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Photograph of Mayor Oran K. Gragson with USAF Thunderbirds, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, circa early 1960s
Date
1960 to 1965
Archival Collection
Description
Mayor Oran K. Gragson (standing, left) poses with USAF Thunderbirds, precision flying team based at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayor Gragson is holding a matted photo of the Thunderbirds in flight over a mountain. The inscription reads " To: Mayor Oran Gragson with sincere best wishes, The USAF Thunderbirds." Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 – October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N. Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor. Site Name: Nellis Air Force Base (Nev.)
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Photograph of Mayor Oran K. Gragson with USAF Thunderbirds, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, circa early 1960s
Date
1960 to 1965
Archival Collection
Description
Mayor Oran K. Gragson (standing, 2nd from right), poses with USAF Thunderbirds, precision flying team based at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayor Gragson is holding a matted photo of the Thunderbirds in flight over Hoover Dam. The inscription reads " To: Mayor Oran Gragson with sincere best wishes, The USAF Thunderbirds." Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 – October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N. Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor. Site Name: Nellis Air Force Base (Nev.)
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Photograph of Mayor Oran K. Gragson and his wife Bonnie enjoying dinner at the Frontier Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 13, 1969
Date
1969-04-13
Archival Collection
Description
Dining at the Frontier Hotel, April 13, 1969. Pictured L-R: Mrs. Bonnie Gragson, Mrs. John Meier, Las Vegas Mayor Oran K. Gragson, John Meier, U. S. Alaska Senator Mike Gravel. The location where the photograph was taken is unknown. Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 – October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N. Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor. Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel (born May 13, 1930) is a former Democratic United States Senator from Alaska, who served two terms from 1969 to 1981, and a candidate in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. He served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1963 to 1966 and also became Speaker of the Alaska House. Gravel was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1968. John H. Meier (born September 28, 1933) is an American financier and business consultant now living in Vancouver, Canada. He is noted for his involvement with Howard Hughes, his behind-the-scenes involvement in events that precipitated President Richard M. Nixon's resignation, and his work in the environment. During the Watergate hearings, one man wanted to tell a spellbound nation secrets about the Nixon White House, the CIA and Howard Hughes. He could have told them why the burglary happened, but that was not what the Committee wanted to hear. To keep him from telling his secrets, he was persecuted, jailed and forced into exile in Canada. Investigative reporter Gerald Bellett detailed everything in a book called Age of Secrets. In a revised edition for the first time is an excerpt from John Meier's diary on the Robert F. Kennedy Assassination. John Meier is the first person to reveal everything from the Hughes Organization, and Robert Maheu’s, involvement with the assassination, to Thane Cesar ’s connection to Jack Hooper.
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Photograph of Mayor Oran K. Gragson and his wife Bonnie enjoying dinner at the Frontier Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 13, 1969
Date
1969-04-13
Archival Collection
Description
Dining at the Frontier Hotel, April 13, 1969. Pictured L-R: Mrs. Bonnie Gragson, Mrs. John Meier, Las Vegas Mayor Oran K. Gragson, John Meier, U. S. Alaska Senator Mike Gravel. The location where the photograph was taken is unknown. Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 - October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N. Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor. Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel (born May 13, 1930) is a former Democratic United States Senator from Alaska, who served two terms from 1969 to 1981, and a candidate in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. He served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1963 to 1966 and also became Speaker of the Alaska House. Gravel was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1968. John H. Meier (born September 28, 1933) is an American financier and business consultant now living in Vancouver, Canada. He is noted for his involvement with Howard Hughes, his behind-the-scenes involvement in events that precipitated President Richard M. Nixon's resignation, and his work in the environment. During the Watergate hearings, one man wanted to tell a spellbound nation secrets about the Nixon White House, the CIA and Howard Hughes. He could have told them why the burglary happened, but that was not what the Committee wanted to hear. To keep him from telling his secrets, he was persecuted, jailed and forced into exile in Canada. Investigative reporter Gerald Bellett detailed everything in a book called Age of Secrets. In a revised edition for the first time is an excerpt from John Meier's diary on the Robert F. Kennedy Assassination. John Meier is the first person to reveal everything from the Hughes Organization, and Robert Maheu’s, involvement with the assassination, to Thane Cesar ’s connection to Jack Hooper.
