Transcript of interview with Helen Cecil by Susan Vogel, March 16, 1978

UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil i An Interview with Helen Cecil An Oral History Conducted by Susan Vogel Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas Special Collections and Archives Oral History Research Center University Libraries University of Nevada, Las Vegas UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil ii © Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2017 UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil iii The Oral History Research Center (OHRC) was formally established by the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada System in September 2003 as an entity of the UNLV University Libraries’ Special Collections Division. The OHRC conducts oral interviews with individuals who are selected for their ability to provide first-hand observations on a variety of historical topics in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. The OHRC is also home to legacy oral history interviews conducted prior to its establishment including many conducted by UNLV History Professor Ralph Roske and his students. This legacy interview transcript received minimal editing, such as the elimination of fragments, false starts, and repetitions in order to enhance the reader's understanding of the material. All measures have been taken to preserve the style and language of the narrator. The interviewee/narrator was not involved in the editing process. UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil iv Abstract On March 16, 1978, Susan Vogel interviewed Helen Cecil (born November 4, 1916 in Silver City, Utah) in her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. She relocated to Las Vegas with her parents for health reasons. This interview covers family life, education, employment and the growth and development of Las Vegas. Helen attended Las Vegas High School and then went on to work at the Las Vegas High School for many years, an accomplishment that she is extremely proud of. During the interview she also mentions the Boulder Dam, the Old Ranch, and the Westside. UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 1 History 117, narrator Helen Cecil, March 16th, 1978, Susan Vogel, interviewer. Okay, please state your name and present address. It’s Helen Cecil, 2904 Marlin, Apartment B, Las Vegas. Okay. Where and when were you born? Silver City, Utah. 11-4-16. Okay. How long have you lived in Las Vegas? Fifty-five years. And have you lived anywhere else besides Las Vegas? We come to Las Vegas when I was 4 years old and then I lived about three years in San Diego after I was married. Mm-hm. And why did you come to Nevada? Well, the reason we come to Nevada was because my father and quite a few members of my family had the flu in that epidemic of 1918 and they suggested that my father come to a dry country to, for his health. Does any members of your family also live in Nevada? Yes. I have a sister here and a brother here right now. But we have always, the majority of us have always been here in Las Vegas. Uh-huh and how about your children? Ah, two of my sons and their families live here. And where’s the other one? My oldest son lives in Irvine, California. And could you tell me their occupations? Bill is an assistant regional director of customs patrol for the Department of Treasury. UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 2 Mm-hm. Ah, could you tell me where your family— Do you want (unintelligible) for the other boys or? Why, sure. Okay. Bruce works for Syntel and he’s in the personnel and he works with labor relations in personnel. Okay. Ah. And then Brent is a music teacher out of Basic High School. (Laughs) And where did your family come from originally? I would say England and France. Okay. Mm-hm. Ah, does any of your sons go to school in this area? Yes. They all went to school, all went through, all through school here. And they have, all have graduated from university and Bruce has his masters from university. Mm-hm. Brent is working on his—no, Bill didn’t go to the university here. No, he didn’t graduate from university here but he graduated from high school. Ah, back to your family, do you know when they came to the U.S. or Utah, where you were born, or (unintelligible)? No. Only that I know that my grandmother, my father’s mother, was about ten years old when she come to the states. Mm-hm. From England. UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 3 Mm-hm. Ah, where did you go to school? I’ve attended Las Vegas schools all the way through. When did you attend university, excuse me, Las Vegas High School? Um, ah, Las Vegas High School, we were the first freshman class to go into the new high school, when it was first built. When it was a brand new school and we went all four years through and graduated from there. So we were actually the first class that went the four years and we graduated, oh out of high school, okay, we were the first graduating class in 1934. I graduated in 1934. So it was the (unintelligible) was dedicated in 1930. Mm-hm. How many other high schools were there in Las Vegas? Just one. And it was just the first high school. Well, it wasn’t the first high school no, it was the (unintelligible) because they did have a high school program (unintelligible) About how many students attended? Oh, I would say about three hundred. Mm-hm. And where did you live when you went to school? When I went to—well, we’ve