Born in Chicago and raised in small Illinois towns, Dorothy Karper met her future husband, Doug Pitzer, when they went to rival high schools. She began nurses’ training in Dixon, Illinois, and immediately after her 1950 graduation, Dorothy and Doug married. Although he never had to go overseas, the Korean War interrupted their married life, and Doug enlisted in the Air Force and went to basic training in Texas. The couple arrived in Las Vegas in July 1954, when Doug was transferred to Nellis Air Force Base. Dorothy worked as a nurse at Las Vegas Hospital and Clinic 1954-1957 and later worked for a private obstetrics practice. From 1954 until Doug’s discharge in 1957 the Pitzers lived in Kelso-Turner Terrace military housing. In 1956 they purchased a new house in Twin Lakes, but they didn't move in until 1957, after the streets were put in. They remained in their Twin Lakes house until they moved into Dorothy’s present house on Burton Avenue, between West Charleston Boulevard
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In the years following this interview, Kerr continued entertaining, although he never returned to the Las Vegas Strip. Kerr performed at OUTfest Phoenix, at Palm Springs’ Awesome August celebrations, Las Vegas’ National Coming Out Day event, and for the Gay and Lesbian Community Center’s Youth Service’s Division. Kerr also gave shows at small bars and restaurants such as Café Nicolle and DeStefano’s in Las Vegas, the Wilde Goose in Cathedral City, California, and the Plush Room in San Francisco. There were rumors that Kerr was set to replace emcee Joey Arias in Cirque du Soliel [2004] and Frank Marino in La Cage [2005], but neither turned out to be true. Instead, Kerr performed in such local gay nightclubs as Flex, Sasha’s, Krave, Suede, and, on July 31, 2012, at the Onyx Theatre in Commercial Center. In 2006, Kerr made peace with his former rival, Frank Marino. Kerr’s son, Kristin Vidal, made Kenny a grandfather with his own son, Alexander. It was clear during his July 2012 performan
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On November 1, 1974, collector James M. Greene, interviewed widow and mine leaser, Bertha Gresh (born August 29th, 1883, in Cedarburg, Wisconsin) in her home in Nelson, Nevada. This interview covers early mining days, Bertha’s personal history, and the history of Nelson County. She also discusses her art, social activities, and the prizes she won as a visual artist in Nevada.
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In this interview, Joyce Mack discusses meeting her husband, Jerry Mack, in Los Angeles,their early life as a couple, and moving to Las Vegas at the suggestion of Jerry's father, Nate Mack. She discusses how Jerry met Parry Thomas and their banking and real estate investments. Mrs. Mack talks about the opening of the Thomas and Mack Center at UNLV, and the development of the strip hotels, and discusses her children.
Joyce Mack: wife to Jerry Mack and matriarch of one of the most influential families of Las Vegas history. During this oral history conversation, she begins by tracing her family ancestry from Kiev to New York to Omaha and then Los Angeles, where she was born and raised. At a UCLA fraternity party in the early 1940s, a teenage Joyce Rosenberg was swept off her feet by her older brother's friend Jerry Mack. Jerry was from Boulder City, Nevada and had attended school in Las Vegas. In 1946, the couple married and took an extended honeymoon throughout the United States and Cuba. Soon afterwards, Jerry's father Nate Mack, a businessman and real estate developer encouraged the newlyweds to come to Las Vegas. She tells of Jerry sharing his vision of the valley's future. Thus began a successful journey that traverses decades of Las Vegas history and breathtaking growth in which the Macks were active participants and leaders. Joyce recalls the people the first met, who they raised their children side-by-side with and became lasting friends. These people were other Las Vegas pioneers including the Greenspuns and mostly importantly her husband's partnership with Parry Thomas which created the Bank of Las Vegas. It was their partnership she explains that reduced the presence of the mob element. As members of the small Jewish community of the late 1940s, the Macks would participate in the founding of Temple Beth Sholom.
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The Ruby Duncan Papers on Operation Life (1972-1992) consist of the organizational records of Operation Life Community Development Corporation, a non-profit organization that worked to improve living conditions in West Las Vegas, Nevada by providing a variety of community development services. Included are correspondence, agreements, accounting records, lease agreements, meeting materials, reports, speeches.
Archival Collection
The Antonio Morelli Papers (approximately 1910-1989) consist of photographic prints and slides, scrapbooks, concert programs, correspondence, and audio recordings that chronicle the professional and personal life of longtime Sands Hotel and Casino orchestra conductor Antonio Morelli and his wife Helen. The collection also documents Morelli’s efforts to provide classical music concerts for the Las Vegas, Nevada community and his involvement with the Guardian Angel Church on the Las Vegas Strip. Included in the collection are reel-to-reel tapes and digital files of musical performances conducted by Morelli.
Archival Collection
The records of Temple Beth Sholom date from 1945 to 2015 and include scrapbooks, photographs, bulletins, meeting minutes, by-laws, correspondence, and publications. The collection contains documentation of the Board of Directors, the Sisterhood, the Men's Club, the history of the congregation, events held by the temple, and construction of the temple building in Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Several organizations unite in solidarity to support the Frontier Strike in December 1990. Supporters holding signs, banners, and flags march and pose outside the Frontier. There are also photos of police officers and firemen outside the hotel. Culinary Union secretary-treasurer Jim Arnold is in multiple photos, posing with groups and individuals, shown on stage at a rally, and at a Christmas party. Also included in this folder are: photos of Frontier owners Margaret and Tom Elardi, a portable bathroom decorated with signs and a large rodent, and a clip from an article stating, "DESERT SOLIDARITY, OUR LINE IN THE SAND." Banners and signs in the photos read: "Aloha from Hawaii, local 5 here, Hawaii's people support Frontier Strike," "Frontier Hotel, on strike, Culinary Workers Union, Bartenders Union, Teamsters Union, Operating Engineers Union, Carpenters Union," "AFL-CIO Desert Solidarity," "We're here! Steelworkers district 39 sub-district 2," "Frontier unfair to Teamsters Local Union 995."Arrangement note: Series I. Demonstrations, Subseries I.A. Frontier Strike Site name: Frontier Hotel and Casino
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The Charles Duncan (C.D.) Baker Papers (1951-1972) consist of clippings, correspondence, and political brochures related to the life and career of Las Vegas, Nevada Mayor Charles Duncan (C.D.) Baker. The collection also contains several scrapbooks of clippings and a mayoral plaque of appreciation from the City of Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
The Arlene Mathews Smith Papers are comprised of materials pertaining to the area around Panaca, Nevada, dating from 1917 to 1978, with a bulk of the items from the 1920s. The papers were collected while she lived in Panaca and consist of records and booklets from the 4-H Boys and Girls Club, two copies of the "Lincoln Lantern" dated 1927, and memorabilia.
Archival Collection
