Aaron S. Gold (May 13, 1920-June 13, 2001) was a rabbi who served many congregations including ones in Las Vegas, Wisconsin, and San Diego. Gold was born in Poland, the son of a rabbi, and the tenth of eleven children. While living in Poland, Gold faced anti-Semitic sentiments and was once beaten so bad he went into a coma. When he was a child his father and brother emigrated to the United States and sent for the rest of the family in 1928. After his move to the United States, Rabbi Gold trained as a rabbi and cantor as well as being a certified shochet and moehl.
Grace Hayes was born on August 23, 1896 in Springfield, Missouri. She moved to San Francisco, California at the age of ten, and began to sing at nightclubs at the age of fourteen. In 1912 Hayes married Joseph Lind, and their son Joseph Conrad Lind (better known as Peter Lind Hayes) was born in 1915. She married twice after Lind; first to Charlie Foy, then to Robert Evan Hopkins. Hayes is best known for her career in motion pictures from 1929 to 1950, primarily for King of Jazz (1930) and Zis Boom Bah (1941).
Rosemary Witt grew up in the very small town of Columbia, Iowa. She went to a two-room country school in Columbia and attended high school in Knoxville. Her nursing diploma was completed at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. She then worked in the operating room for a month or two and switched to pediatrics. When Rosemary's dad fell ill, she moved back to Knoxville to be closer to him and found employment at the VA psychiatric hospital. After five years there, first as staff and then as head nurse, she got the opportunity to attend a nursing program at the University of Iowa which paid tuition and a stipend. She completed her baccalaureate degree, and then worked as an assistant instructor. In the late '60s, Rosemary decided to further her education, and went to the University of Washington in Seattle for her master's in psychiatric nursing. She stayed for three years afterwards to teach on that faculty, and then attended a workshop in Las Vegas in 1971. Rosemary was attracted by the sunshine in Las Vegas, and called UNLV to see if there were any openings. She interviewed and was hired as a psychiatric nurse instructor. In '75 or '76, she decided to pursue her doctorate at the University of Texas in Austin, and persuaded her sister to move to Las Vegas to watch her house and pets while she was away at school. In the many years that she's been at UNLV, Rosemary had served as chair of the nursing program for over thirty of those years. She also served as interim director for a year while a search was conducted for a dean. Today she teaches classes and is involved in research. Rosemary recalls the early days when several disciplines were housed in Frazier Hall. Having spent over thirty years at UNLV, she has seen many changes in the campus and in the city. Today the nursing program has its own school and inhabits most of a large building. She and other instructors are involved in research which improves life for Las Vegans and patients everywhere. She is confident that the nursing school will continue to grow and offer more educational opportunities for students.
The population of Lancaster, New York shrank on Christmas Day 1959. That was the day young Mary McCoy and her eight siblings relocated to Las Vegas. In this interview, Mary recalls highlights of the move to dusty southern Nevada; her family's first plane trip; and what it was like to grow up in a large family. After graduating from Basic High School, Mary immediately enrolled at Nevada Southern University which was in the midst of growing into UNLV. During the summer of 1967 she worked at the university's library moving books into the expanded facility. Though she altered her studies program from education to English, she continued to work at the library and continued the job after graduation. Mary describes some of the dynamic changes that were occurring to UNLV campus at the time. In 1975, Mary and her husband Duncan McCoy moved to Bloomington, Indiana, so that Duncan could pursue his graduate studies and take a Book Mobile librarian job. For the next fourteen years the couple followed a variety of opportunities guided by Duncan's career.[He is a retired director of Boulder City, NV, Library.] In 1989, they returned to Las Vegas. Mary had agreed to the move—as long as it was to a city where she could find a college library position. Mary speaks of her enjoyment of working at the UNLV library until her retirement in 2009. Among her favorite UNLV library memories is a story about a ride in the book lift, as well as how her library roles ranged from acquisitions to Special Collections to documents.
On March 3, 1979, William Hawley interviewed Oliver Crickman (born 1933 in Apex, North Carolina) about his experiences from living in Nevada and working in restaurants. Crickman first describes his background and his first occupations prior to starting as a cook in Las Vegas restaurants. He then explains how he gradually moved from the position of cook’s helper to sous chef and his then-current position of executive chef at the Royal Inn. Crickman goes into detail about the operation of those restaurants and other Las Vegas Strip and Downtown Las Vegas properties, and he describes the demographics of cooks as well as how the hospitality industry has changed over time. The latter part of the interview involves a discussion of Crickman’s various residences in Las Vegas over time, the extent of crime, the first places to shop, and a brief discussion on mobile homes.
Pat Marchese grew up in Johnston, Pennsylvania, and Lamar was reared in Tampa, Florida. Pat was raised on a farm surrounded by relatives. Lamar takes pride in his mother heritage, which can be traced to Tampa Bay, Florida, in the early 1840's. Pat and Lamar graduated from the University of South Florida and relocated to Las Vegas in 1972. Pat's remarkable 30-plus year passion includes working for the city of Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada. She created numerous art and cultural programs which consist of the Civic Symphony, Charleston Heights Arts Center, Rainbow Company Theatre, along with consulting work for the Allied Arts Council. In addition, to her creating art and cultural agendas, she became a budget analyst and chief lobbyists for the county, testifying before the Senate Taxation Committee. She implemented through the public arts program, a Mural Arts Series, the Parks and Recreation Cultural Division, and culture on the Strip. Pat executed the grant that ensured the necessary funding for the expansion for public broadcasting radio stations throughout California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada. She's certainly worthy of her title "Queen of Las Vegas Culture". Lamar's amazing 30-plus year's calling comprises putting into action an abundant number of libraries programs for the State of Nevada along with establishing the first public broadcast radio station in Nevada. His library accomplishments include merging the City's libraries branches, library programs, shows, concerts, unification of academic libraries and public libraries and the first reciprocal borrowing agreement for the State of Nevada with the Nevada library card. He consolidated Las Vegas Libraries and the Las Vegas Clark County Library District. He also sold bonds for the development of future libraries. Lamar's broadcasting achievements consist of incorporating the Nevada Public Radio Corporation with State of Nevada, serving as Chairman of the board for NPRC, constructing broadcasting translators and radio stations throughout the tri-state and enveloping the State of Nevada through public broadcasting. Combined, Pat and Lamar Marchese have served the Las Vegas community for over six decades. Thanks to the Marcheses, broadcasting is thriving throughout the tri-state area, libraries are blossoming and cultural programs are flourishing. They are looking forward to retiring, traveling, spending time with loved ones, and most of all, Pat and Lamar time together.
Sharon Walker is a real estate investor, retired stockbroker and former loan officer. She was born on December 8, 1949 in Toledo, Ohio, and moved to Las Vegas with her family in 1963, where they started Walker Furniture, a store which they later sold to the Alterwitz family. Sharon's father, Julius Walker, was also in the casino business, becoming an owner of the El Cortez Hotel and Casino with Jackie Gaughan. Her mother, Anne Walker was a founding member of the first local Hadassah, The Women?s Zionist Organization. Sharon continues the family tradition of being active in Hadassah as well as being a Board Member of Jewish Family Service Agency. In November 2014 she was an honoree of Hadassah Leadership. In this interview, Sharon describes her adolescence in Las Vegas and the differences in culture as compared to her childhood in Toledo, Ohio. She also recalls the Walker Furniture business, her father?s careers, and her uncles Ed ?E? Walker and Lou ?Paddock? Walker.