lived in several different places. Ah, we lived on Second Street, ah, no let’s see, we first lived on Fifth Street in the house on Fifth Street right across from where the school was. It was in the Three Hundred Block on Fifth Street when I went to grade school. Well, let me go back this way though. Because when I started in the kindergarten I, let’s see, when I started in kindergarten, we lived on Second Street and we had to walk from Second Street up to Fifth Street School and I can remember very, very well walking up to school and I know that I can remember very well me being frightened and running all the way home. I can remember that so well. And then we moved to a house over on Third Street. We lived on Third Street right where the First National Bank building is right now and it’s just a block down, not UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 4 even quite a block off of Fremont. And we lived there for quite some time while I was going to grade school. And then we lived, moved down to 601 South Main Street. And we lived there for quite some time. That was really our home. And then, my last years in high school we lived at 321 South Fifth Street, which is Las Vegas Boulevard now, and that was right across the street from the grade school. How far did you have to walk or how did you get to high school? We always walked. Oh. Walk, walk, walk, we walked everywhere. We walked, ah, we would walk—we would have an hour for lunch and we’d always walk home from Fifth Street, well the school was on Seventh Street and we would walk down to 601 South Main Street. About how long and how far was that? Well, that was seven blocks and three blocks over was seven blocks—you know, seven blocks over and three blocks across, so—and we would walk that for our noon hour, always, (unintelligible) real hot lunch for us and we’d come up stairs. How do you think the school system has changed, if it has changed and has it changed for the good or for the bad? Oh my goodness, yes, the school system has changed so much and I would say for the best. There’s you know, there’s a lot of good improvements in this school district. But I still think that they give the kids so much and they, the kids have so much freedom and they just give the kids everything. Just I just don’t (unintelligible) I just—we didn’t, we just had the basics. And we went to school and—to learn, to learn. Mm-hm. UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 5 And we learned. We had very good teachers, very good teachers, and we learned. Were there many of male teachers or more female teachers or? There were several male teachers. I had several male teachers yes, even in grade school. Ah, when I was in the eighth grade and well, even when I was in sixth grade, I had male teachers. And how about the female teachers, were they proud to be teachers? Yes, they were proud to be there. Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Yes. When I was, you know, my fifth grade teacher, well, all up to the time I was in the fifth grade, they were females and then there were, I would say, half and half. Mm-hm. Was the University of Nevada, Las Vegas there? No. When—do you remember when it first—? Yes. I remember when it started, they started to build it up. Okay. But I really wasn’t affiliated with it too much at that time and so you know, I just, it’s vague to me right now. But I’ve—I’ve watched it grow and I was happy that the school was here for my sons to go to when it was time for them. Were there any other colleges and universities in Nevada? Ah, not around, not close around. We’ve had to go—the majority of the people went to the University of Nevada, Reno. Mm-hm. And quite a few would go to Utah colleges and to California to colleges but when we graduated quite a few of them, well, there weren’t too many of the—even the fellows that went to college. UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 6 And there were very, very few girls that went to college after I left school. Because I thought—the greatest thing about my going to high school was that my first two years I took home economics and I took sewing and cooking and learned a lot about the home. And then, the last two years I took business courses, shorthanded typing, and when I graduated from high school I thought that I was really equipped to go out and be a homemaker or to be an office worker. And I did very well in typing and shorthand and if I were to follow through with my (Laughs) knowledge I could’ve, I think that I was very well prepared to go out into the world, from my, you know, from my schooling. Were there a lot of business opportunities for women? Ah, I didn’t have any trouble finding a job and there were a lot of girls that were graduating at the time and they all found jobs. Ah, my sisters all worked. They were all working and all my friends were working hard. A few went to college. So I don’t see any—that there was any lack of it, you know? What occupations have you been involved? Well, let’s see, while I was a senior in high school I ushered at the old Palace Theatre and then when I graduated from high school I worked in the—I was a telephone operator for a little while. See my father was, he was sheriff of Clark County at that time, that I graduated from high school and the, this was really interesting. This was an interesting time in my life because my father, we used to go with my father quite often. Ah, a lot of things that he had to do and