Barbara Millington interview, March 2, 1980: transcript

UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 1 An Interview with Barbara Millington An Oral History Conducted by David Mowrey Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas Special Collections and Archives Oral History Research Center University Libraries UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 2 University of Nevada, Las Vegas © Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2020 UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 3 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 Barbara Millington 4 Abstract On March 2, 1980, collector David Mowrey interviewed Barbara Millington (born July 3rd, 1937 in Oak Creek, Colorado) at her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. In this interview, Mrs. Millington discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with her family and working various jobs including at Vegas Village and becoming a bookkeeper at a construction firm. She also speaks about the changes she has seen in Las Vegas, such as how casinos were when she first came here compared to how they are now. She ends the interview talking about the need for Las Vegas to find industry outside of gaming. She discusses the need for young people to come back after going away to college to improve the city. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 5 Date is March 2nd, 1980 at 4:30. Place: her house, Las Vegas, Nevada. The collector is David Mowrey, 5080 Paradise Road and project is Local History Project: Oral Interview. Okay. When did you first come to Las Vegas? Well, I had been in and out of Las Vegas from a little girl, around six to eight years old, but we stayed living in Arizona because my father thought it was a bad place to raise girls. And we didn't actually move to Las Vegas till 1955, even though I'd seen it grow from a little girl to the present stage it is right now. I can remember when we would cross over the dam from the Arizona side during the war, we had to leave everything rolled up. But it was all desert except for Boulder City, and then it was all desert except for a few houses. Then when we came upon Henderson, there was a few houses, but mostly the people lived in tent houses because they were building titanium. A lot of our friends moved over here then, but we didn't because my father still thought it wasn't a fit place to raise girls, so he wouldn't come, even though everybody was coming over here because of money. He wouldn't. Mm-hmm. Then when I graduated from high school, he did come over and worked for the Manganese corporation which is now out of business. After Manganese, he went to the test site, which I worked for (unintelligible) Vegas Village and I can remember when they were building Vegas Village. We'd drive to work, it was all desert out in there, except for a few old places right around the (unintelligible) desert. Mm-hmm. And the place where I'm living now was not finished till they built this house (unintelligible) project. They'd come down, far down Stewart as Mohave, and then the road ended. Then it was all desert right all through here, it was desert, just like it looks up there where they have the UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 6 nature park. And then you couldn't pick back up till you got to Lamb. And they just paved Lamb I think since the truckers made that road. Mm-hmm. So most of the roads were—? Made by construction workers. Mm-hmm. Yes. And it was on dirt roads too, stuff like that? Mm-hmm. Now they paved Lamb, but now out where we work now, where me and you work? Mm-hmm. That was all dirt roads, all Industrial was dirt roads. Oakey was paved, but the way that it started, Industrial was it took off of Charleston a different way. But then part of Charleston was a dirt road. Mm-hmm. Main's always been paved. And the ones that the railroad laid out, like Third, Fourth, Fifth, even down to Fifteenth, and then you start. I even think—no. There was a ranch up at Twenty-eight. Twenty-eighth Street, where they put in those subsidized housing. 'Cause you got that ranch in one of them now, that wasn't a ranch, it was a nursery. Davis' Nursery was over there, and then there was another nursery, but I think Davis' one too. But if you go on Cedar and Twenty-fifth, you'll see a house kind of made like that, and that was a ranch house. It's still there, in the middle of all the subsidized housing that was all dirt. But even after we got here, in this particular place we're at now, it was still dirt. Sand. This was in '41. Yes. That's not too long ago. (Laughs) No. Stewart was not finished in 1971. Okay. When you first got here, like, what was your first job that you had? Vegas Village. