Jonathan “Jon” Sparer of Las Vegas, Nevada, is a retired architect who is active in the local Jewish and LGBTQ communities. He grew up on Long Island, New York, in the hamlet of Woodmere, where his father was an importer. After graduating in Architecture from Ohio State University in 1977 Jon moved to Los Angeles, California, where he worked first with architect Jack Chernoff, then with architect Bob Barnett until 1981, when he accompanied his future wife and college classmate who worked for Martin Stern to Las Vegas. Stern sent her to open a field office to supervise the reconstruction of the MGM Grand after it burned in November 1980. Once in Las Vegas, Jon began working for architect Homer Rissman on Steve Wynn’s future project, The Mirage. Although Jon switched firms, he continued working on The Mirage and other Wynn projects with Marnell Corrao, where he would stay until 2001. Ironically, Jon’s original supervisor at Marnell Corrao was his future husband, architect John R. Klai II; Klai’s subordinate in turn was Jon’s Spring Valley neighbor. After Jon left Marnell in 2001, he became a founding principal architect at YWS Design & Architecture. Although he has retired from full-time architecture, Jon has since designed the Temple for Congregation Ner Tamid (pictured above) and The Center (Las Vegas's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer community center). Jon remains active in the AIA Las Vegas Chapter as the incoming president as well as serving as a board member for Jewish Family Services Agency and The Center.
Juan Saa entered the gaming industry in information technology at Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park in Pompano Beach, Florida in 2006. Saa would later transition into performance manager and director of slot operations at two properties in Black Hawk, Colorado: Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk and Lady Luck Casino Hotel Black Hawk. The interview begins with Saa’s discussion of his start in the technical side and his eventual move into an operational role in the casino industry. He talks about his experience as a director, specifically the responsibilities involved and the type of staff being supervised. Saa goes on to describe how both mentors and training have helped him to progress in his career. Saa also describes the differences in the technical and performance aspects of the industry, and he then provides his philosophy on what makes both a good and bad slot manager. Saa later discusses the importance in communicating with other departments in the casino, such as marketing and food & beverage, and he also provides his thoughts on what customers are looking for on the slot floor. He then describes what he believes are the biggest changes in the slot industry, specifically with TITO and slot analysis. The interview continues with Saa’s description of his interaction with vendors in bringing new games to the slot floor, and he describes his philosophy on how a slot floor should be laid out. He goes on to discuss what he believes the future of the slot floor will look like, specifically regarding skill-based games, and he describes his personal gambling. The interview finalizes with Saa’s advice to young people who want to go into the slot operations as a career.
Black and white image of Herbert Hoover and several others touring the Boulder Canyon Project. The following printed description accompanies the image: "President Herbert Hoover and official party in Tunnel No. 2 during inspection tour of Boulder Canyon Project. Left to right: Construction Engineer W. R. Young, Bureau of Reclamation; Mr. Ritchey , Secretary to the President; Chief Engineer R. F. Walter, Bureau of Reclamation; Mrs. Hoover; President Hoover; Mrs. Wilbur; Secretary of the Interior R. L. Wilbur; E. O. Wattis, First Vice-President, Six Companies, Inc.; F. T. Crowe, Gen. Superintendent, Six Companies , Inc." Note: Boulder Dam was officially renamed Hoover Dam in 1947.
The Fred Houghton Papers (1909-1998) consist of Houghton’s legal and personal files on his Blue Chip Ranch property in Las Vegas, Nevada. The materials include legal cases, maps, reports, and correspondence concerning water access on the property, and his work with the Las Vegas Well Users Association, which primarily contains correspondence in conjunction with Las Vegas's water politics. The collection also contains court cases during the 1930s when Houghton worked as a lawyer in Chicago, Illinois, as well as legal files for his time as a public defender for the State of California. The personal files in the collection primarily consist of correspondence, banking records, diaries, and notebooks.
This collection has been removed from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries Special Collections and Archives' holdings by request of the donor. The collection was returned to the donor. Please contact special.collections@unlv.edu for further information.
The Leon Carter, Sr. Photographs (approximately 1948-2019) primarily contain photographic prints documenting Leon Carter, Sr.'s life living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Included are photographs of Carter, his brother John L. Carter, members of the Carter family, and snapshots from the Helldorado Days parade in the mid-1960s. The collection includes a photograph of Carter as a table dealer, a facsimile photograph of Carter when he played baseball in Canada in the early 1950s, and his yearbook portrait. Materials also include a brochure from Carter's political campaign running for County Commissioner in 1972, and a 1989 certificate of appreciation to Carter from the Las Vegas Breakfasters Lions Club.
McNamee states that although the Union Pacific Railroad owns the land that the springs are on and all the land it historically watered, to further protect their water right they should apply for the right to appropriate the water.