On March 1, 1975, collector Judy L. Curtis interviewed fire department captain, Elmore B. Curtis (born December 17th, 1896 in Minnesota) in his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview covers life in Southern Nevada since 1942, including Mr. Curtis’s personal history and the early development of the Nevada Test Site. During the interview Mr. Curtis also discusses early tourism and socio-economic progress in Southern Nevada.

Daisy Lee Miller talks about being born and raised as an only child in Louisiana before moving to Las Vegas in her 20s. For a time, Daisy worked in the powder room at the California Club. It was while she was employed here that she realized she wanted something better, and she wanted to be a good example tor her kids. Daisy began attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to get her degree. Daisy is very proud of the fact that she graduated from UNLV at the same time that her daughter graduated from high school. Family has always been very important to Daisy, and she enjoyed spending time with her children while they were growing up. Sundays always found Daisy and her children at church while other leisure-time activities included trips to the lake or Mt. Charleston. While going to school, Daisy worked at the Economic Opportunity Board in the family planning program. Following graduation, Daisy began working for the Clark County School District where she rapidly advanced

In this interview, the cultural power couple recall their early impressions of Las Vegas, their beloved Ninth Street house built by Marion Earl, and the changes that caused them to move when spot zoning destroyed their close-knit downtown neighborhood. Lamar speaks of the founding of public radio KNPR and KCNV, of finding studio space, of obtaining grant money to build on the campus of the (now) College of Southern Nevada, and of acquiring the Peter Shire sculpture that graces the front of the studio. He talks about the vision of Charles Hunsberger, of Hunsberger's fall, and of politically appointed boards of trustees. Pat shares her experience of meeting people in a babysitting co-op and the UNLV Art Department, getting her UNLV Master's degree in public administration, and her work in cultural programming with the City of Las Vegas and with Clark County. She speaks of creating gallery, classroom, and performing space at the City's Reed Whipple building and the Charleston Heights Art Center; of founding the Rainbow Company Youth Theatre; of developing Clark County's Desert Breeze Park, Flamingo Senior Center, and the Wetlands, among others; of placing exhibits of the Clark County Museum at McCarran International Airport; of the Public Arts Commission, the Airport Arts Commission, the Allied Arts Council, and of developing Community Development Block Grant programs for the City of Las Vegas and Clark County. Throughout the interview, Pat and Lamar Marchese exemplify why Southern Nevada got lucky in 1972. As the duo grew in their knowledge of and passion for the arts, they also honed their skills at bringing the arts to the public. And we, the Southern Nevada public, continue to benefit as their legacies live on through public radio, community arts programming, and useful and accessible parks.

Born of humble beginnings to a sheep farming family in Cyprus, Greece, Stavros Anthony embodies the legacy of the American spirit and ability to reach as far as one can to achieve personal greatness. His family came to the United States in 1955 and moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where his father started working in the restaurant business as a cook until 1967. Moving to Detroit proved to be a benefit for the family, as his father became the executive chef for the Grosse Point Yacht Club, one of the most exclusive clubs in the country. He went from sheep herding, to peeling potatoes, to the executive and afforded his family a typical middle class lifestyle. He graduated from high school in 1975 and attended Wayne State University, earning is B.A. in criminal justice and starting his career in policing with the university’s police department. Upon graduating in 1980, he faced a frozen job industry in Detroit due to a very bad auto recession. He applied for and secured a position as a po

“At five years old, I was the youngest boy at the orphanage. This was the first time that I had lived with indoor plumbing and indoor showers.” To describe award-winning home builder Larry Canarelli as a self-made man is to grossly understate his accomplishments and his determination. Canarelli, founder of American West, Nevada’s largest privately owned development company, learned all about living without shelter as a very young boy. When he was nine years old, Canarelli, the second of his mother’s six children, encouraged his veteran stepfather to buy the family’s first permanent house for $80 down and an agreement to assume payments on the Veterans Administration loan. As his school peers dreamt of large, shiny cars, Canarelli envisaged big, beautiful houses. After self-funding his education, graduating from the University of California Los Angeles, completing two years of U.S. Army service, and earning his Master’s degree from University of Southern California, Canarelli began his career working with a large home building firm in the Los Angeles area. Three years later he switched firms, and the new company sent him to Las Vegas. In this interview, Canarelli reaches back to his childhood to explain his motivation to build houses: “All of my life, I had an interest in housing. Perhaps this is because of never having a house when I was younger.” He recalls how the Collins Brothers helped him when he founded American West. He describes the Southern Nevada “shelter market” of the 1970s and follows its evolution in style and marketing through the 1980s and 1990s; he talks about master planning and the builders who first master planned their Clark County developments: Pardee Homes in Spring Valley, American Nevada in Green Valley, and Howard Hughes Corporation in Summerlin. He speaks to the influences of interest rates and available land on housing prices; the importance of environmentally responsible housing; where the entry-level housing market will go, and ways that technology has changed home building and home buying. And throughout, he exemplifies his devotion to, knowledge of, and respect for Southern Nevada’s housing industry-its builders, its market, and its buyers.

Interviewed by Irene Rostine. Hazel Hedges moved from Kansas City to Las Vegas with her husband and son in 1952. She worked briefly as a waitress in the dining room at the Thunderbird and then became a stay at home mom until her son was in junior high. Then after she went to real estate school, she went to work in commercial real estate at Bond Realty. After that, she passed her brokers exam and transferred to Parkway Realty where she sold land. Her primary success in real estate came from selling houses and investing in land and residential properties personally. After leaving Parkway Realty, Hazel went to work for the real estate office Deshoor, Fair, and Davis, which she eventually bought and renamed Southside Realty. Eventually her son joined her, and they operated Hedges and Wade Realty with two offices, one on each side of town. Hazel also did volunteer work including the Assistance League Las Vegas' Operation School Bell Program, which provides clothing for area school children in need.

On January 14, 1975, collector James Greene interviewed foreman, Neil H. Holmes (born on November 16th, 1897, in Chicopee, Kansas) in his home in Boulder City, Nevada. This interview covers the early days in Boulder City. Mr. Holmes also discusses the local education system, family life, employment opportunities, housing, and the building of Hoover Dam.