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 7 Vegas Village? And how long did you work there, about? About seventeen, about two years, and then I decided to go to nurses training. Mm-hmm. In New Mexico. I didn't like that, so I quit that and came back and worked at Vegas Village for a while and then after that I got married. And then after that I went to Wells Cargo. I've told you about that. That was all dirt, out where Wells Cargo is. Yes. There wasn't a thing out there but Wells Cargo, and that was all dirt. Uh-huh. And Wells Stewart was before Wells Cargo and then I think they either split or sold, and that became Wells Cargo. Because they used to be a huge construction company like Nevada (unintelligible) for three of them it used to be Wells Stewart or Stewart Wells and then W.M.K., that was all dirt out there. Yes. And that's almost a town now. That was out in the desert, and that was I remember Kraft, Benny Kraft (unintelligible) and McCullough and who was the W? K is Kraft and M is McCullough. And then they sold, I don't know who the W was, but all of that out in there, there was just desert and dirt. Mm-hmm. Right by the railroad track. And then they began to put in housing projects. Was there very many people that lived here at that time when you first got here? Or was it hardly—? It just started growing in 1955. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 8 Mm-hmm. And it just went real fast. But before that, like our high school used to come over here for the Helldorado. Yes. Cashman Field was out of town. Mm-hmm. Now it's right off of—seems like it's right up town. Right behind the police station. But when I was young, it was the fair field and where they held the Helldorado. And all the high schools in the counties outlying in Arizona and Utah, Nevada, would perform in the Helldorado Parade. Yes. And everybody wore cowboy clothes for a week and had a big rodeo. Now it's so professional that (unintelligible) run all over town. (Laughs) Yes. It always was open gambling and drinking. It's been wide open town, but you weren't afraid like you are now. Mm-hmm. It's the, maybe I shouldn't say this for an interview, but the influx in '55, to me, seemed like it was all the people who had lived out in the counties like Mohave, up in Utah, decided to come down here because the (unintelligible) were really doing great and employment was up, right, for Clark County and it seemed like everybody always stood on the outside looking in. 'Cause we'd been a wicked town. (Laughs) Decided it wasn't so wicked after all, so to move on in. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 9 Mm-hmm. And it wasn't scary like it is now. Yes. Because we'd run up and down Fremont after the Helldorado Parade and went to Helldorado Village. You never heard of anybody got robbed. They probably did, but it wasn't scary. Yes. But, you know what I think (unintelligible) were New Yorkers and New Jersey and all those people decided to move out here. Yes. I imagine that would— I think when the East Coast decided to move out here, Nevada became— Industrialized and all that other stuff? Well, it became like, not even like Los Angeles, it became like an eastern city. Yes. Too tough. Mm-hmm. Just like why wouldn't (unintelligible) walk the streets like we did as girls. (Laughs) Mm-hmm. Or just like David said, he used to jump on his bike and ride to Sunrise Mountain through this desert, 'cause this was the low part of town. Mm-hmm. He said it was always muddy down in here, and they'd ride their bike through here in mud and guck and go on up to Sunrise Mountain and they would (unintelligible). You let a kid do that now, you'd be scared somebody'd, some dope addict would cut his throat. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 10 (Laughs) And David's from here, right? Born and raised in Nevada. Okay. And— He lived up on Bruce Street and he lived, the original house he was born in, his mother still lives in. Yes? So. It's not a tract house or anything. Was his mother, did she come from here too or? Yes. Yes. I think she was born someplace in Montana or Idaho. She might've even been born here. But they built their own house, his parents still live in it. Now he lives in a tract house like I do, but if you could conceive (unintelligible) they've got, it doesn't have, it's got the old rabbit type fence on it like they used to put up. Mm-hmm. And it's from the old part of town over on, the old Bruce, back up in there. But it's probably closer to, what is that street? Across from Rancho High School. I can remember when Las Vegas High got too big and had to build Rancho. Then shortly after Rancho, they had to build, I think it was Western and then Clark. So they only had one high school to begin with? Mm-hmm. Okay. Clark? UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 11 No. It was Las Vegas High, where my son went to school. Joe did graduate from Las Vegas High. He started kindergarten in Henderson and he went to two of the oldest schools in Clark County. Mm-hmm. Roy Martin, who was, who they named it after. Roy Martin, who settled here, and he went to Las Vegas High. And David's mother went to both high schools and she's in her late 50s. She went to Roy Martin. She also went to the let's see, what was that, Las Vegas. It's on, right down from the federal building. You were in it. Yes. I was there. That was a grade school. She went there. Mm-hmm. It's right next to the Nevada State Bank down there. Uh-huh. And she went to junior high at Roy Martin I think she said. Or maybe it was David, 'cause that's an old school. And then she went to Las Vegas High too. But now David went to Rancho. Mm-hmm. They were in the part of town that when they built Rancho in '50. It was just, Las Vegas High was just too crowded. Mm-hmm. So then, but now Joe (unintelligible) even though he got a history document from Roy Martin to Las Vegas High. Now I think they let (unintelligible) in. Beyond Lamb (unintelligible) Okay. And okay, now you started out at Vegas Village and— North. Okay. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 12 There was three Vegas Villages now. And there was only one when you first started? What kind of business is that? It was supposedly one of the first businesses that had everything under one roof. And Mister Archer, Mister (unintelligible), Mister (unintelligible) and Mister Harmon dreamed up the idea. And all of 'em were pioneers in Nevada, I think, except Mister Archer. And the rest of 'em were Mormon pioneers. And so, where'd you go from Vegas Village? To school, then I came back here. Mm-hmm. And—? And I went to work for Wells Cargo and then I quit. And I held one other job. I think they called it Market Town, it was a supermarket and I quit that. Then I went to work for Reynold's Electric. Not up at the test site, but down here (unintelligible) Yes. But at that time it was on Main, 1001 or was it North Main or South Main? Right down from Clark County Wholesale Mercantile. Or the name used to be Clark County Mercantile. And I think it's been there since Las Vegas opened. (Laughs) 'Cause it's still in business. I don't think they've got a new building either. I think it's still the same building. Mm-hmm. Now that is an old business. Yes. And Von Tobel's was up on Third Street. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 13 Mm-hmm. And Third and Carson I think was the Von Tobel's (unintelligible). Mm-hmm. And I'm just trying to think of some other buildings that have changed. James Cashman was like the Union Pacific Railroad Station, was where the Union Plaza was (unintelligible) the train. And I think James Cashman (unintelligible) on the Westside where they have a bar now. 'Cause when I was real little, a friend of mine waited a long time and he got this Hudson car. Yes. And he had a daughter, and they decided to come get it serviced. And we were on our way to (unintelligible) Ranch for vacation, they invited me to go. And I remember we drove on down (unintelligible) I think, and James Cashman had a garage there, 'cause he's the one that sold him the car. Mm-hmm. And then I think the (unintelligible) Ranch is the Warm Springs Ranch now. I think that's the name of it now. Yes. But I can remember when it belonged to, when it was mountains. Mm-hmm. When you first got here, were there like very many big ranches and stuff, or was it, did it have a whole lot of homes or? Well, no. You know, the Stewart Ranch, I don't know if it was intact or not, but I think they still owned this part, this side of Las Vegas. Yes. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 14 Uh-huh. And the trailer park—after I was married I lived in a trailer park on Main, and it belonged to Willy, oh 'cause I used to babysit, and they were a Mormon pioneer family. Willy Jones. That was Willy Jones ranch and they, I think his kids who sold it, right up Union Village. But now all out (unintelligible) all that was across Vegas Village was the Indian Reservation. Yes? And the railroad track. Then over across the railroad track was starting to be Westside. And there wasn't any paved roads over there. And Tonopah Highway and all of that was filled up with desert. Okay. Okay. Now, when did you come to work for Pat over at Western Truck Parts? In March of 1962. I left Reynold's because I wanted to learn more accounting, so I moved over to Western Truck Parts. And— At that time it was named Melman Truck Parts, after the man who owned the property. Joe Melman. He started the brake shop in 1952. He came up from Los Angeles. Joseph R. Melman, who has retired and now lives on South Fifth Place. He hadn't changed, still lives in the same house he got when he came here. Mm-hmm. In '61. He always had the same wife, which was remarkable in Las Vegas. (Laughs) (Unintelligible) in about 1958, 'cause he wanted to retire. And he came from the Los Angeles area as a salesman. Uh-huh. And where was Western Truck Parts located back when you first got it? 1407 Western. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 15 Western Avenue? Well the first place it was located was on Charleston. And guess you'd say Charleston and Main over there, well, now I think it's Ellinghan's, where Joe first started. Then he bought this property and called it Melman Truck Parts and did mostly brake. So it started out as a kind of pretty small business? Yes. Very small. Mm-hmm. And how many bookkeepers were working there? One. Just one? You were the only one at this—? No. First my mother was there. Right. And she needed help. Mm-hmm. And she told me if I would come over, she'd pay me as much as Reynold's Electric was paying me. Oh yes? So I moved over there 'cause I figured I could learn more. And her and I worked there. Then we had a swap in the '60, around '65 and she was getting on in years and didn't want to work every day, so she retired. Yes. And I stayed there through the, kind of a recession in '65 and I think it was '65 and '66 and '67, then we kind of got a boom, and she came back 'cause she was (unintelligible) Mm-hmm. