Nat Hart (1916-1995) was one of Las Vegas, Nevada’s original celebrity chefs, well-known for his restaurants at Caesars Palace and the Desert Inn, and for his popular gourmet cooking school. During the 1960s Hart was maître d' of Bacchanal, the main fine dining restaurant at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He was promoted to Corporate Vice President of Food and Beverage in the 1970s and established new restaurants at Caesars World locations across the United States. In the 1980s he opened the Nat Hart Gourmet Cooking School in Las Vegas.
The Valerie Pida Trust Records (1987-1993) are comprised of records documenting efforts by Edward "Ted" Quirk, an attorney and a board member of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Foundation, to establish a trust for Valerie Pida, a UNLV student who had battled Hodgkin's lymphoma since the age of thirteen. Pida was a student at UNLV from 1985 to 1991 and was a cheerleader for the Runnin' Rebels basketball team. The records include correspondence, newspaper clippings, financial statements, and receipts that document the establishment and activities of the foundation, which operated until 1993.