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Transcript of interview with Helen Naugle by Irene Rostine, October 31, 1996
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Prior to 1962, Helen Naugle had only visited Las Vegas once in her life while traveling from Idaho to California for a vacation with her husband and her boss. The group made a quick stop so her boss could interview for a position with EG&G and, as fate would have it, EG&G did not hire Helen’s boss. However, they did extend a job offer to Helen’s husband. A month later, Helen, her two daughters, and her husband became residents of Las Vegas, Nevada. Before moving to Nevada, Helen enjoyed singing in super clubs and performing on her radio show, “Melodies from Meadowland” and working for American Machine and Foundry. Upon her arrival in Las Vegas, Helen went to work for Bonanza Airlines before attending real estate school. In 1963, Helen opened her first office, Bruce Realty, and in 1965, she obtained her Broker’s license. She spent the next ten years selling general real estate. During this period, Helen was an active member of the Board of Realtors, as well as an early participant in the Board’s newly formed Women’s Council. Fate would strike again in Helen’s life while she was visiting her daughter at college in Arizona where she read an article in the Phoenix newspaper about a group of brokers who had formed a networking association to sell hotels and motels across the country. As a result of her initial contact with this association, Helen spent the next four decades selling hotels and motels throughout the State of Nevada, including Las Vegas, Elko, Tonopah, and Wells. She eventually became the first woman President of the American National Hotel-Motel Association. The cultural diversity of hotel and motel buyers would provide Helen with opportunities to travel the world and work with buyers from many different countries and cultural backgrounds. It also led to Helen’s membership in the FIABCI (International Real Estate Federation) and her Certified International Property Specialist and Federation of International Property Consultants certifications. Helen was also selected by the Association to represent the Air Force as “Innkeeper Evaluator” for one year. This honor took her to five Air Force bases in the United States and to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. During Helen’s career in hotel and motel real estate sales, she witnessed the transition from “mom-and-pop” American buyers to the influx of international buyers predominately from East India and Asia. The opportunities for helping repeat buyers and sellers gradually went away, as foreign buyers entered the market and tended to resell their properties to friends and family members from their own countries. During the latter part of her career, Helen found time to give back to the Las Vegas community through her volunteer work helping to establish the Scleroderma Foundation of Nevada. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Downtown Las Vegas Partnership where she focused on public safety in the area encompassing the Fremont Street Experience. Her work with both of these organizations allowed her to draw on her career experience for the benefit of others. Whether it was fate, or as Helen put it, she “just lucked into a lot of things,” one thing is certain - Helen Naugle was certainly a trail blazer for women in the hotel-motel niche of the real estate business, not only in Nevada, but across the nation.
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Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Theta Theta Omega Chapter meeting minutes (redacted)
Date
Archival Collection
Description
From the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Theta Theta Omega Chapter Records (MS-01014) -- Chapter records file.
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Photographs of Frontier signs, Las Vegas (Nev.), 2002
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Site name: Frontier Hotel and Casino
Site address: 3120 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Phil Ruffin
Sign details: The New Frontier Hotel and Casino sits south of the Stardust, on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd The Frontier main pylon still remains at the south end of the property, a short distance from the southeast, near the porte-cochere. A rear port e cochere also resides on the east side of the building . Like so many other properties the Frontier is composed of a low-rise building accompanied by, another higher rise structure, and a tower of rooms. A parking lot sits on the north end of the property, denoted by a small, double-sided pole sign. Two porte-cocheres adorn on the southeast and west sides of the property, as well as the famous pylon outside the eastern porte- cochere.
Sign condition: Structure 4 Surface 4 Lighting 4
Sign form: Pylon; Porte-cochère; Fascia
Sign-specific description: A parking lot sits on the north end of the property, denoted by a small, double-sided pole sign. It is a simple rectangular cabinet, with a small steel circular cabinet on the top east edge of the sign, and a triangle on the west edge of the height, pointing west. The two are connected by a long horizontal section, which runs along the top of the cabinet. The circle, arrow, and connecting pieces are lined with incandescent bulbs. The surface if the Frontier is reserved, not holding too many exterior references to a western theme, besides the actual script of the logo, and wood paneling of the overhangs, little else is there to support the theme. Just south of the parking lot and on the west side of the strip, the Frontier is separated from the sidewalk with a large section of green lawn, and a guard of tall palm trees against the east face of the building. Tall windows occupy most of the wall separated by columns of brick. The structure continues south and juts east to create an entrance, with a text logo above the door with brass edges and a wood panel facade. The three sided entrance is two tiered flat font design, with the lower half being taller, fit with a backlit message board. The top half is shorter in height, and plays home to the polished channel letters spelling "Frontier," and filled with incandescent bulbs. The surface of the top half of the facade is a rusted brown color, referencing panels of exposed wooden construction. The bottom edge of the entire face of the sign is a protruding brass geometric edge, as well as being the device that separates the two parts of the sign. The top edge of the top section is brass treatment also, but is crafted into different forms along its path. Directly in the center of the front face, there is an arch curving over a set of vents. The two sides are treated with an pointed triangular shape. The porte-cochere is located just south, if you follow the property, pointed toward the southeast extending off of the building. The northeast and southwest sides of the porte- cochere are lined on the top and the bottom with the same protruding, square molding, rising into a long, low rising arch, peaking in the center of the sign. The center portions of the sides are the same rusted brown tone seen on the entrance mentioned earlier. Suggestions of the paneling are evident at the edges. The "Old west" font, polished channel letters spell out "Frontier" on the rust facade. Each is filled with incandescent bulbs, and outlined in neon. Most impressive about the covered area is the space occupied by the ceiling. The underside of the port-cochere is separated by four large, deep, recessed rectangles with mirrored walls. The walls slope into another smaller recessed rectangle rising straight up only a sort distance before stopping. Standing directly underneath the section, it is seen as a smaller rectangle located within a larger one. Both rectangles are lined on all edges by polished gold raceways, and incandescent bulbs. The open space is occupied by multi armed, ornate brass chandelier. Each arm is adorned with faux gas lanterns. The arms are curved in a quite extreme fashion, making the piece appear more as an organic shape, or a creature such as an octopus. The centers are adorned with decorative silver spheres. Over the doors to the casino a large backlit message center panel, curves with the radius of the face of the building. The brown and polished metal edges of the sign combined with the incorporation of the architecture of the building, gives it a reserved, streamlined look. South of here the building grows in height and becomes a series of tall windows that create the wall. Following the property around to the building's west side, another porte-cochere can be seen. An eight-sided post serves as a valet station. The facade of the roof is treated as the entrance on the east side of the building. Protruding square brass edges form borders for polished channel letters filled with incandescent bulbs. Text is contained within the southwest, southeast, and western panels. Frontier is spelled in the properties font on both the southeast, and western sides. The southwest side reads "Parking" in the company's font, but is flanked by "self" and "valet," in smaller plain white channel letters filled with neon. The western and southeastern sides are crafted with the top edge of the pediments being an arch flanked by two triangle shaped rooflines. Elements also seen elsewhere over the other entrances. Looking up, facing this porte-cochere, the tower of rooms looms high overhead. Signage is located on all four sides of the tower. The northeast and southwest sides of the tower hold giant channel letters that spell "Frontier" with the interior being a reflective orange material. The facade is a giant replication of the two sides of the southeast and western sides of the multisided porte-cochere below. A giant polished metal framework, with a rounded arch flanked by two A frame roof lines, as well as the rust colored background hold the letters. The text is filled with incandescent bulbs. Along the northwest and southeast sides of the tower "Frontier" is spelled vertically down the face of the building in the distinctive channel letters. They too are filled with incandescent bulbs and finished orange on the inside. The famed main pylon sign for the frontier still stands in good repair, as reminder of Las Vegas past. It is located in the south side of the Frontier property facing north south. The two-sided sign is essentially pair of close set steel legs joined by an arch at the top to create one continuous shape. The steel is treated in a pastel pink coloring lined on both edges with a double row of incandescent bulbs. The inner portion of the arch contains three elements. The small cabinet at the top holds the image of the Frontier "F" logo. The edge of this cabinet is painted yellow, with a white internally lit face below that a long cabinet runs the length of the remaining space to the ground. The interior of the cabinet has been cut away to form a pattern of repeated circular holes down the length of the cabinet. This portion has been painted a teal color, with the edges lined with incandescent bulbs. In the space inside of the circles a continuous string of star shapes, reminiscent of the Stardust star emblems, are crafted in yellow painted steel and laden with small incandescent bulbs. The shape is interrupted twice with the main marquee logo for the establishment as well as well as a large internally lit message center. Both portions are not solid, double faced cabinets, but four single faced cabinets. The design is also seen in the Westward HO pylon. The bottom section message center can divided into essentially six parts: four individually denoted sections for vinyl lettering, and two steel panels with an animated neon silhouette of a cowboy riding a mechanical bull. The bottom half of the cabinet is one portion of the collection of section, with a thin, one letter width portion running the length of the cabinet, separating the sign into two halves. The top half is another section flanked by the two steel panels containing the bull rider. The middle portion contains crafted red vinyl logo the "Gilley's" establishment. A thin, one letter space cabinet, emerges out of the top of the sign, running a bit shorter than the length of the cabinet. The panel with the rider is actually three separate images, crafted with gold neon stacked on top of another in different positions to allow the three-stage animation process of the rider to be realized. Fashioned out of red neon text is written in the same text as the Frontier wall logo's above and below the rider. The word "Ride" sits above and the phrase "The Bull" is below the rider. He entire width edge of both the North and South sides are encrusted with yellow incandescent bulbs. While the bottom half of the pylon is dominated by the message center, a bit further up on the structure is the main marquee logo. The green steel cabinet is a rectangular with added elements of shape and design. The ends of the plane are slightly curved back into space, with the actual surface of the shape rising into a small pointed crest in the center. Across the surface of the cabinet the word "Frontier" is spelled in the "Western Font" in channel letters. The letters are outlined in neon and filled with incandescent bulbs. The surface of the cabinet is striped horizontally with tubes of red neon.
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent; Backlit
Sign - media: Steel; Plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Graphics; Paint
Sign animation: Chasing, flashing, oscillating
Notes: The incandescent bulbs inside the text reading "Paris" on the balloon oscillate rapidly.
Sign environment: Sitting north of the Fashion Show Mall and, south of the Stardust, the Frontier seems to create its own environment upon an expansive property. The expansive sidewalks, healthy landscaping, and clean, reserved faced, make the Frontier more akin to the larger corporate establishments such as the Mirage, or Monte Carlo. It is quite the dominant presence on the west side of the street, for the east side is the vacant lot where the Desert Inn used to reside. The Frontier stands clean and strong amongst the chaos of the Fashion Show construction, and the empty lot across the street.
Sign manufacturer: Ad-art (Pylon), Sign Systems, Inc (facade and porte-cochere)
Sign designer: Bill Clarke (Pylon) Brian K. Leming (facade and porte-cochere)
Sign - date of installation: pylon: 1967 porte-cochere and facade 1981
Sign - date of redesign/move: The face of the Frontier was remodeled in an effort to keep up with the larger corporate casinos in 1998, but retained the main pylon, tower signage, porte-cochere signage and various entrance signs.
Sign - thematic influences: The obvious theme of the hotel is a Western, cowboy/pioneer themed establishment. The facade of the structure was at one time engulfed in the theme, but has slowly over time changed to compete and fit in with the ever-changing Las Vegas strip. Vestiges of the Western theme are present in the remaining elements of the porte-cochere, side entrances, the tower fascia and roofline, as well as all the text, including the main pylon. Other establishments that carry the much popular theme throughout Las Vegas history, include the Westward Ho, The Golden Nugget, The Bonanza, Hotel Apache, the Boulder Club, and the Pioneer Club.
Sign - artistic significance: In 1967, the Frontier sign was considered the tallest sign on the Strip. The 24 x 84 foot signature panel proved to be one of the largest at the time as well. Charles Barnard's scale model displayed at the Montreal Expo and his design of the seventeen-foot tall logo cabinet, were instrumental in Ad-Art landing the contract for the establishment. (Barnard) The cabinet and center scalloping used to incorporate animatronics, turning in concert.
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Chasing; Flashing; Oscillating; Pylon; Porte-cochère; Fascia; Neon; Incandescent; Backlit; Steel; Plastic; Graphics; Paint
Mixed Content
Meeting minutes for Consolidated Student Senate University of Nevada, Las Vegas, September 13, 1999
Date
Archival Collection
Description
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Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority program calendar
Date
Archival Collection
Description
From the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Theta Theta Omega Chapter Records (MS-01014) -- Chapter records file.
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Dorothy Eisenberg interview, March 8, 2017: transcript
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Multicultural advancements in Las Vegas cannot be mentioned without speaking on the monumental contributions of Dorothy Eisenberg. From 1971 to 1998, she was involved with over 25 local organizations and committees and had the honor of having an elementary school named after her. Eisenberg’s beginnings start in the midst of the all American melting pot experience though immigration. Her mother came to the United States from Russia at age twelve and her father from Austria at age sixteen to go upholstery school. Upon marriage, they settled down in Philadelphia after the World War II. They raised Dorothy and her siblings to contribute to the community despite the anti-Semitism that was displayed there on a regular basis. Signs that said, “No dogs and Jews allowed” were common place. After her first husband died, leaving her as a single mother of four little girls, she didn’t allow herself to be trampled by her circumstances by enrolling in Temple University to be a teacher at a time when the university had stigma towards older students. Upon her marriage to her second husband, the family moved to Las Vegas where she found a spiritual home for her family at Temple Beth Sholom, where her children went learned to deeply appreciate their Jewish heritage and attended Hebrew school. Having always been involved with politics in Philadelphia, she faced personal discrimination due to her religion when she was searching for organizations to involve her time. She eventually found a home with the League of Women Voters in 1965 and became involved with the Observers Corp and became aware of what was going on with the African American community from community based research and dialogue. She played a key role as president of the organization and faced heat for her involvement in the desegregation of sixth grade centers with the Kelly vs. Guinn decision in 1972 and was involved with the Welfare Rights Movement. She met Ruby Duncan and Jane Fonda, and she even showed up to the march with her daughters. Eisenberg was heavily involved with her namesake school through meetings with principals at least once a year, reading to students in the classroom, and bringing latkes to the school on Hanukkah. She continues the intergenerational legacy of educational involvement set forth by her parents with supporting her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren in the school as well. Dorothy Eisenberg is a true role model for Nevada and a pioneer for equal education in Las Vegas.
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Transcript of interview with Sandra Peña by Lada Mead and Stefani Evans, March 27, 2017
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Sandra Peña’s story begins in East Los Angeles, where she spent her first fifteen years with her parents (both from Michoacán, Mexico), and her younger sister. The father's managerial position at Master Products allowed the family to live rent-free in a company-owned house behind the main factory, because he collected the rents for the company's two other dwellings. In this interview, Peña recalls the family move to Porterville, in California's Central Valley, her return to Los Angeles at nineteen, and her work with Parson’s Dillingham, a contractor for the Metrolink rail system. She draws the link between the Los Angeles and Las Vegas construction communities by describing her husband's move to Las Vegas to find work; a chance Las Vegas encounter with a friend from Chino, California; her ability to gain employment in Las Vegas at Parson’s, a company that had joint ventured with Parson’s Dillingham, and her move from there to Richardson Construction, a local minority-owned company. As Peña says, "It's kind of all intermingled. Even if you go here and you go there, it's like everybody knows everybody." Throughout, Peña weaves her family story into the narrative as she describes her youth, the birth of her son, the illness and death of her father, and her family's participation in her current employment with Richardson. As she remembers the people, places, and events of her life, Peña speaks to the ways one woman of color built on her interstate construction connections and rose in a male-dominated industry.
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Transcript of interview with Lawrence Hadland by Lorraine Owens, February 2, 1979
Date
Archival Collection
Description
On February 2, 1979, collector Lorraine Owens interviewed nurseryman, Lawrence Hadland (born November 16th, 1919 in Long Island, New York) in his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview covers the life and times of “Nurseryman Hadland,” and offers insights into local business, family life, jobs, and the overall community of Las Vegas. He also discusses the military and the local airport.
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