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 16 And we've been with them. She started—she worked for Joe— Back before Pat? Before Pat ever showed up. Uh-huh. Right. And I couldn't remember who the W was in W.M.K., but it was Joe Well. Okay. And they were (unintelligible) from over across the tracks. And lets see, who else was down there. We were there, then there was somebody else. I think, no I think Minden Hall was out on this side of town. (Unintelligible) was Vegas Valley now, but it didn't even have a name then. It was just out by the Mormon farm so to speak. That's what everybody says. And he delivered stuff. And now I think that was Las Vegas—I think they call themselves Las Vegas (unintelligible). Now but we used to say Minden Hall, deliver out to Minden Hall, out by the Mormon Welfare Farm. Yes. 'Cause there wasn't any streets named out there. Okay. And the dump was way out there too, but I don't remember (unintelligible), 'cause you didn't go by street names like you do now. You just knew what it was. (Laughs) Yes. And okay, when you first got here and stuff, what, it wasn't all that polluted or stuff was it? No. It was pretty clear in the valley or not? The only thing we always had was sand, because there was so many dirt roads. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 17 Yes. And how was it, the desert, back then? Was there hardly anything at all, except for desert? (Laughs) In this areas always been scrub, like you saw between my house and here. Yes. Did you see the natural park, I guess they call, we always called 'em cat claw trees? But I think their real name is acacia trees, from the National Geographic. They call 'em acacias, but I think they're cat claw. Like, what kind of trees do they look like? I call—they look like, they have beans on 'em and claws. Right. I've only known 'em as being called cat claw, but I think the National Geographic refers to them as some type of acacia. Yes. Desert known cat claws (unintelligible) (Laughs) That's about all along the Boulder Highway. And out where we were was dirt, all of Industrial was dirt. Yes. And Highland. We call it Highland now, that was dirt. And how'd we get—I think we just jumped, we just rolled across the track down there. Not on Oakey, 'cause they've always had that one there. Mm-hmm. But farther down, we just drove over one side and over. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 18 (Laughs) yes. And let me see, I don't think all of Charleston was finished. I think it only (unintelligible) how you could go out would be, I think you hit dirt at Decatur. Mm-hmm. Since there was like a lot of dirt roads and stuff, did you ever see (unintelligible) people riding horses and stuff? Well, I remember when I quit Wells Cargo. That time I had to walk up to Las Vegas Boulevard and I thought, boy that's a long walk. Now it's nothing, 'cause the (unintelligible). But I had to walk through dirt, and I remember getting my hose and shoes all dirty. (Laughs) (Unintelligible) got into a big fight over the (unintelligible) and that scared me 'cause I was a young girl. (Laughs) And I thought, I'm leaving here. (Laughs) (Laughs) But yes, you can ride horses any place. I think they still do, 'cause out over there on Nellis, (unintelligible) Saturday. Yes. Ride all kinds of horses. I've seen 'em down in the south side too. (Unintelligible) Yes. We have 'em out in Paradise Valley. Yes. And up here on Cedar, I know that guy's got horses because he does still like a ranch. I think he runs a nursery now. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 19 Mm-hmm. But I think all of (unintelligible) had horses for a long time. Now I think they got rid of the (unintelligible) Yes. They put them up, but down on Pecos you'll find some houses that have horses. A friend of mine rents spaces for— For the horses? Uh-huh. Now she's a neighbor too. Yes. Uh-huh. Who is she? (Unintelligible) Walkerson now. Mm-hmm. Yes. She has a kind of similar ranch on Pecos, 'cause she still got her hound dogs and her horses, and the part of Pecos she's on now is between Desert Inn and, no, it's up from Desert Inn, the old Tropicana. It's off of Viking. (Unintelligible) I think there's some people who still are zoned for horses 'cause they've been there. (Unintelligible) lived out there, her dad built that when there was nothing out there, in fact the wash ran right below 'em. Sometimes it flooded. Yes. Did you see very many floods since you've lived here? UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 20 Yes. There has always been floods in the desert, even before we moved here. We had flash floods. Because I left my shoes in the sand wash I got spanked for (unintelligible), a flood came up and well, sand washes run full like rivers. Yes. It doesn't take too much rain there. No. (Unintelligible) Uh-uh. (Unintelligible) (Laughs) (Unintelligible) sand wash. Okay. But it floods all over the desert. You can't get out of that. Have you ever, like, felt any earthquakes at all? Any minor—? Only from the atomic bomb. The test site? Mm-hmm. Yes. Well, in the 50s you could see the flash when they were testing above ground. Were they nuclear blasts or what? Yes. And they were above ground? (Laughs) Yes. Must've been kinda dangerous. