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Thomas, Therese, 1917-2001
Therese Courture Thomas was born July 5, 1917 in Thistle, Utah. Her father, Earnest "Earl" Courture, worked as a railroad worker, a steel worker, and a building contractor as her family moved around Utah. After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, Thomas's father moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to work on Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam) construction, later moving the rest of the family with him in approximately 1931. Thomas worked as amusican in swing and dance bands. She died October 26, 2001.
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Esau, Valda, 1937-
A native Australian, Valda Boyne Esau moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s to become a professional dancer. She starred in the Lido de Paris show, which debuted at the Stardust Hotel and Casino in 1958 and was one of the most popular nightlife attractions in Las Vegas in the late 1950s and 1960s. Valda Boyne Esau danced in the first and third editions of the famed production as well as the first Cést Magnifique, a Las Vegas-inspired rendition of the Parisian show.
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Esau, Esper, 1929-
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Esper Esau studied art at the Carnegie Institute of Technology before joining the military. After his discharge, he started working as a stage crewman on productions in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was there that he met his future wife, Valda Boyne, who was a dancer in Lido de Paris. Esper continued to work in the theater, eventually progressing to stage manager and assistant director of entertainment. He wrote a book called Las Vegas' Golden Era: Memoirs 1954-1974 that was published in 2016.
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