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McLean, Charlie
Charlie McLean was born in 1932 and raised in Scotland to a family of musicians. McLean’s dad started teaching him to play the saxophone when he was eight years old. By the time he was nine years old, he was performing in his father’s band, which included playing concerts for the munitions workers during World War II. When he was 15, McLean’s family migrated to the United States. Following graduating from high school, McLean was drafted and played with the Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) Club Band.
Person
Dvorak, Jacque, 1944-
Jacqueline "Jacque" Dvorak was born in London, England July 26, 1944. Her family immigrated to Canada in 1946. Then, in 1953 they moved to the United States, settling in Long Beach, California where Jacque’s brother was born. In 1957, the Dvorak family relocated to Las Vegas when Jacque’s father, Sam, opened a 24-hour barbeque restaurant in Market Town with his brother Harry.
Person
Washington, Hermina, 1957-
Hermina Washington was born December 23, 1957 in Henderson, Nevada. To take advantage of emerging opportunities for African Americans, her parents migrated from Arkansas to Las Vegas, Nevada, joining several extended family members already settled in the city. Growing up during the Civil Rights Movement, Washington was surrounded by strong, inspiring role models, including her grandmother and educators.
Person
Denton, Sara P., 1924-
Sara Denton was born November 12, 1924 in Paducah, Kentucky into a family of readers and thinkers. When the opportunity arose, at 18 years of age, to move to Washington, D.C. to work in the Signal Corps, she seized the opportunity. From the vantage point of her apartment, she could see the Secret Service assisting Franklin D. Roosevelt into his limousine at the back door of the White House. His polio was hidden from the public but this diversion allowed Sara and her friends to greet and be greeted by their hero.
Person
Gore, Robert
Robert Gore first came to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1973 as a public affairs officer with the Air Force. He returned to West Virginia to go into the family business in 1976 and four years later was offered a job with Summa Corporation. Back in Las Vegas, he also served as director of the Air Force Association. At a dinner meeting of the Association, Retired General Bill Becker suggested that an engineering school was needed at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
Person
Alderman, Icepick Willie
Israel "Icepick Willie" Alderman was a Las Vegas, Nevada casino investor and manager with ties to organized crime. Along with his associates Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Moe Sedway, David Berman, and Gus Greenbaum, he was involved in the El Cortez, the Riviera, the Flamingo, and the Las Vegas Club. Prior to living in Las Vegas, he was mob enforcer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was given his nickname based on his perfection of the icepick method of murder.
Person
Ruchman, Penelope
Penelope "Pennie" Ruchman is a long-time gaming and casino professional who graduated from in 1977 from Oberlin College's Creative Writing and American Literature honors program. Following graduation, Ruchman moved to New York City, New York to work as a photographer where she apprenticed for Irving Penn and Arnold Newman before embarking on a career of creating her own artwork, holding one-woman exhibitions throughout the country.
Person
Canarelli, Larry (Lawrence D.)
Lawrence Canarelli was born in Roseburg, Oregon shortly after World War II. His family had no money and lived in a tent on the Umpqua River, foraging and living day-to-day. After their tent and everything they owned burned down, Canarelli’s family moved to various logging camps through Oregon and California. His father quit his job and unexpectedly left the family, leaving the 21-year old mother no choice but to put Canarelli and his three siblings in a Pentecostal orphanage.
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