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 21 Well, we didn't know it at the time but (unintelligible), and I know all the people in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah and here could see 'em. 'Cause I was just a young girl and I saw 'em. (Laughs) I know they did 'cause I got bad eyes. And you could feel it. Mm-hmm. But now we'd get the shock as far away you lived, the lesser shock you'd get. But now where I live here now, I can really feel it when they do. Right now you can? Uh-huh. About, one morning about five o'clock, I thought it was my eyes 'cause I'm so blind and I looked up and my lamp was going just like that. (Laughs) Oh yes? What woke me up was the whole house was moving. But that lamp was just swinging like that, and then I realized that I'd read the paper, they were gonna let off an underground one. Now but when I was a girl, they did it above ground. Mm-hmm. And we're reeking the aftermath of that. Yes. I've heard a lot of things about that. And my dad worked up there, and he also got cancer. In fact, everybody I know that worked up there is either dead. Some of them are my age 'cause they started when they were young boys. Uh-huh. But all of them have either had skin cancer or cancer internally. Uh-huh. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 22 So it wasn't, even though they were excited about making the good money, it wasn't what it was cracked up to be. Not such a good thing. (Laughs) I'll tell you it was a good thing for Nevada. In one aspect, it grew. Yes. And it gave all the people who'd lived here since the 30s an economy that they weren't used to. But the bad thing above it, about it, it brought in easterners. Yes. It ruined our environment. We're reading about that. Yes. That's true. And I truly believe that it caused people to get cancer. Mm-hmm. Okay. (Unintelligible) (Laughs) Okay. Okay. Now, how have the easterners kind of changed this like? Well, it seems like Western people have been scared. They started out on a shoestring and developed a business, and they could hire people, even though you always hired people you knew if they were good workers. They weren't afraid to hire off the street or from the unemployment office. Yes. We could use our facilities. They worked when I was a young girl. Now our federal employment office—you're afraid to hire who you get out of there. You're afraid to hire anybody you don't know and it has created a thing that, I don't know how we're gonna combat it, because you can hear young people who need jobs say, well you can't get a job unless you know somebody. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 23 Okay. Well it's sad but it is true. But not for the reasons I don't think people think. It's for the reasons that the eastern people changed the west outlook on things like that. It's made us very afraid. Mm-hmm. Las Vegas came from a western town without—true, we've never had any moral restrictions, and maybe true we've always had corruption, 'cause I can remember when there were cathouses down there at Four Mile and I think the sheriff owned it. (Laughs) But it didn't get—there were two sides so to speak. They didn't bother decent people and decent people didn't bother them. And when easterners moved up out here, they mixed that all up. Now you don't know who's decent and who isn't. Now that's what I'm trying to say. Yes. You don't know easterners with their sophisticated ways, we don't know who to trust and who not to trust. So it has evolved into who you know, not what you know, but who you know, which is very unfortunate because just like people like you, I couldn't ask for better help. But now I didn't know that, you being from Indiana could be—you know that's, the East Coast is, and Indiana is not considered the east coast, but I'm sure they're more competitive and sophisticated than a westerner 'cause we're not that polished. Mm-hmm. And that's what's happened, is we've closed up when we really should open up, 'cause the way— (Tape one ends) The west is the future for young people. But the way it's evolved, our young people are becoming dissatisfied because I hear a lot of 'em say you can't find anything at our state levels UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 24 and our federal levels. It's not what you know, it's who you know. But it's evolved not from bad politics, it's evolved from not being able to cope with the type of people that have settled here. Yes. They're not trustworthy. Mm-hmm. Because even though Las Vegas is wide open and it always has been and had that reputation with the gambling, well, like Sodom and Gomorrah so to speak. But there were still decent people here. And that's why it's getting worse, because the decent people are afraid now. Mm-hmm. And they weren't in the beginning. Like, the basic businessman was a man who had worked for somebody else and wanted to make more money than he could working for somebody else, so he stepped out on his own, just like I said with the shoestring, and basically a gambler but he was gonna try his skills. Well his skills aren't polished enough to compete with a Harvard graduate 'cause he probably didn't go any farther than high school. Yes. But yet he could make it here because it was new. But now it's like you see coming along, big money's buying out everything, the hotels, that's the biggest rumination. When I was your age David, I could go into the hotels for three dollars and buy a drink. Didn't even drink but you'd buy one, 'cause you couldn't get in there otherwise. (Laughs) And you—I saw Wayne Newton. Yes? When he was fifteen for three dollars. