Judy Smith was a teenager when her family relocated from Barstow, CA to Las Vegas in 1958. It was a wide open setting, an ideal location for riding her horse. It was also an era of growth as the city became a gambling destination and the Strip became dotted with early casinos and hotels. Judy attended Las Vegas High School, worked for the Las Vegas Sun and earned a scholarship to UNR. By 1967, she was married and moving back to Vegas with her young family. They chose the John S. Park Neighborhood as the place to call home. For Judy living in John S. Park is about a "sense of place" and "a sense of timelessness." She describer the evolution of the neighborhood and the greater Las Vegas community from the pioneers to the contemporary leaders. In 2006, Judy's home was gutted by a fire. Her life was saved by an observant neighbor. She could have relocated at the time, but chose not to move from the area that she has called home for over 40 years.

Keny Stewart often sits in his backyard and hears the train whistle. In that moment he thinks about what Las Vegas must have been like in the 1940s—a moment made more meaningful by living in historic John S. Park Neighborhood. He enjoys his place, a place he has called home for 20 years. He was there for the beginning of the neighborhood "renaissance". Keny moved from California to Las Vegas in 1984 to work as an entertainer. One day a few years later he accidentally drove through John S. Park neighborhood, admired the architecture of the homes and the nostalgic feeling. Soon he was a homeowner, restoring his investment, a labor of love. At the time he worked nights on the Strip and restored his house day. Along the way he made a career change to educator/librarian for grade school level. He is a former neighborhood association president. He remembers the neighborhood's battle to maintain its integrity as it went up against local casino developer Bob Stupak's (whose home i

On March 20, 1978, collector Samuel Barto interviewed paint and drywall contractor, Louis Fisher (born July 10, 1922, in Alva, Oklahoma) in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The interview took place at the collector’s home with the collector, Mr. Barto and Mr. and Mrs. Fisher present. Mr. Fisher relocated to Las Vegas in 1953 after having lived in Alva, Oklahoma, Portland, Oregon, and Walla Walla, Washington. During the interview, Mr. Fisher discusses the history of Las Vegas from 1953 and offers key insight into the rapid growth of Las Vegas with special focus on the Strip, banks, the steady influx of people moving to Las Vegas for the warm climate, and housing.

On February 8, 1977, Mark Lucas interviewed Edmund “Ed” Fleming (born 1915 in Virginia, Minnesota) about his experience in Southern Nevada. Fleming first talks about his moves to and from Nevada before describing the mining practices within the small towns in Southern Nevada. He also talks about his experience as a teacher in Pahrump and Goodsprings and his eventual move to Las Vegas, where he continued in the educational field. Fleming also talks about religion, transportation, funding for education, inflation, and cultural arts as they all relate to Las Vegas.

On March 7, 1981, Elisabeth McLaren interviewed blackjack dealer, Roger H. Dudley (born August 10th, 1940 in Las Vegas, Nevada) in his home. This interview covers Roger’s recollections on growing up in Las Vegas. During the interview they further discuss Roger’s childhood, his parents, grade school, World War II, the atomic testing, the Mesquite Club, the development of the Strip, rodeos, Howard Hughes, Paradise Valley and changes in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Twenty years after her birth in Utah in 1924, Marie Horseley met and married her husband who was an engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad. They settled in Las Vegas, his home town and soon purchased a home for $9800 in the new John S. Park neighborhood. Sixty years later Marie, twice a widow, remains in the home. Up the street four doors, one of her granddaughters lives with her three children. Marie recalls the new housing development that appealed to railroad workers. The roads were dirt and there were no streetlights, but soon a community blossomed. Marie is a self-described quiet resident; her life was about raising her three daughters and being a member of the LDS church. However, she knew everyone on her street no matter their religious affiliation. Today the businesses are gone. Homes have changed appearances over the years as owners have changed. Ethnic diversity is apparent and the sense of community closeness has slipped away for her. Yet she loves her place there, feels safe and secure. When asked about the ides of John S. Park being designated a historic district, she is not all that wowed by the idea of restrictions that might be included in that. Nevertheless, she has no intention of relocating from the comfort of the place she has called home all these years.

Commencement program from University of Nevada, Las Vegas Commencement Programs and Graduation Lists (UA-00115).