In this oral history, the long married couple Henry and Anita Schuster recall the history of the 1930s and how they eventually met and created a life together. Their childhoods were distinctively different, but charter a future where they would inevitably meet. Born in Germany in 1926, Henry recalls the dawn of Hitler and the Nazism. His mother would arrange for his evacuation to France, where he would not know her fate or that of his two sisters for a number of years. Along with hundreds of other displaced children, he escaped to America and lived with relatives in Louisiana where he finished his schooling and joined the US Army. Anita on the other hand grew up with her family in New York. They share the story of meeting when she was 16, falling in love and marrying in 1948. They had four children and moved several times before settling in California. They retired to Las Vegas in 1993. Henry's recollections include childhood memories of the Holocaust and its affect on his family, including the loss of his mother and one of his sisters. Finding his surviving sister Bertel (Betty Kale) after the war is a heartwarming tale of survival. The Schusters are part of the approximately 300 members of the Holocaust Survivor Group that has settled in southern Nevada and Henry was President Emeritus of the group. He published his memoir, Abraham's Son-the Making of an American, in 2010.
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Interviewed by Dennis McBride; work with National Park Service including time at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area
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From left to right: Susan Jarvis, Hal Erickson, and Alfreda Blood in the Special Collections department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). They are examining the Leonard T. Blood papers just donated to UNLV Special Collections.
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The Paul J. Richert Photograph Collection (approximately 1950-1951) consists of black-and-white photographic prints and negatives depicting the swimming pools at the Desert Inn and Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also included is an image of the Las Vegas High School Rhythmettes dance group and an image of the El Rancho Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
The Nadine Tobin Collection of Helldorado Photographs, approximately 1940 to 1959, contains black-and-white photographic prints depicting parade floats during Helldorado Days celebrations in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also included is one image of a primary school class in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
The First Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Photograph Collection, approximately 1930 to 1950, consists of black-and-white photographic prints and negatives depicting the construction of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also included are images of parish leaders and the ground breaking ceremony for the grand opening.
Archival Collection
The Castaways Hotel and Casino Photograph Collection, approximately 1963 to 1987, consists of black-and-white and color photographic prints and negatives. Images depict the exterior of the entrance to the property, the mega-pylon sign, the pool area, and the “Gateway to Luck” replica temple in the courtyard area. The interior images depict various hotel rooms and suites, a couple dining, and a performance by Rusty Isabel, an entertainer in the Kon Tiki Lounge inside the property.
Archival Collection