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 25 Three bucks? At the Fremont. Mm-hmm. Did you see many other—? Yes. I saw Eddie Fisher, saw Elvis Presley, nearly died. (Laughs) Just you name it, that day, we saw it, for three dollars. Pretty cheap. (Laughs) They put you three drinks wherever you were, and that was a dollar a drink. But now they've—see, big business has bought that. Yes. They close up everything. You have to pay to see, go into the lounge, to go into the floor show. I mean, David, you could eat like a king for three dollars. Really? Okay. And they had hors d'oeuvres set up for free if you went in the lounge when I was a kid. Yes. Or you could walk in off the street and see the floor shows they had. (Unintelligible) in before they closed it all up. Mm-hmm. But see, big money's coming in and they knew that. And that's why I never go uptown anymore. Now I know it's something for somebody on the east, but I can remember when you could go up and down Fremont and see it all. Mm-hmm. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 26 And the Strip you could see for three dollars. But those are computerized college graduate business administrations just (unintelligible) and then men in Las Vegas were no competition for it. Mm-hmm. And they either had to sell out or be frozen out just like, while some of 'em have done great and were ready to sell 'cause they were tired. But it has ruined it for the natives who like the western atmosphere and the relaxed attitudes. Mm-hmm. You know. And when I was a kid, you could go to the unemployment office or any place and look for jobs. Now they just, I guess they just tell the kids, from what I hear, (unintelligible) if they don't know 'em. Mm-hmm. And that's sad because there is a lot here. I know when I first got here it was hard to find a job at first. (Laughs) Uh-huh. I guess 'cause you didn't know anybody, right? Yes. Everybody says that. I was looking for a job in the meat industry, (laughs) meat departments, but I didn't know nobody I guess. That's probably why I just didn't get much. Well, and they probably, did they even talk to you? No. None at all. I couldn't get nowhere. (Laughs) Well see, when I was a kid, they wouldn't do that. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 27 There were a lot of boys younger than me, they started me in the (unintelligible), but they start the boys in the meat. Like Ray (unintelligible) who owns (unintelligible) Construction in Pahrump Valley, you know he started? As a box boy for Vegas Village, I remember, 'cause he's just a couple years younger than me. Mm-hmm. And I was thinking of some other people that have, Harry Reid was a kid in high school in Henderson. He was smart 'cause he was the class president. Everybody knew Harry would go places. Mm-hmm. But they didn't know how far, and now see he's in politics. (Laughs) Yes. Has, how, okay, what do you see for the future of Las Vegas? Like, how do you see it possibly gonna change? Well I hope it changes to develop industry that will employ our young people that are here, skilled, and they are skilled. I hope our community college grows for people who want a vocation. I hope the university will grow so people will want to be intellectual. But most of all, I hope that our city politicians and county and state doesn't let gambling dictate our growth. I hope they look to something else besides gambling, because there's room for both. Mm-hmm. But I tend to think the chamber of commerce is controlled by gambling. And gambling doesn't want any competition because of wages. Mm-hmm. UNLV University Libraries Barbara Millington 28 When you get too big, then they can't—then they're gonna have to pay better because the people will go other places, or vice versa. And I think the chamber of commerce, as I jokingly call it Ku Klux Klan, is more interested in keeping wages down than they are growth. Mm-hmm. And I really think Southern Nevada doesn't have anywhere to go but up. And if we learn from Los Angeles because it's the same type of area— Right. Is it kind of comparable to Phoenix too? Mm-hmm. Yes. (Unintelligible) in the valley too. Mm-hmm. But I think we got better climate than Phoenix. Yes? I have been to Phoenix. I heard it's hotter even there than it is here, but it's even more humid 'cause— Yes. Because of all those outlying farms. But now that—it's, I just think there's, we're just that much higher than Phoenix. Mm-hmm. Okay. Yes. I think Nevada can grow and not (unintelligible) if our politicians aren't bought off by gambling. And I think at this stage, they are. I think we—I really don't think we have politicians with the (unintelligible) to handle Nevada growth. I think they're like the old timer. I don't think they can think big enough, not that I want easterners to come here and think for us. Yes. But if we get proper facilities to educate and keep our youth here— Right. UNLV University Libraries Bar