother is a native of New Mexico, with family that dates back six generations; her father was born in Mexico.
Person