we’d ride in this big black car with the siren going and it was so fun to pass all the cars up and everything. And I—I know my father had to go out every Saturday night, you now, to check out, to give all the girls their tickets, (unintelligible) their cards, so that they could go to work and they couldn’t go to work until my father took their cards to them. And so, we used to go in the car every Saturday UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 7 evening, deliver the cards all down the Boulder Highway, and that was my experience. That was (unintelligible) oh, there’s so many other things that I could tell you about it. But (unintelligible) Well, if you think that there’s any interesting stories that (unintelligible) You know, I, not to dwell on but right now, because it would take a little time to really get into. Okay, getting back to your occupations— Yes. Uh-huh. Besides ushering? Well, then I worked—I was the only operator that worked all night at the switchboard. I, you know, and today, how many girls work the switchboard at night. But there was just me—all night long and I just had a little tiny mouse to keep me company. And I know that I used to go—I would get off work about, sometimes I would get off work about twelve o’clock in the—at night. And my father saw to it that I always had a policeman or someone to take me home. But many, many nights I went home by myself and I would have to run all the way because I was so frightened, I’ll always remember that so well. ‘Cause I’d have to go through the courthouse yard. Mm-hm. And I’d have to go through this schoolyard. (Laughs) And it was really frightening to me but that was an experience. Because I was the one that got to turn all the lights on, you know, for the city, and turn the lights off, the nightlights, you know, streetlight. (Laughs) And I thought that was really something and of course, we’d only have about two or three calls during the nights, you know. And I just had one with a (unintelligible) but that was an experience working at the telephone company. But then when they put me on nights I didn’t like that too much. So I got a job over to the First State Bank and it was the only UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 8 bank in town at the time, and I was the only woman that was in charge there. And I first started working at the switchboard and I worked the switchboard for a little while and then I, you know, then as secretary to Mr. C. C. Ronald, who was the bank president at that time. And then, I worked over in the statements and the new accounts and the safe deposit boxes and I just had my little place right over there and I really liked (unintelligible) it was very practical and really nice. And I, Mr. Weaver, Gerald Weaver was there and there was so many, many of the old pioneers that were there at that, well, have, you know, stayed in Las Vegas (unintelligible) Allen, and Johnny Bevel and oh, there’s so many of them that work then and I worked there for about eight years and at that eight years that time, the First National Bank purchased the first big bank and they had built that new building over on Third Street right off of Fremont. And I guess that was just a turning point in my life because my brother was coming home from a mission at that time and I took a leave of absence and then when, in the interim I got married and (Laughs) moved down to San Diego. Ah, what prompted you to work there? Well, I don’t think that anything prompted me, I think it was just an available job. And I think that my father got me the job at the bank. He knew the teller over there and very well and I think that he got me the job at the bank. They just happened to need someone and he knew about it and so I went up and applied. Mm. But— How were the wages? Oh, I remember that so well, I was—I worked for eighty dollars a month and I worked there for eight years and when I quit I was (unintelligible) UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 9 And what kind of security system did they use? Was—were there many bank robberies and— No. Compared to those— Not at all. Of now? Mm-mm. We never heard of that. And they’re really, they had security, I know, I can remember very well, my, the truck would drive up to the bank and—to bring all the money in and they did have policemen at, you know, to secure it, they secured it while they were delivering there. But there wasn’t the need for the security that they have now. Not at all. Mm-hm. Okay. Are you a member of a church or are you involved in any special activities with the church? Yes. I’ve always been very, very active in LDS and Mormon Church here in Las Vegas. And I, when we first come to Las Vegas we met in a room on top of the old, where the old Pioneer Club was. And we would always have to go up and clear all the cigarettes and bottles, the, and bottles of, empty bottles of liquor and such as that before we could call Sunday school in the morning. But that’s where we first met and then we built a little chapel over on Sixth and Carson and my mother was such a staunch worker in that project. And then, of course they built the chapel over at Ninth and Clark, and of course the chapel at Eighth and London, and my goodness, let’s see, from that little beginning there are about forty-six wards now and that was— Mm-hm. And I’ve always, I was state primary president for many, many years. I was the eighth president there. I very been active in the church. That’s been