Search Results
Marc Wilkinson Papers
Identifier
MS-00159
Abstract
The Marc Wilkinson Papers contain materials related to the business and personal life of Marc Wilkinson, his wife Theresa, and their printing business, Marc Wilkinson Printer located in Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1953 to 1980. The collection includes business correspondence, business advertisements, and materials relating to membership in Las Vegas social organizations.
Archival Collection
Alice Kinnear Photograph
Identifier
PH-00057
Abstract
The Alice Kinnear Photograph consists of one photographic print of the students and instructors at Las Vegas High School in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1916. An included document identifies the individuals in the photograph.
Archival Collection
Transcript of interview with Elizabeth "Betty" Krolak by Irene Rostine, September 26, 1995
Date
1996-09-26
Archival Collection
Description
In 1962, Elizabeth “Betty” Krolak moved from the Midwest to Las Vegas with her husband and six children. Not only would the drier desert climate benefit her youngest daughter’s health due to asthma, but the family hoped the Las Vegas economy would be beneficial for their future. Prior to her arrival in Las Vegas, Betty worked briefly as a secretary for the New York Central Railroad before becoming a stay-at-home mom and active member of the PTA. Upon their arrival in Las Vegas, Betty’s husband enrolled in a real estate class, but was unable to complete the program. Betty, not wanting to waste the $80 they had spent on the class, decided to attend in his place. This decision led to life changing events for Betty and her family over the next four decades. After taking the real estate class and passing the test, Betty became a licensed Nevada real estate broker in October of 1963. She initially went to work for Pyramid Realty and, in 1964, she opened her own office, Clark County Realty. After her divorce in 1967, Betty was left with “six hungry children” to feed and no child support or health insurance. She recalls how the benefits of being in real estate really became apparent during this period of her life. While real estate required long hours seven days a week, it also afforded a single mother flexibility that other careers would not have offered. Likewise, a woman could make more money in real estate in the 1960s and 1970s than most other careers provided, which was particularly important for Betty who was committed to raising her children without public assistance. Betty’s oral history chronicles the growth of the Las Vegas Board of Realtors which has grown into what today is the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors (GLVAR). She recalls how, in the 1960s, meetings took place in bowling allies and the primary role of the GLVAR was to provide networking opportunities and represent the Code of Ethics for realtors. However, the Board was dominated by males, with the role of women members confined to planning social events and arranging for refreshments. In 1968, Betty and several other women realtors set out to change this by initially establishing a local Women’s Council within the Board. In the years following, Betty became the first women to be an Executive Board Member. Today, more than half the members of the Executive Board are women. Betty’s oral history also speaks to many changes within the real estate industry over the past four decades, some positive and some not so positive. She recounts the 1960s to the 1980s, when casino workers’ main source of income came from tips which were often unreported, creating challenges in getting casino workers qualified for home loans because they did not have the ability to document their source of income. Likewise, single women had a hard time qualifying for home loans because they only had one income and, in those days, it rarely was enough to qualify for a mortgage on their own. Also during this period, realtors primarily focused on the resale market because builders wanted to work directly with buyers, but changes in the real estate market eventually led builders to realize the benefits of allowing realtors to sell new houses, too. During her career, Betty also experienced the rise of real estate franchises, beginning with Century 21’s arrival in Nevada, the development of Multiple Listing Service (MLS), changes to educational requirements, approaches to settling disputes, and new approaches to ethics violations. Perhaps the biggest change Betty’s oral history speaks to is the personal approach to selling real estate that has been lost over time. In the early days, brokers sold houses right alongside the sales agents. Today, however, regulations have placed brokers in a position where their primary role is to manage sales people, not sell houses. Also, realtors used to interact with other realtors, title company personnel, and mortgage lenders before technology, such as fax machines and computers, came along. In the early days, documents were transferred in person allowing people in the industry to get to know one another through these personal interactions. Today, everything is done electronically and it is rare to actually know the person on the other end. Selling real estate has lost a lot of its personal touch, according to Betty. In addition to being the mother of six children and running one of the largest real estate offices in the area, Betty also found time to give back to the community through her volunteer work with the Salvation Army. She was instrumental in establishing Southern Nevada’s Angel Tree project, which provides Christmas presents to children who otherwise would not receive them. She was also appointed by Governor Michael O’Callahan to the State of Nevada’s Real Estate Commission, making her the first woman to serve on the Commission. Betty’s career in real estate allowed her to witness and implement many changes that still impact the industry today. When Betty began her career, Las Vegas’ population was just over 45 thousand. By the mid-1990s Green Valley, Spring Valley, North Las Vegas, Summerlin, and Sun City had been developed and the Valley’s population exceeded 1 million people. Betty Krolak’s career merged with the real estate boom as she helped find homes for those who wanted to make Las Vegas their home. She made sure the real estate industry’s growth included women, training mechanisms, and ethics which continue to benefit realtors, home buyers, and home sellers to this day.
Text
Transcript of interview with Charles and Anne Snavely by Lois Goodall, February 5, 2014 and January 8, 2015
Date
2014-02-05
2015-01-08
Archival Collection
Description
S. Charles Snavely, a long-time Las Vegas pediatrician, arrived in Nevada in 1965 with his wife, Ann, and two children courtesy of the United States Air Force. The family lived at Nellis Air Force Base while Charlie completed his Barry Plan commitment to the military. In separate interviews, Charlie and Ann discuss their arrival in Las Vegas, their first house in the Glen Heather area of Ward 1, and their current house in the Scotch 80s (pictured above). Charlie and Ann met at a small private hospital in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where Ann was working as a nurse. The two University of Pennsylvania graduates, now married 63 years, raised their children in their Scotch 80s house and so far have not been tempted to move elsewhere.
Text
Frontier Girl Scouts Records
Identifier
MS-00421
Abstract
The collection consists of records of the Frontier Girl Scouts Council (FGSC) dating from 1944 until 1999. The majority of the collection dates from 1990 to 1999. It contains annual reports and publications of the FGSC, committee minutes and agenda, troop financial records, membership data, and leader training records. It also includes correspondence and publications of the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA).
Archival Collection
Dick Maurice Papers and Audiovisual Recordings
Identifier
MS-00441
Abstract
The Dick Maurice Papers and Audiovisual Recordings (1958 to 1990 and undated) document his career as a talk show host and as a columnist in Las Vegas, Nevada. It also documents his experience as a hostage during the Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 355 hijacking on September 10, 1976. Included are photographs, correspondence, press releases, news clippings, programs, and the transcript of the episode of The Merv Griffin Show on which Maurice appeared. The bulk of the collection consists of audiovisual recordings of his interviews with entertainers, and his radio and television programs.
Archival Collection
Las Vegas High School Architectural Drawings
Identifier
MS-00925
Abstract
The Las Vegas High School architectural drawings include blueprints for various improvements, expansions, additions, and renovations performed for the Las Vegas, Nevada high school between 1929 and 1972. The architectural drawing sets include site plans, floor plans, elevations, sections, building component details, and structural drawings.
Archival Collection
John R. Moser Real Estate Appraisal Records
Identifier
MS-00803
Abstract
Collection contains nineteen real estate appraisal reports created by John R. Moser from Las Vegas and rural Southern Nevada (Lincoln and Nye counties) from approximately 1957 to 1972. The reports contain information on the market values of the properties and contextual information explaining the appraisals. This collection also contains photographs and photographic negatives depicting properties, and photographic slides of desert flora and landscapes around Nevada and Idaho such as Groom Mountain Range, White Bird Canyon, Salmon River Valley, Clover Valley, and Ruby Mountains.
Archival Collection