Interviewed by Joanne L. Goodwin. Bernice Smith was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 27, 1934. She married Ivan Jaeger in 1955. He and his family were involved in the underground gaming industry in the Midwest. When it shut down in 1961, they moved to Las Vegas where Ivan worked first as a dealer and later in various executive gaming positions. Bernice was one of the fist students to attend Clark County Community College (later Community College of Southern Nevada) when it was founded in 1971. She earned a liberal arts degree in 1973 and a degree in hotel administration in 1974. Bernice worked as the secretary of Inez Rambeau, the director of convention sales at the Riviera Hotel and Casino. After a few years, she became the assistant of the hotel director at the Riviera. Later Bernice was the personal secretary to the owner and general manager of the Aladdin Hotel and Casino. She left that position in 1984, completed a bachelor's degree in the field of women's studies, and started Flex-Time, a temporary employment agency catering to working women. Then she was hired by Ira levy, the new owner of the Continental Hotel and Casino to be his assistant general manager. In 2003 Bernice earned a master's degree in counseling at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and she now works for Legal Rehabilitation Services, leading court-mandated group counseling for people in domestic violence situations

Interviewed by Joanne L. Goodwin. Gail Spaulding (Jaros) was born on October 16, 1937, in Cicero, Illinois. a suburb of Chicago. Both of her parents were in show business. Gail began tap and ballet lessons when she was five years old. She signed as a dancer with Moro-Landis Productions in 1956, and she worked for that company at the Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, the Riverside Hotel and Casino in Reno, and the Beverly Hills Country Club in Covington, Kentucky. Gail was promoted to line captain and did choreography at the Beverly Hills Country Club. She stopped dancing shortly before her daughter was born and worked as a cocktail waitress at the Riverside Hotel and Casino and at the Mapes Hotel in Reno. In 1964 she moved back to Las Vegas, trained in real estate, became general sales manager and corporate broker for Realty Executives in Las Vegas and later worked as an associate with Dyson and Dyson Real Estate in Indian Wells, California.

Interviewed by Irene Rostine. Janet Savalli's family moved from Phoenix, Arizona, to Henderson, Nevada, in 1945 so her father could work at the Basic Magnesium plant. A few years later, when she was a junior in high school, Janet began her 46-plus years career at the Southern Nevada Telephone Company, which eventually became Sprint. During that period she held several positions, including operator, supervisor, schedule clerk, trainer, investigator, and community relations coordinator. Janet also talks about the atomic bomb testing at Camp Mercury and Camp Desert Rock near Las Vegas. Janet credits the atomic bomb testing with jump-starting the second wave of growth Las Vegas experienced following World War II. This growth had a particular influence on the telecommunications industry's need to expand in Las Vegas.

Interviewed by Irene Rostine. In July of 1955, Joanne Molen's husband was offered a job at Nellis Air Force Base, so they moved from Alturas, California, to Las Vegas. Joanne had worked for Citizens Utilities in Alturas as a Western Union teletype operator, so she got a job with the Southern Nevada Telephone Company. She was the only woman to hold some of the positions she held. She worked for the telephone company, which became Sprint, for more than forty years, ending up as a main engineer. Joanne also was a volunteer and was active in community organizations including the American Ex-Prisoners of War and the Disabled American Veterans organizations, which lead to her being appointed by Governor Richard Bryan to the state of Nevada's Veterans Advisory Commission where she became the first woman to hold the position of chairman for the Commission. She was also voted Women of the Year four times by the local chapter of the American Business Women's Association for her work with veterans.

Raymond Rawson's life started in the rural Utah community of Sandy in 1940. His family moved around in what he describes as a scene from John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. By the age of 10, the family settled in Las Vegas, which had a population of around 35,000. He attended Fifth Street Grammar School, Las Vegas High School, was a member of UNLV's first graduating class, and eventually became a dentist. In this interview, he reflects on his experiences of growing up in Las Vegas, the hardships of difficult economic eras, and his professional accomplishments in the field of dentistry, including actively advocating the creation of UNLV School of Dental Medicine. Ray also became a community leader. He served in the Nevada State Legislature from 1985 to 2001. He talks about his relationship with long-time legislator Joe Neal. Education and access to healthcare were among the issues that Ray championed and he shares his observations of these issues. In 2009, he was appointe

The oral history interview of Lyle and Mary Ann "Timbuck" Rivera begins with the 1915 birth of Frances McNamee, Timbuck's mother, who had the distinction of being the eleventh baby born in early Las Vegas. Frances' father and grandfather who were attorneys for the railroad arrived in 1905 and became part of the historical roots of the community. Timbuck's memories also include landmarks and activities that were integral to the growing town, such as her mother's involvement in organizing the Junior League. Lyle Rivera, a relative newcomer, arrived in the 1940s and experienced what he describes as a life of "bouncing around" and being the only child of a single mother, a cocktail waitress at the Golden Nugget. Lyle would grow to distinguish himself within the community as a lawyer and community activist. He modestly mentions his achievements which included involvement with the UNLV Foundation, professional careers in both the Attorney General's and District Attorney's offices,

Dr. John Richard Shepherd shares the background of his early life in southern Illinois, his father's and grandfather's occupations, and his educational journey through college and medical school. His army experiences in Chicago and Alabama convinced him and his wife to look for a warm dry climate in which to live, and they relocated to Las Vegas in 1968. Dr. Shepherd recalls the businesses and housing surrounding Sunrise Hospital, the difficulties getting his specialty listed in the phone book, and renting his first office space from Nate Adelson. He also describes taking out a loan to install ophthalmology equipment, hiring an office manager with medical accounting experience, and doing cataract surgery in a way that basically hadn't changed for decades. The passing of the Medicare bill back in 1966 caused Dr. Shepherd's practice to build up quickly. He details the many ways eye surgery changed, including the invention of the intraocular lens and the phacoemulsification procedure. He mentions his and Dr. Shearing's contributions to ophthalmology — better designed lenses and surgical techniques - which they taught to other doctors from all over the country. Dr. Shepherd discusses radial keratotomy, which was a precursor to laser and later LASIK surgery, and describes a lens implant technique he learned in Russia from Dr. Fyodorov. He goes on to share anecdotes and stories of his interactions with patients, his travels as a consultant and as a surgical teacher for Project Orbis, and meeting Fidel Castro. He speaks candidly about his successes and his failures as well. Dr. Shepherd retired in 2006 and immediately enrolled in a Master's program and earned a degree in military history. After a long and distinguished career, after receiving many accolades and awards, he and his wife are enjoying life, splitting their time between Sun Valley, Idaho, and Las Vegas.