Abstract
Collection is comprised of scrapbooks, photographs, awards and certificates, and ephemera mainly dating from approximately the 1950s to 1970s gathered by the Levy family of Las Vegas, Nevada. This collection documents the personal and professional lives of three generations in the Levy family: Harry C. Levy, Al Levy, and Andrew “Drew” Levy. Materials in this collection also include photographs and clippings about the Levy Realty Company and about the various public positions held by Harry C. Levy, such as Las Vegas city commissioner.
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Date
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Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The Levy Family papers span from approximately 1950 to 1989 and include photographs, scrapbooks, awards and certificates, and ephemera that belonged to the Levy family. This collection represents the activities of three generations in the Levy family: Harry C. Levy, Al Levy, and Andrew “Drew” Levy. This collection includes scrapbooks and photo albums of the Levy family. Materials in this collection also include clippings, certificates, and photographs showing Harry C. Levy in the different public positions he held, including Las Vegas city commissioner. This collection also includes photographs, advertisements, and scrapbooks of Al Levy and his involvement with the Levy Realty Company. Materials in this collection also include childhood photo albums and scrapbooks of Drew Levy growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1960s and 1970s; scrapbooks showing Drew Levy’s involvement with Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA), the Mountain Region chapter of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO). The collection contents represent the social, personal, and professional lives of a Jewish family living in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1960s and 1970s.
Access Note
Collection is open for research. Some collection material has been digitized and is available online.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials are loosely arranged by format and then chronologically.
Biographical / Historical Note
Harry C. Levy and his family moved to Las Vegas from Southern California in 1947. Levy opened a market, called Market Spot, on the corner of Second Street and Carson Avenue. Levy went on to also open a second store, Panorama Market, at 1401 W. Charleston Boulevard and a bar, called the Duck Inn at Sahara Avenue and Arville Street. Levy also served in several public positions including chairman of the Clark County Juvenile Board from 1951 to 1967, Nevada state tax commissioner from 1959 to 1961, Las Vegas city commissioner from 1961 to 1965, and the board of directors for the National Housing Commission from 1959 to approximately 1970. Levy served on the Las Vegas Housing Authority from 1952 to 1989; he served as chairman of the authority from 1966 until his resignation in 1989. In addition, Levy was affiliated with the Elks, the Masons, Scottish Rite, the Shriners, the Kiwanis of Las Vegas, B’nai B’rith, the Polish American Club, Sons of Italy, Jewish War Veterans, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, state treasurer of the Nevada Democratic Central Committee, and past president of Temple Beth Sholom.
Harry C. Levy’s son, Alvin “Al” Merrill Levy was a Las Vegas, Nevada city councilman and real estate developer. Al Levy was born on August 29, 1933 in Los Angeles, California and moved to Las Vegas in 1943 with his family. He earned a degree in business from the University of Southern California and moved back to Las Vegas to help manage grocery stores owned by his father before starting the Levy Realty Company. In 1978, he was elected to the Ward 1 seat of the city commission, which was later renamed the Las Vegas City Council. He served three terms on the City Council until 1987. Al Levy also served as president of the Las Vegas Board of Realtors and president of the United States Junior Chamber (Jaycees). He was active in the Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite, the Zelzah Shrine Temple, the Rotary Club, the YMCA, and the Boy Scouts. Levy passed away on June 14, 1997 from cardiac failure.
Andrew Levy, son of Al Levy, was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. He continues to run the Levy Realty Company which has developed retail centers, apartment projects, and a mobile home park in Southern Nevada.
Sources:
F. ANDREW TAYLOR View Staff Writer. "Harry C. Levy Spent Decades Working in Public Service." Las Vegas Review-Journal. October 02, 2013. Accessed August 29, 2016. http://www.reviewjournal.com/view/downtown/harry-c-levy-spent-decades-working-public-service.
"Longtime Councilman Al Levy Dies." LasVegasSun.com. June 16, 1997. Accessed August 29, 2016. http://lasvegassun.com/news/1997/jun/16/longtime-councilman-al-levy-dies/.
Preferred Citation
Levy Family Papers, 1950s-1989. MS-00814. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 2016 by Debbie Levy; accession number 2016-043.
Processing Note
The collection was minimally processed by Tammi Kim in 2016 at the time of accessioning. The materials were quickly reviewed to provide a general description of the contents of each box and an estimate of dates represented in the material. Loose papers were foldered. No further work was performed on the materials.