our life. UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 10 Do you really enjoy it? I enjoy it very, very much. I’ve always enjoyed it. It’s brought me a lot of pleasure. Really so much pleasure. Is there anything presently that you’re actively doing right now, something specific? I’m teaching the seven-year-old children in Sunday school (unintelligible) Now where was this meeting place (unintelligible)? First meeting place that we went to was above the Old Pioneer Club Which is where though? Which is, well, let’s see, is it on Second? Not Second, and then we also met up on up above what was, up above the Las Vegas Club, which was right on Fremont. But they were both right on Fremont. Okay, so, Downtown Las Vegas was really (unintelligible)? Oh, definitely, oh my, yes. I can [remember] when Fremont Street was—we used to play in the mud on Fremont Street and we would sit on the corner, ah, you know, right on the corner of Third and Fremont and that was our playing, playground, really, and Fremont was just a tree lane—tree lined lane. It was just so beautiful, old homes on it, and it, the trees would just meet practically across, you know, in the middle of the street and it was just a beautiful tree lane. Took a full (Laughs) little town setting, I would say. It’s hard to believe in Las Vegas was like that. Mm-hm. The streets weren’t even paved. Fremont wasn’t even paved. When did the Strip and Las Vegas Boulevard really start to develop? Well, I can—the first one that was there was the El Rancho Hotel. Of course before that they used to have a lot of little nightclubs that we used to go to before, in high school and right out of UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 11 highs school. And then, of course, when they built the El Rancho Hotel, I mean, that was the first one. And of course, we used to go there all the time and we would go and that’s where we saw all the shows that they have now, which were, you know, the main people then. The very, very top talent, Nell (Unintelligible) and Janet McDonald and, well, the very, very top people, and we’d go and have a thirty-five cent piece of pie, then see all these entertainers. What was, so there weren’t any major hotels other than that though? No. They developed, I think, later on in the forties, they started after that, I think they started. (Unintelligible) (Unintelligible) The Sahara Hotel was really it might just be the Old Bingo (unintelligible) and then it was the Sahara Hotel. So there about the oldest. Mm-hm. But it wasn’t finished yet but it’s definitely been changed. (Laughs) What does Las Vegas at home look like? Well, at what time of my life? When I was in grade school or high school or? Well, when you were in high school. When I was in high school, now, where the high school is now, or the high school building is now, there was nothing in Las Vegas, nothing. There were three or four nice homes along Seventh Street. Mm-hm. But there was, ah, but there was nothing else. In fact, we used to, where the school is now, that used to be the desert, and we would go out there on a picnic and we would (unintelligible) Were there many lights like there are now? UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 12 Oh no. Uh-uh. First we had street lights. As long as I can remember we had streetlights because that’s where we could play was the end of the streetlights. But not, no, not the lights that we have now. They wouldn’t come till later years—very later years. And—what were the streets and the roads and highways, I’m sure they’ve grown in quantity, but you think that it’s helped as it went along. Oh, definitely the streets and highways, yes, because Charleston Boulevard used to be just a little byway and there were ranches and watermelon patches and all such as that all along Charleston Boulevard. I can remember that so well. And there was, oh there were a lot of ranches around and I just don’t think people could believe it now because there were a lot of ranches and we had fruit, lots of fruit, grapes and apricots and all of it, all kinds of fruit. Because the peddler used to put ‘em out, you know, in his wagon, and deliver and (Laughs) What would you say was probably the most common occupation, of course, in Las Vegas? Well, there was the (unintelligible) a lot of people, a lot of people (unintelligible) and then, of course when the Boulder Dam started there was, this brought in, you know, 1931, through my high school years, right afterwards was when they started Boulder Dam. And of course that really filled up, and you know what’s interesting to, you know, the Depression at this point and time in the thirties. People in Las Vegas, we really didn’t feel the Depression. Because they had just started the dam. Yes. We did have a welfare office here and I can remember a few lines of people, you know, but we really didn’t feel the Depression here like the other places felt. Because we had, they had just started building the Boulder Dam. How long did it take to build the Boulder Dam? UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 13 Oh, I can’t say exactly. But it was many, many years. But that was surely interesting. (Unintelligible) I remember going out to all of the dances, out to Boulder City, and of course that was the time when we first started (unintelligible) on the Strip and he, we would go out there with him so often, you know, and we would go through the (unintelligible) I remember I used to walk through