Search Results
The Story of Classic Las Vegas Oral History Interviews
Identifier
MS-01075
Abstract
Archival Collection
Transcript of interview with Millicent Rosen by Barbara Tabach, June 23, 2015
Date
2015-06-23
Archival Collection
Description
Until her passing in 2017, Millicent (Siegel) Rosen was the living link to Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, one of Las Vegas’ most notorious links to the Jewish mob. A steadfastly independent woman herself, Millicent recalls Benjamin as a loving father to her and her younger sister. She is proud of his status as a Las Vegas visionary, though she affixes a footnote that the city of today might not be to his liking. She includes a few anecdotes about common names of the early days, including Meyer Lansky who walked her down the aisle when she married Jack Rosen. They had three children: Benjamin, Cindy, and Wendy. Millicent moved to Las Vegas to be with her daughter and her family in about 2000 and cherished her role as a grandmother. Always an artist at heart, Millicent once painted canvases for needlepoint and in 2015 promoted her clothing line.
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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.
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Letter and envelope from John M. Bunker, Logan Utah. to Mary Etta Syphus, Provo, Utah.
Date
1894-03-07
Archival Collection
Description
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.
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Transcript of interview with Kevin Brady by David G. Schwartz, September 7, 2016
Date
2016-09-07
Archival Collection
Description
Kevin Brady was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in Pennsylvania. Brady started in the gaming industry in 1993 as a surveillance officer for Players International Lake Charles and eventually became a surveillance supervisor at Paragon Casino Resort. He later became a surveillance manager and casino controller at Harrah’s St. Louis where he worked in finance while also earning his master’s degree in business administration. Brady later entered the position of eastern division director of slot operations for Harrah’s in 2001 before transferring to Harrah’s Shreveport to work in slot operations. He worked there during Boyd’s purchase of the property and then went to Delta Downs to manage several areas of that location. Brady became vice president of slot operations at Mohegan Sun in 2005 and after two years moved to the Sands Casino in Pennsylvania where he worked for another seven years. Brady currently works at Resorts Mohegan Sun in Atlantic City as vice president of casino operations. The interview with Brady begins with his narrative of his journey through his various positions and roles in the gaming industry. During the discussion, he also talks about his experience and approach in negotiating with vendors for new slot games on the floor, and he provides his philosophy on how to lay out a slot floor. Brady then discusses his view on what makes a good slot manager, with a focus on how to lead employees, and he then talks about the changes in technology since he first started in the slot industry. He also describes how the gaming business has changed overall since he first started, and he gives his opinion on what he believes the future of slots will hold, specifically regarding skill-based gaming and millennials. The interview concludes with Brady describing his personal gambling and his own advice to young people who might want to go into slot operations.
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Transcript of interview with Laura Taylor by Claytee D. White, December 3 & 8, 2008
Date
2008-12-03
2008-12-08
Archival Collection
Description
Laura Taylor was born in New Haven, Connecticut and spent her childhood bouncing between New York and Ohio to follow her father’s career. Robert Cox, her father, was a businessman who attended Syracuse University on the GI Bill. Her mother, Lillian Cox (neé Bower) was concert pianist and college music professor. At the age of seventeen, Taylor received a scholarship to attend the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Powell. Unfortunately, Dr. Powell died two years later, which prompted a move into commercial music. Taylor performed at a number of local clubs as well as soloed in national commercial campaigns for United Airlines and Buick. She moved to Miami, Florida with her first husband in her early 20s. After she and her husband divorced, Taylor recorded her first album with Good Sounds Records of Criteria Studios. Her songs Dancin’ in My Feet, Lady Scorpion, All Through Me, and Some Love made Billboard and Record World charts. She returned to New York City and formed the Laura Taylor Trio to perform jazz music in famous hotels like the Plaza Hotel and The Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Taylor moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1983 to open for Don Rickles at the Desert Inn Hotel, which led to many years of performing in the Desert Inn’s Starlight Theater. She married her second and current husband, Robert Cox, in 1985 after meeting him at a concert. Taylor also enjoyed a number of jazz performances on public radio and at a number of venues across Las Vegas. Today, Laura Taylor is still active in the jazz world of Las Vegas, serving as a member of the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the Jazz Society. She also continues to write and perform jazz music, appearing at Smith Center for Performing Arts as well as releasing five CDs.
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Gene Hertzog Professional Papers
Identifier
MS-01015
Abstract
The Gene Hertzog Professional Papers (approximately 1930-2015) are comprised of photographs, slides, transparencies, publications, video cassettes, correspondence, and digital files spanning Gene Hertzog's working years with the United States Army, the Bureau of Reclamation, and as a freelance photographer and videographer based in Southern Nevada, New Mexico, and Washington state. The collection documents the complicated infrastructure required to supply water to the Las Vegas Valley and includes still and moving images of the Springs Preserve, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Colorado River, and the Columbia Basin. The majority of the collection comes from Hertzog's time as a regional photographer for the Bureau of Reclamation and offers a unique glimpse into the Bureau's work in Southern Nevada, the southwest, and the Pacific Northwest from the 1950s to the mid-1990s.
Archival Collection
C. D. Baker Photograph Collection
Identifier
PH-00099
Abstract
The C. D. Baker Photograph Collection depicts former Las Vegas, Nevada mayor Charles Duncan "C. D." Baker from 1916 to 1966. The photographs primarily depict Baker at political events, including campaign stops, fundraising events, meetings with officials and politicians, and at important locations in Las Vegas and Nevada. Baker was photographed with politicians such as U.S. Senator Chic Hecht, President Harry S. Truman, Governor Vail Pittman, and Lt. Governor Cliff Jones.
Archival Collection