Photograph of Mayor Oran K. Gragson with USAF Thunderbirds, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, circa early 1960s

Mayor Oran K. Gragson (standing, 2nd from right), poses with USAF Thunderbirds, precision flying team based at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayor Gragson is holding a matted photo of the Thunderbirds in flight over Hoover Dam. The inscription reads " To: Mayor Oran Gragson with sincere best wishes, The USAF Thunderbirds." Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 – October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N. Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor. Site Name: Nellis Air Force Base (Nev.)