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Marie and James B. McMillan Papers (MS-00482)

Abstract

The Marie and James B. McMillan Papers (1928-2010) primarily contain documents pertaining to the families and careers of Marie and James B. McMillan. Included in the collection are photographs, biographical materials, newspaper clippings, award certificates, programs, obituaries, scrapbooks, trophies, legal and military documents, and political campaign documents. Marie McMillan is a former Las Vegas, Nevada flight instructor and one of the first women to work at the Nevada Test Site in Nye County, Nevada. James B. McMillan was the first African-American dentist to practice in Nevada, as well as a prominent Nevada civil rights leader.

Finding Aid PDF

Date

1928-2010

Extent

10.38 Cubic Feet (25 boxes)
12.76 Linear Feet

Related People/Corporations

Scope and Contents Note

The Marie and James B. McMillan Papers (1928-2010) primarily contain documents pertaining to the families and careers of Marie and James B. McMillan. The collection is mostly comprised of documents relating to their activities in Las Vegas, Nevada and Southern Nevada, including Marie McMillan's work at the Nevada Test Site and her aviation career; Marie's first husband "Duke" Daly's military service and work at the Nevada Test Site; and Dr. James B. McMillan's career as a dentist, civil rights leader, politician, and businessman. Included are photographs, biographical materials, newspaper clippings, award certificates, programs, obituaries, scrapbooks, trophies, legal and military documents, and political campaign documents.

Access Note

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.

Arrangement

The materials are arranged into two series:

Series I. Marie McMillan papers, 1928-2010;

Series II. James B. McMillan papers, 1935-2006.

Biographical / Historical Note

Pilot and educator Marie McMillan was born Marie Stever in 1926 and was raised in Northern California. She earned her Associate's degree at the University of California, Berkeley before marrying Elisha "Duke" Daly. Daly served as a radio operator on several naval ships during World War II. After World War II, the couple worked at Ernest O. Lawrence's radiation laboratory in Berkeley, California. In 1957, they moved to Nevada to work at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), with Marie becoming one of the first women to work there. In the 1960s, Marie McMillan and "Duke" Daly's marriage ended. In 1964, Marie married dentist and Nevada civil rights leader Dr. James B. McMillan.

While at the NTS, McMillan began learning how to fly airplanes. In 1978, she decided to challenge several aviation records and over the course of the next decade, she set 657 new records. In addition to flying, she also had an active career in several aviation organizations, including serving as the United States' delegate to several of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale conferences. She also served as the Clark County Department of Aviation public information representative for McCarran Airport and as a member of the Flying Ninety-Nines, a female aviation organization. In 2005, she was given the Distinguished Nevadan Award by the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Source:

"Marie E. McMillan." Nevada Aerospace Hall of Fame. Accessed October 11, 2018. http://www.nvahof.org/hof/marie_mcmillan/

Civil rights leader James B. McMillan was born in 1917 in Aberdeen, Mississippi and moved to Michigan in 1931 with his family. He finished his high school education in Hamtramck, Michigan where he was the first African-American captain of the football and track teams. In 1936, he opted to enroll at the University of Detroit rather than the segregated University of Michigan. After graduation, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry.

While at Meharry, McMillan joined the Army Specialized Training Program and was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the Army Dental Corps. He was the first African-American man assigned to the 49th Battalion, which was stationed in Calcutta, India, and he rose to the rank of Captain. In 1946, he was honorably discharged. In 1954, he was recalled to active duty in Indiana and promoted to Major. He received a second honorable discharge in 1955 and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he lived until his death in 1999.

McMillan was the first African-American dentist in Nevada. He served as a member of the State Board of Dental Examiners, the American Board of Dental Examiners, and the American Dental Association. He was also active in the community, serving as Director of the Clark County Boys Club, Director of the Diabetic Society, on the board of directors for the KVBC television station, and as a member of the City of Hope fundraising committee.

McMillan was a prominent civil rights leader and an integral part of desegregation efforts in Nevada. He served as president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Las Vegas branch, chairman of the Economic Opportunity Board of Clark County, and president of the Black Chamber of Commerce (now known as the Urban Chamber of Commerce). In addition, he founded the Las Vegas Human Rights Commission, served on the Clark County School Board, was elected president of the West Las Vegas Democratic Club, and became the first African-American to served on the State Democratic Central Committee. He was also the first African-American from Nevada to run for the United States Senate and campaign for Las Vegas City Council. In 1960, as local NAACP president, McMillan threatened to march on the Las Vegas Strip to demand desegregation of public accomodations. Later, McMillan threatened another march to force casinos to hire blacks in positions other than porters and maids. In both cases, the casino owners capitulated. McMillan also orchestrated large voter registration drives to encourage minorities to vote.

In 1990, James B. McMillan Elementary School was dedicated in his honor. Weeks after McMillan's death in 1999, the Nevada State Assembly passed Concurrent Resolution No. 49 to honor McMillan's commitment to civil rights and racial equality.

Source:

"Dr. James B. McMillan: Committed to Freedom." Online Nevada Encyclopedia. Accessed December 10, 2018. http://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/dr-james-b-mcmillan-committed-freedom

Related Collections

The following resources may provide additional information related to the materials in this collection:

Marie and James B. McMillan Photo Collection. PH-00334. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Marie McMillan oral history interview, 2009 September 15, 2009 September 23, 2009 October 01, and 2009 November 24. OH-01272. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

James McMillan oral history interview, 1999 January 23. OH-01271. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada

Preferred Citation

Marie and James B. McMillan Papers, 1928-2010. MS-00482. Special Collections and Archvies, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Acquisition Note

Materials were donated periodically from 2004 to 2010 by Marie McMillan; accession numbers 2004-06 and 2011-21.

Processing Note

Materials were processed by Joyce Moore in 2012. In 2014, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Lindsay Oden wrote the collection description and brought it into compliance with current professional standards. Subsequently Lindsay Oden entered the data into ArchivesSpace. In 2018, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Christina Lamoureux rehoused the material from the 2011-21 addition, revised the finding aid, and entered the data into ArchivesSpace.

Resource Type

Papers

Collection Type

EAD ID

US::NvLN::MS00482

Separated Materials

Some of the photographs in this acquisition were removed from the collection and placed in:

Marie and James B. McMillan Photo Collection. PH-00334. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Finding Aid Description Rules

Describing Archives: A Content Standard
English