The Strutt Hurley Collection on the Southern Nevada Pride Association, Inc. (SNAPI) and Las Vegas Pride (1989-2000) contains materials collected and produced by Strutt Hurley during her tenure as Director of Entertainment of SNAPI. Materials include meeting minutes, advertising contracts, Las Vegas Pride programs, and ephemera collected from Pride celebrations in Las Vegas, Nevada and other parts of the United States and the world.
The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Theta Theta Omega (AKA TTO) Chapter records (1965-2020) are comprised of organizational records, conference programs, digitized copies of the chapter's scrapbooks, and copies of Ivy Leaf, the organization’s national newsletter. The records include chapter and committee agendas and meeting minutes, Far Western Regional Conference reports, and fliers for events hosted by AKA TTO. Also included are archived web captures of AKA TTO's website and digital audio and video files for the chapter's oral history project interviewing Charter, Golden, and Silver members from 2019 to 2020.
The Wilson Family Papers (1875-1918) document the personal and professional lives of James B. Wilson Sr., James B. Wilson Jr., and George Twison "Tweed" Wilson, early pioneers in Southern Nevada. The collection is comprised of personal correspondence, invoices and advertisements from the Wilson family business, the Sandstone Ranch, and photographs of the extended Wilson family.
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.
From the Syphus-Bunker Papers (MS-00169). The folder contains an original handwritten letter, an envelope, a typed transcription of the same letter, and a copy of original letter attached.