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Transcript of Jim Gans by Claytee D. White, January 20, 2013

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Narrator

Date

2013-01-30

Description

The Gans family moved to Las Vegas in 1950 to help alleviate Jim’s mother’s sinus condition and to provide better opportunities for his father who was in the refrigeration and air conditioning field. Jim started in school at Bonanza Elementary, then to a new Hyde Park Junior High where he was part of the first class and on to Rancho High School. Jim was always a hard worker. His first jobs were mowing lawns, a paper route, and working at a dog boarding kennel for 25-cents an hour. He learned early on that hard work and saving money would always pay off. His interests were varied including becoming a certified instructor for the Red Cross and serving on their Safety Committee. He led the Sierra Club as their Outing Chairman and spent a lot of time hiking. After graduation from high school he attended Nevada Southern University on and off because he also had to work, it took him six years to graduate. During this time, he became a member of the IBEW Union and helped build the Science and Technology Building and the Dickinson Library on campus. He then went to work for the Environmental Agency, also on campus. After that, he worked for the Titanium Metal Corporation in Henderson, NV. Always interested in flying, he went to Reno and attended the Aviation academy, got his license and stayed on for a while as an instructor. He and his wife, who he met at NSU, came back to Las Vegas where he worked for Central Telephone Co. and then Southwest Gas Company. His career path took a positive turn when he was hired by the Las Vegas Valley Water district and then transferred to the Clark County Sanitation District. He headed up an environmental planning department that culminated in a new, advanced waste water treatment plan and management system. In 1982, Jim went back to UNLV and got a MA in public administration. He spent 25 years with the Sanitation Department, 20 of those years as the General Manager. In 1999, Jim’s good friend Manny Cortez convinced him he needed a change and offered him a job at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. He took the job and worked there until he retired. Jim spends many hours in various volunteer endeavors. One is PAYBAC (Professionals and Youth Building a Commitment) where he goes to various middle schools and talks to the students about the importance of education. For Jim Gans, retired is a relative term. The Gans family moved to Las Vegas in 1950 to help alleviate his mother’s sinus condition and also better opportunities for his father who was in the refrigeration and air conditioning field. Jim started in school at Bonanza Elementary, then to a new Hyde Park Junior High where he was part of the first class and on the Rancho High School. Jim was always a hard worker. His first jobs were mowing lawns, a paper route, and working at a dog boarding kennel for .25 an hour. He learned early on that hard work and saving money would always pay off. His interests were varied including becoming a certified instructor for the Red Cross and serving on their Safety Committee. He led the Sierra Club as their Outing Chairman and spent a lot of time hiking. After graduation from high school he attended Nevada Southern University on and off because he also had to work, it took him six years to graduate. During this time, he became a member of the IBEW Union and helped build the Science and Technology Building and the Dickinson Library on campus. He then went to work for the Environmental Agency also on campus. After that, he worked for the Titanium Metal Corporation in Henderson, NV. Always interested in flying, he went to Reno and attended the Aviation academy, got his license and stayed on for a while as an instructor. He and his wife, who he met at NSU, came back to Las Vegas where he worked for Central Telephone Co. and then Southwest Gas Company. His career path took a positive turn when he was hired by the Las Vegas Valley Water district and then transferred to the Clark County Sanitation District. He headed up an environmental planning department that culminated in a new, advanced waste water treatment plan and management system. In 1982, Jim went back to UNLV and got a MA in public administration. He spent 25 years with the Sanitation Department, 20 of those years as the General Manager. In 1999, Jim’s good friend Manny Cortez convinced him he needed a change and offered him a job at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. He took the job and worked there until he retired. Jim spends many hours in various volunteer endeavors. One is PAYBAC (Professionals and Youth Building a Commitment) where he goes to various middle schools and talks to the students about the importance of education. For Jim Gans, retired is a relative term.

Digital ID

OH_02098_book
    Details

    Citation

    Jim Gans oral history interview, 2013 January 30. OH-02098. [Transcript]. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/d1np20m9t

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    This material is made available to facilitate private study, scholarship, or research. It may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by UNLV. Users are responsible for determining whether permissions are necessary from rights owners for any intended use and for obtaining all required permissions. Acknowledgement of the UNLV University Libraries is requested. For more information, please see the UNLV Special Collections policies on reproduction and use (https://www.library.unlv.edu/speccol/research_and_services/reproductions) or contact us at special.collections@unlv.edu.

    Standardized Rights Statement

    Language

    English

    Format

    application/pdf

    i AN INTERVIEW WITH JIM GANS An Oral History Conducted by Claytee D. White The Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project Oral History Research Center at UNLV University Libraries University of Nevada Las Vegas ii ©The Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral