Search Results
Jewish Community Center of Southern Nevada, item 04
Description
Committee Chairmanship information.
Transcript of interview with Elaina Blake by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White, September 19, 2016
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Coming from humble beginnings, Elaina Blake grew up in Port Orchard, Washington, where her father was in the logging industry and she involved herself in the love of horseback riding. After becoming engaged at age 16, she married the following year at 17 and moved to Las Vegas where she started as a statistical typist at the Sahara Hotel and Casino. This led to a position her to become an executive secretary at the Thunderbird where she dealt with the rampant sexual harassment that was typical of the executive office environment in the industry at the time. The rejection of those advances led her to start her career in real estate with Roberts Realty where she sold her first group of homes off of Nellis Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue. In 1976, she made the entrepreneurial move by buying into Roberts Realty, becoming an owner, and eventually buying out Young American Homes. She started giving back to the community through her service as being the first woman elected to president elect for the Chamber of Commerce in 1984 and also served on the Clark County Planning Commission for four years serving as vice chairman and chairman. She did such a wonderful job running the chamber, she was approached to run for Lieutenant Governor. Her involvement with the community increased during this time as she got involved with the United Way, saved the YMCA from closure and started the Focus School Project in 1989 with former superintendent Brian Cram where businesses adopt schools and provide money and volunteer. This project is still in operation today and has given back $8 million dollars to CCSD in volunteerism. During her time with the Chamber, she continued to work with major local builders such as Pageantry Homes, Heers Brothers, and Christopher Homes, which led to her taking another entrepreneurial milestone by taking a small team to create Blake and Associates. In 1996, Blake leveled up to become a developer starting with office buildings. As a champion for the inclusion of women, she never felt held back because of her gender and she always encouraged women in the Chamber to give more of themselves, even if it was for ten minutes because the men did so. In a male-dominated industry, Elaina Blake has been a trailblazer for women in business and the housing industry in the valley.
Text
Genealogical materials, 1998-2006
Level of Description
Scope and Contents
This series is comprised of materials from 1998 to 2006 that document the Jewish Genealogical Society of Southern Nevada (JGSSN) and genealogical research done by Mary Barkan. JGSSN records include newsletters, meeting announcements, an index of the newsletters, an index of names from the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, and an index of names from Las Vegas synagogue bulletins. Mary Barkan's genealogical research materials, created around the year 2000, include an autobiographical account of living in Las Vegas from 1977 to 2000 and family histories related to her husband, Barry Barkan.
Archival Collection
Collection Name: Collection on the Las Vegas, Nevada Jewish Community
Box/Folder: N/A
Archival Component
Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Records
Identifier
Abstract
The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) records span the years 1994 to 2002 and are comprised of material documenting the organization's involvment in gay issues in Las Vegas, Nevada. PLAN was founded in 1994 as the umbrella organization for Nevada's progressive groups and institutions. This collection is comprised of material documenting the Minority Status and Child Protection Act of 1994 and the Coalition for Unity and Equal Rights Nevada, and contains a number of files from that effort, including opinion surveys, meeting agendas and campaign plans.
Archival Collection