In 1948 in Las Vegas, Nevada, a camera-girl-turned-cocktail-waitress and a casino credit manager welcomed the birth of their son, Darrin Bush. After attaining his education at St. Joseph’s Catholic School and Bishop Gorman High School, Bush earned his Bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. Bush credits his love for photography to his mother’s influence and his study of journalism. Bush’s first job after college as a room service waiter at the Sahara Hotel eventually grew into the coveted position of room service swing captain. His swing shift duties included the entertainers' dressing rooms, which meant taking care of the entertainers, getting them what they needed, and stocking their favorite foods and drinks nightly. Through his work, Bush eventually formed close friendships with several celebrities of the day. He enjoyed his work, but he never stopped honing his skills as an amateur photographer. In the mid-1980s, Bush left the Strip to become a professional photographer for the Las Vegas News Bureau. Throughout his News Bureau career, Bush photographed the casino buildings made famous by Las Vegas-the construction and the architecture of Southern Nevada’s gaming palaces-as well as iconic events in Las Vegas history. Darrin retired from the News Bureau in about 2014, but his work recording the building of and events of Las Vegas lives on in the News Bureau archives. He continues to be an avid photographer.

As he reveals in this oral history, Roger Thomas is, among many other things, a son, a father, a brother, a husband, a student, an artist, a visionary, and a philanthropist. As the second son of Peggy and E. Parry Thomas’s five children, Roger was raised a Mormon child of privilege and civic responsibility. The banking family summered in Newport Beach, wintered in Sun Valley, and taught their children by words and deeds that it is not up for debate if you will be involved in your community; the only question is how you will apply your talents and resources to benefit your community. Roger absorbed the lessons well. As a child who struggled in school but excelled in art, he attended his last two years of high school at Interlochen Arts Academy, graduating in 1969, finally finding himself “in an environment where what I did had currency.” From there he earned his BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and Studio Degree from Tufts University before returning to Las Vegas and eventually joining Steve Wynn’s team in 1981. As Executive Vice President of Design for Wynn Design & Development, he is the man in whom Steve Wynn places his trust to make real at each Wynn property the Wynn design philosophy: aim for a constituency of highly sophisticated, well-traveled, very educated people and give them a reality, a now, that is so fetching, so alluring they wish to be no place else. As he was mentored by his father and Steve Wynn, he too is mentoring those who will follow him. At Wynn, the next generation will carry forward the Wynn idea of evoca-texture, of creating “moments of experiential emotion that result in a memory so captivating and so unique that if you want to repeat that you have to come back.” At home, he collaborates with his daughter on a children’s book that has the potential to become a series; she is the illustrator, while he provides the words. Roger Thomas sat for this interview five days after his father, E. Parry Thomas, passed away in Idaho. Instead of postponing the interview to a more convenient time, Roger kept the appointment and explained, “This is for UNLV. If I’d cancelled my father would have killed me.”

It was 1964 when Jack Simon met Marcy Stiel at a mutual friend’s wedding. Smitten from the beginning, the couple married shortly thereafter. Thus began their loving partnership that has flourished in business, community involvement, and most importantly in raising their two sons, Ron and Steven. The Simon’s can be a modest power couple. However, they are clearly capable of making things happen. When they first married, Jack was a California electrical contractor and homebuilder and Marcy became his business administrator. The Simons through their Electrical Company, Expo-Tech Electrical & Plumbing Services, Inc. won the contract to provide all of the electrical services for the entire 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, encompassing (26) twenty six venues located in California spanning from San Diego to Stanford University. The trajectory of the business was extraordinary, establishing twelve offices nationwide to provide temporary electrical and plumbing services for conventions and special events. Expo-Tech was eventually bought by industry giant GES. Their success was due in large part to Jack’s technical knowledge and Marcy’s administrative and marketing skills. With entrepreneurial zest, and over the period of eleven years, the couple found their way into the ownership of four local casinos in Elko and Wendover Nevada. Marcy was one of the first women in Nevada to hold multiple gaming licenses. In total, she held four Unrestricted Gaming Licenses. The Simons hosted Passover Seders for the Elko Jewish Community during their ownership of the casinos. In 2004, Marcy and Jack sold the four casino operations. Since moving to Nevada in 1994, the couple has made a warm and lasting impression, being generous in their focus for the well-being of the Jewish community. They are among those that actively paved the way for SB26, which outlaws government bodies from conducting business with companies that boycott Israel. They continue to be tireless advocates and philanthropists in Jewish organizations of Las Vegas and Nevada.

Interviewed by Barbara Tabach. Born and raised in Zacatecas, Mexico, Irma moved to Las Vegas in 1989. She is the Cultural Program Supervisor at Winchester Community Center and has devoted much of her career to preserving Hispanic cultural traditions in Las Vegas. She has been an active leader in local events such as Community Roots, International Food & Folk Life Festival, World Vibrations, and Dio de Los Muertos.

On February 21, 1979, Dan Buress interviewed Bernice Johnson (born September 13, 1919 in Los Angeles, California) in her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two discuss Mrs. Johnson’s personal history and her reasons for moving to Las Vegas. Johnson describes moving between Southern California and Las Vegas while her husband worked for the railroad company. The interview concludes with Johnson recalling her memories of the Von Tobel family and the rapid population growth in Las Vegas after the construction of the Nevada Test Site.