Search the Special Collections and Archives Portal
Search Results
Jackson, Jerry
Born January 14, 1936 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jerry Reese Jackson has worked as a show producer, director, costume designer, choreographer, lyricist, and composer. In Las Vegas, Nevada, Jackson is best known for his work on the Folies-Bergère at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino where he served as artistic director, choreographer, and later as costume designer for nearly thirty-five years, beginning in 1975 and ending with the show's closure in 2009.
Person
Harrah’s Entertainment Corporate Archives
The Harrah’s Entertainment Corporate Archives (dating from 1811 to 2004 with the bulk of the materials dating from 1940 to 2000) contain the promotional and corporate files of Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. and its predecessors, as well as Bill Harrah’s personal papers and card game collection. The materials were compiled and developed as a corporate archive by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.’s Corporate Communications Department. The collection is primarily comprised of casino and employee periodicals, reports, manuals, promotional files, ephemera, and newspaper articles that document Bill Harrah’s casinos in Reno, Nevada and Lake Tahoe as well as Harrah’s Inc., Holiday Inns, Inc., Holiday Corporation, the Promus Companies, and Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. Also included are photographs that document the construction of Harrah’s properties, business operations, the people who worked and performed at Harrah’s properties, and Bill Harrah’s automobile collection. The collection also contains Bill Harrah’s collection of playing cards and card games. Also included are photographs of the Harrah family.
Archival Collection
Michael Arage oral history interview
Oral history interview with Michael Arage conducted by Dalton DuPré on November 12, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Michael Arage discusses his upbringing in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ontario, Canada with his sister and his Filipino-Palestinian heritage. He talks about how his parents immigrated to the United States, his life and education in Toronto, and his relocation to Los Angeles, California where he married his wife. Michael Arage shares how the couple moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2012 when his wife started a job at Zappos. Because he lacked a work visa, Michael Arage began playing poker and working in sports betting. In 2019, he founded a community organization to support the people of Palestine, called Nevadans for Palestinian Human Rights. Michael Arage talks about his activism efforts, anti-Arab racism, his cultural upbringing, and of Filipino and Arabic foods and customs. He also shares his views of living in Las Vegas, the difficulties of raising a child away from her cousins, and differing governmental policies and healthcare between Canada and the United States.
Archival Collection
Bruce Turner Collection on Transportation and Water in Southern Nevada
The Bruce Turner Collection on Transportation and Water in Southern Nevada contains reports, publications, legal files, project proposals, journal articles, financial reports, photographs, and maps concerning transportation policy and water usage in Southern Nevada from 1980 to 2014. The collection contains documents from organizations including the Regional Transportation Commissions of Clark County and Southern Nevada, the Clark County Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management, Clark County Comprehensive Planning, the Urban Land Institute, the City of Las Vegas Neighborhood Services Department, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, and the Las Vegas Valley Water District.
Archival Collection
Clifford Jones Family Papers
The Clifford Jones Family Papers (1900-2005) consist of awards for community service, newspaper clippings, correspondence sent to family members by Cliff Jones when he was in the military, and photograph albums of the Jones family. Clifford Jones was the 20th Lieutenant Governor for Nevada from 1947 to 1954.
Archival Collection
Perry Kaufman Papers
The Perry Kaufman Papers (1930-1974) are comprised of research material gathered by Kaufman for his doctoral dissertation, "The Best City of Them All: A History of Las Vegas, 1930-1960." Kaufman's research focused on the Las Vegas, Nevada Chamber of Commerce's role in promoting Las Vegas as a tourist destination. The collection primarily consists of newspaper clippings from the
Archival Collection
James Hulse Photograph Collection on Pioche, Nevada
The James Hulse Photograph Collection on Pioche, Nevada contains photographs and postcards from Pioche, Nevada from 1905 to 1951. The photographs primarily depict the town, mining operations, and the Lincoln County Courthouse. The photographs also depict the town during a fire in 1947, the Power & Electric company, several buildings in the town, and Main Street.
Archival Collection
Janet Kravenko oral history interview
Oral history interview with Janet Kravenko conducted by Bridget Kelly on August 07, 2002 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Kravenko opens her interview by discussing the importance of dance to her family, and her early interest in becoming a member of the Bluebell Girls dance troupe. She describes the rules of touring as a Bluebell Girl and her experiences traveling the world for two years. She then discusses her first contract in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Lido de Paris show. She describes the daily life of a Bluebell Girl, and where they rehearsed and performed. Kravenko then talks about being a young performer in Las Vegas and the challenges of finding work. She also describes some of the famous people she worked with including Zsa Zsa Gabor and Major Riddle. Lastly, Kravenko discusses how her dance career changed after she became a mother.
Archival Collection
Ruth Poirier oral history interview
Oral history interview with Ruth Poirier conducted by Joanne Goodwin on February 05, 2003 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Poirier opens her interview by discussing her partner Doris Pressler, who had passed away before the interview. She describes Doris' upbringing, her role in the first band at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, and explains how an all-women band in the 1930s and 1940s was a phenomenon. Poirier then discusses her own history, including how she became involved in music and all-women bands, and how she met Doris. Poirier describes in detail the importance of music to her family, the types of music she played, and what it was like to be a musician during the Depression. She talks about her relationship with Doris and recalls early interactions with other gay youths. Poirer ends her interview explaining why she and Doris decided to settle in Las Vegas, Nevada, and describes their impressions and involvement with the local LGBTQ+ community.
Archival Collection
Vernon Bostick oral history interviews
Oral history interview with Vernon Bostick conducted by Robert McCracken on January 19-20, 2000 and February 04, 2000 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Bostick opens his interviews by discussing his family history and upbringing in a company-owned town in Colorado. Bostick talks extensively about his life in Colorado, his interest in nature, and working on his family ranch. He then describes his forestry management job for the state of Washington. Bostick discusses how his work eventually took him out West, and why he opened a consulting firm to facilitate relations between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and ranchers. He then talks about how his son's success working at the Nevada Test Site convinced him to take a job there in the 1960s. Bostick then discusses a variety of environmental issues and law specific to Las Vegas, Nevada. Bostick ends his interview discussing his opinions about environmental legislation and management.
Archival Collection