Oral history interviews with Vassili Sulich conducted by Gerald A. Villa on March 23 and May 4, 2002 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In these interviews, Sulich recalls his upbringing and his experiences as a child during World War II, his study of ballet, and the beginning of his professional life with several ballet companies in France. He then recounts his move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1964 to produce the Folies Bergere (Las Vegas) at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino, a position he held for nine years. In 1972 he began teaching ballet at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and formed the Nevada Ballet Theatre. He continues talking about his philosophy of dance, the changing perspective of male ballet dancers, and the process of working as the artictic director of a ballet company, and the extreme toll constant practice and performance have on the physical and emotional state of dancers. Finally, he discusses his resignation from the Nevada Dance Theatre and a ballet he choreographed in his mother's memory.
Archival Collection
The Desert Inn "Black Book" Photograph Collection (1955-1969) consists of 36 black-and-white photographs of individuals arrestest for gambling-related crimes in Reno, Sparks, and Las Vegas, Nevada and Oakland, California. The photographs contain information on the verso with name, date of birth, crime(s) committeed, and known aliases and associates and where gathered by Desert Inn security. These types of photographs were widely circulated amongst casinos, particularly after the formation of the Gaming Control Board in 1955 and the Gaming Control Act in 1959. Crimes listed include slot spooner, slot slugger, dice switcher, and hand mucker.
Archival Collection
Ken Hanlon oral history interview conducted by Cynthia Cicero on January 17, 2014 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Hanlon discribes his background, talking about his childhood in Maryland, his early interest in music, and the opportunity to study with the same band teacher through middle and high school. He talks about starting to play a baritone horn before switching to the trombone, his early experiences playing with dance bands, starting private lessons, and eventually matriculating to the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland. He continues, relating his five years teaching middle-school music after graduating from college, and his decision to move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1968 to seek work as a full-time musician. After talking about some of the difficulties he faced finding work, he discusses his time in a road band and deciding to apply to teach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He explains that he was hired to teach as an adjunct in 1970 and two weeks later was offered the job of department chair, a role he held for 16 years before moving into university administration. During this period he continued to perform, playing trombone in the Sands Hotel and Casino house band under the direction of Antonio Morelli. Finally, he discusses Morelli at more length, and concludes by talking about endowments for music education and the Arnold Shaw music collection at the Arnold Shaw Center at UNLV.
Archival Collection
The Reverend Donald M. Clark Papers (1953-1976) contain correspondence, meeting minutes, organizational plans, newspaper clippings, and personal memorabilia related Clark's work with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Economic Opportunity Board (EOB) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
The Marc Wilkinson Papers contain materials related to the business and personal life of Marc Wilkinson, his wife Theresa, and their printing business, Marc Wilkinson Printer located in Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1953 to 1980. The collection includes business correspondence, business advertisements, and materials relating to membership in Las Vegas social organizations.
Archival Collection
The Monte Carlo Club Las Vegas, Nevada Records (1944-1957) are comprised of records of the Monte Carlo Club located at 15 Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada. Materials include founding documents, corporate records, and letterhead.
Archival Collection
The Leonard Blood Papers (1888-1962) consist photographs and personal documents from his work in the United States Navy, Las Vegas Labor Commission, and on the Boulder (Hoover) Dam in Nevada. The bulk of the papers date between 1930 to 1950. Included are correspondence, telegrams, newspaper clippings, a scrapbook, family photographs, and various ephemera.
Archival Collection
The Arthur Gamlin & Co. Records (1949-1950) consists of a sales price guide of Arthur Gamlin & Co., a gaming table manufacturer, which was located in Kansas City, Missouri. The price guide is dated 1949 and contains detailed price lists based on cloth costs, sizes and colors for table games such as blackjack, chemin de fer, craps, and faro. Also included are odds calculator sheets, photographs, and negatives of the various gaming table layouts available.
Archival Collection
The Verna Mortensen Papers (1966-1979) document the work of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Clark County chapter to preserve and restore the Las Vegas, Nevada Mormon Fort. The collection contains newspaper clippings, notes, and a grant application for the Mormon Fort. It also includes an undated article about the history of the Las Vegas area and two eulogies given for Verna Mortensen.
Archival Collection
The Raymond Germain Professional Papers (approximately 1960 to 1970) contain material and photographs related to California Post Offices.
Archival Collection