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Photograph of Mayor Oran K. Gragson and his wife Bonnie attending the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan, January 20, 1981
Date
1981-01-20
Archival Collection
Description
Attending the Inauguration of President Ronald Reagan, January 20, 1981. Reagan's Inauguration was the first one held on the West Front of the U. S. Capitol. Standing in front of a large banner are pictured L-R: Las Vegas Mayor Oran Gragson and his wife Bonnie; Ambassador Thomas Aranda and his wife Shirley Gragson Aranda. Shirley Gragson Aranda is Oran and Bonnie Gragson's daughter. In the bottom right-hand corner of the photograph is an insert that reads " Inauguration January 20, 1980 Ronald Reagan 40th President of the United States and George Bush, 43rd Vice-President of the United States." Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 – October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor.
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Photograph of Mayor Oran K. Gragson greeting Lawrence Welk as he deplanes after a TWA flight, circa 1960s
Date
1960 to 1969
Archival Collection
Description
Las Vegas Mayor Oran K. Gragson (left), looks on as Lawrence Welk (center) shakes the hand of an unidentified woman. Lawrence Welk is deplaning from a TWA flight. A sign to the left of the stairs reads "TWA Sky Club Coach." The location where the photograph was taken is unknown. Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 - October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N. Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor. Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known to his large number of radio, television, and live-performance fans (and critics) as "champagne music".
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Photograph of Mayor Oran K. Gragson and Arthur Godfrey, attending the International Exposition of Flight and General Aviation Conference, circa 1960s
Date
1960 to 1969
Archival Collection
Description
Las Vegas Mayor Oran K. Gragson (standing), and Arthur Godfrey (seated, right), with two unidentified people, attending the International Exposition of Flight and General Aviation Conference. The location where the photograph was taken is unknown. Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 – October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N. Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor. Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead. No TV personality in 1950s America enjoyed more clout or fame than Godfrey until an infamous on-air incident undermined his folksy image and triggered a gradual decline. At the peak of his success, Godfrey helmed two CBS-TV weekly series and a daily 90-minute television mid-morning show, but, by the early 1960s, his presence had been reduced to hosting the occasional TV special.
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Photograph of Mayor Oran K. Gragson, his wife Bonnie with Gene Kelly, circa 1960s
Date
1960 to 1969
Archival Collection
Description
Las Vegas Mayor Oran K. Gragson, his wife Bonnie with film star Gene Kelly. Pictured L-R: Gene Kelly, Mrs. Bonnie Gragson, and Mayor Oran K. Gragson. The location where the photograph was taken is unknown. Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 – October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N. Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor. Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director, producer and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style, his good looks, and the likeable characters that he played on screen. Best known today for his performances in films such as An American in Paris (1951), Anchors Aweigh (1945), and Singin' in the Rain (1952), he was a dominant force in musical films until they fell out of fashion in the late 1950s. His many innovations transformed the Hollywood musical and he is credited with almost single-handedly making the ballet form commercially acceptable to film audiences. Kelly received an Academy Honorary Award in 1952 for his career achievements. He later received lifetime achievement awards in the Kennedy Center Honors (1982), and from the Screen Actors Guild and American Film Institute. In 1999, the American Film Institute also numbered him 15th in their Greatest Male Stars of All Time list.
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Photograph of Mayor Oran K. Gragson and Sammy Davis, Jr. cutting the ribbon for the Las Vegas Pageant of Progress, Las Vegas, Nevada, circa 1960s-1970s
Date
1960 to 1979
Archival Collection
Description
Several people, including two Pageant contestants, look on as Las Vegas Mayor Oran K. Gragson (left) assists Sammy Davis, Jr. (center) in cutting the ribbon for the Las Vegas Pageant of Progress. Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 – October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N. Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor. Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American Jewish entertainer. Primarily a dancer and singer, he was also an actor of stage and screen, musician, and impressionist, noted for his impersonations of actors, musicians and other celebrities. Davis was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his television performances. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987, and in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Photograph of singer Peggy Lee, taken during one of her performances, 1967
Date
1967
Archival Collection
Description
A photograph of singer Peggy Lee, taken during one of her performances. The location where the photograph was taken is unknown. Peggy Lee (born Norma Deloris Egstrom; May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002) was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer and actress, in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and performer. She wrote music for films, acted, and created conceptual record albums—encompassing poetry, jazz, chamber pop, and art songs.
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