those tunnels, you know one of those huge big tunnels, where the water is tunnels now. But we used to, we walked through those tunnels and they’d say if you’d just stick your finger out the force of the water would just cut it off. And, ‘cause we knew several people that were working out there at that time. They were taking out on Sundays and such and we’d ride the, oh, what do they call it. The monkey, the monkey cage and it would go up and down in front of the dam. We were carrying the workers up. Mm-hm. And they had a catwalk that went from across the canyon. Mm-hm. And we used to walk across that all the time. That was really something. But we really grew up at the dam. Could you— The building of it. Now can you tell me anything about the Old Ranch? Do you remember a name, that’s—any specific name? Well, we used to call it Stewart Ranch or the Old Ranch. That was the names we’ve called it and I can remember it very, very well. Because we used to—that was our picnic ground. We would go out there for picnics all the time. Where—where is the Old Ranch located? UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 14 The Old Ranch was just on Fifth Street on Las Vegas Boulevard, which is north now and it was just down from the Elks Club, where the Elks Club is now, right across from, you know where Lions Park is now. Mm-hm. Can you relate a specific incident at the time? Oh, my goodness, I can remember our picnics but, and so well, and I can remember going out there swimming so much and but, I, probably one certain incident, no, uh-uh. Were there other people that went out there on picnics? Oh my yes. Oh my yes. That’s where everybody went in Las Vegas. That’s—and then many of the times we would go out and have our church services out at the Old Ranch and out in the open. And we’d have our church service out there on Sundays. Can you describe an individual who worked there or was associated with the Old Ranch (unintelligible)? Oh, I definitely remember Helen Stewart. Oh, and I’m trying to think of her first name. I don’t—I can’t recall her first name (unintelligible) with the daughter. But I have pictures of us out at the Old Ranch, ah, picnicking. Who was Helen’s spouse? But—Helen Stewart was the daughter of, oh my goodness, I can’t think of the name—Mina, Mina, Mina Stewart. Mina. And she, they ran their ranch for, they were the (unintelligible) they owned the ranch there and I’m sure they owned the ranch for quite some time and they lived in a house just across the street. Can you describe any of the buildings on the Old Ranch property? UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 15 What it was like? But what I remember best about the Old Ranch is all of the fruit trees and the fig trees and the, you know, that’s where we would go. I—I don’t remember the buildings too much, no I don’t remember the buildings. But I do remember just the trees and the lawns and you know the (unintelligible) What happened to it? Well, they sold it I think to the—and then, Cashman, where Cashman Field is now, they took part of it to build Cashman Field and they took part of it to make the Elks Club. The Elks people bought it. And they took part of it to make the Elks Club and they took part of it to—and part of it is Lions Park now, all down through there. And that was a sad thing when that (unintelligible) that was a beautiful park here. Ah, getting back to Las Vegas itself, ah, do you think gambling affected your lifestyle and anybody else’s lifestyle, your family’s lifestyle? No. We were born and raised here in Las Vegas. The gambling has never affected us because I guess of our religion. They always kept us busy enough that we didn’t have to indulge in any of the gambling. Mm. We have, you know, we participated and gone out to the, any of the events that they’ve had in a lot of the hotels. Because I think we, well, when my children were small, ah, I can’t remember exactly unless it was the Frontier, which hotel it was, but they used to have family night on Friday night. And they would have a dinner and we could go out and we’d see people like Spike Jones and entertainment like this and it was very, very good. And we participated in a lot of the UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 16 things and then when the Frontier Hotel, they had Easter egg hunts, oh, every Easter and they would have Easter egg hunts, and on Mother’s Day they would have things, you know, programs and things, very special programs. And so, I really—I don’t that this gambling has—it really hasn’t hurt me nor any of my family nor my children. Mm-hm. My children grew up here and I—it hasn’t hurt them, none of them gamble and, but, you know, we, it just hasn’t been part of our lives. So it really hasn’t affected us. Oh, ah, gambling has developed Las Vegas into being one of the biggest tourist spots in the world. Mm-hm. Ah, has all the tourists, tourism affected your life? Oh yes, I think our tourism and I think the gambling has affected our life for the better. Because if Las Vegas hadn’t of had these she would have probably died of (Laughs) died of death. But I think that—I think that it’s definitely helped Las Vegas, my goodness, yes. Because Las Vegas wouldn’t be what it is today without these things, without the gambling. Do you like living in Las Vegas? I love it. I wouldn’t leave it for anything. Why is that? I don’t know, but I’ve thought very, very seriously about leaving many times. But I just can’t leave. I