On February 22, 1977, collector Lee LaVecchia interviewed musician, Vaughan O. Holt (born December 2nd, 1912 in Central, Utah) in his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview covers the history of Southern Nevada. Mr. Holt offers an overview on marriage and family life in Las Vegas, local transportation, education, and occupations. Pollution, tourism, railroads, and the development of the Las Vegas Strip is also discussed. Mrs. Holt is also present during the interview.
In this roundtable discussion, members of Temple Beth Sholom discuss the history of the long-established congregation. Interviewees are Sandy Mallin, Oscar Goodman, Jared Shafer, Joel Goot, Arne Rosencrantz, Jerry Blut, Jackie Boiman, Gene Greenberg, and Flora Mason, with Shelley Berkley joining in later in the interview. Most of the interviewees have been involved in the leadership of the congregation. They discuss relationships with various rabbis over the years, and successful fundraising efforts to build the original synagogue. Other early leaders in the congregation were Edythe Katz-Yarchever, the Goot family, Stuart Mason, Herb Kaufman and Leo Wilner. Until the 1980s, Temple Beth Sholom was the only synagogue in Las Vegas, but after a dispute over the burial of a non-Jew, a new synagogue formed (Shareii Tefilla), and at nearly the same time, Temple Beth Sholom began investigating a move from their site on Oakey Boulevard. Most have nostalgia for the former location, but discuss the changes in the neighborhood that necessitated the move to Summerlin. Then they discuss the other initiatives that were borne out of Temple Beth Sholom, such as bond drives for Israel, B'nai B'rith, and the Kolod Center. They share other memories, then discuss the leadership and Sandy Mallin becoming the first female president of the temple. They credit Mallin with keeping the temple going through lean years, and helping to recruit Rabbi Felipe Goodman. The group goes on to mention other influential members of the Jewish community including Jack Entratter and Lloyd Katz, who helped integrate Las Vegas.
From the Roosevelt Fitzgerald Professional Papers (MS-01082) -- Drafts for the Las Vegas Sentinel Voice file. On the University of North Dakota receiving $5 million donation from Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino owner and approved Nazi war room artifacts.
An oral history statement conducted by herself. Lucile Whitehead Bunker (b. 1907 in Overton, Nevada), at the request of Doreen Day, provides an oral history statement about her experiences growing up and living in Southern Nevada. Bunker recalls her first experiences in Las Vegas and Overton and talks about her family, specifically about her mother, an ice cream maker, and father, the first assessor of Clark County. She then speaks about her various positions, including being a secretary at a school and law firm, a schoolteacher, and a deputy county clerk. She also describes her experiences as the wife of former Senator Berkeley Bunker, particularly living in Washington, D.C. where she met several presidents and attended several events with other lawmakers’ wives. Bunker additionally talks about her missionary work in her church and the various locations to which she travelled. She concludes the statement by talking about her interests in china painting, the early above-ground atomic testing, and the building of Hoover Dam.