just, I guess I’m just rivet here. Mm-hm. UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 17 I—I don’t particularly like the hot summers anymore. I like to get anyway from it during the hot summers. But—and I think that I can someday when I retire. But Las Vegas has been good to me and I love it, I just really love living here. So you don’t consider Las Vegas as “Sin City?” Definitely not. Las Vegas is not Sin City, as far as I’m concerned. Because it surely hasn’t affected my life that way, at all, nor anyone that’s a, you know, that I’ve been affiliated with. Do the rest of your family feel the same way? Do they like Las Vegas as you do? I’m sure they feel the same way. Uh-huh. Because they wouldn’t leave for anything. Now my sisters—one of my sisters, when she married, she left, because of employment—of her husband’s employment. And then, my older, other sister, ah, when her husband retired, they moved to Idaho. But they still love to come back to Las Vegas and they would live in Las Vegas, you know, they still love it. You have any goals, as far as what you want to do, if you’re gonna stay here, I assume that you’re gonna stay here for the rest of your life, do you have any goals—? Yes. That you want to set for yourself, well do you? Well, the first thing, see, I still live in an apartment. First thing I want is a house, a home. That’s my goal and I think that I’m gonna get it this year. I want a home so I can get out in the yard and do the things I want to do. Mm-hm. That’s my main—one of my main goals right now and then of course just to keep my family together and just to make my life as good as it can be. That’s my goals here. Yes. I assume you’re really happier with your good present occupation, which is— UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 18 Yes. I’m very, very happy with my present occupation. It was really strange that I went back to work at Las Vegas High School. I took a little course from—the government was offering at the time. When they first started teacher’s aide and I took this course from the government and they just happened to place me over at Las Vegas High School. And that was in 1963, when I decided that I needed to go back to work and ah, I, so I, and I’ve worked at Las Vegas High School ever since then. And it’s been really a thrill to me to be able to work over there. I’ve been very proud of the fact that I graduated from there and that I’ve been able to find employment there and work. Is there any specific key points in your life that you really remember that’s really important to you or could be important for this interview? Well, there’s a lot of, lot of things that ah—my husband worked for the post office all the many years that he was here. But I guess the thing that changed my life the most was when my husband passed away. When did he pass away? And—he passed away in ’67. Course my boys were—one boy was graduated and my other son was just graduating and my other son just had a few more years of high school. And so it wasn’t too difficult that way. But I guess that was the main, you know, really changed my way of living. Mm-hm. And so I just worked and tried to keep things together and tried to help my boys as much as I could so that they could have, you know, get their education, and do those things. Now I guess it’s my turn to retire and (Laughs) start enjoying life. Would you encourage anybody or everybody to move to Las Vegas or Nevada, under any age group, the old, the young, the middle-aged? UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 19 Any age group. I think this is a beautiful place to—especially for retiring people. Mm-hm. Ah, people in there, to retire, because of the weather and there’s so much to do here. There’s just no limit to the things that you can do. Oh, there’s so many things I want to do here—that my life would just be full, full, full, as long as I can, you know, it, there’s so many things to do here. There’s a university and there’s the churches and there’s the cultural events and then there’s service that you can give everywhere and oh, there’s just, there’s just a multitude of (unintelligible) What do you think about the culture in Las Vegas? I, from what I see—I came from the east, so our community center and all that was just a part of life. And you’re used to that. But I notice there isn’t as much. Would you want to see more culture, concerts, ballets? Yes. I would like to see more. But as far as I’m concerned I’m perfectly satisfied. I go to the, I belong to, you know, the series of concerts out of Ham Hall. I go to those. And, oh, for many, many, many years I (unintelligible) myself of these Sunday concerts. I love it when I can go to them when it wasn’t going to interfere with my church and oh, I think that if you want culture here in Las Vegas you can find it. Do you think that really they should start building more museums and stuff like that? No. We do. To show— UNLV University Libraries Helen Cecil 20 We do lack museums and we do lack history and this is why I’ve been so interested in the university’s tracing of the history and I’ve talked to (unintelligible) quite often, you know, and I think this is so wonderful that they’re collecting this history. Now as long as I worked over at Las Vegas High School library and they have the largest collection. Because they are the oldest high school. But they never had anything, not anything on the history of Nevada or Las Vegas. And even in the public libra