In the dusty border town of Douglas, Arizona, Dr. Jack Lund Schofield was born in the family home in 1923. Due to the economic woes of the Great Depression, the Schofield family moved several times until 1937—the year that Jack's father took a position as a tungsten broker and moved his family of five children to Nevada. For Jack, who was ready to start high school, the move from Phoenix to Las Vegas with a small population of 5000 was a shock. However, it did not take the gregarious Jack long to make friends at Las Vegas High School. He played sports and was a Golden Glove boxing champion. As Jack's high school years drew to an end, two major events occurred: he met his future wife and World War II began. He proudly highlights his service as a fighter pilot in both WWII and the Korea conflict, his family genealogy, and his devotion to being an excellent educator, businessman, family man, and politician. In 1995, he earned his doctorate in education at the age of 72. His resume includes being an elected official, serving on the Board of Regents and having a middle school named after him. Jack and his wife, Alene, have resided in the John S. Park Neighborhood for over 50 years and describes his affection for the neighborhood and some of the changes that have occurred.
On February 7, 1977, collector Enrico Messina interviewed Edith Leavitt (born April 12th, 1924, in St. George, Utah) at her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. In this interview, Mrs. Leavitt talks about teaching in Southern Nevada, including in the Virgin Valley and in Las Vegas. She also discusses the changing education system in Southern Nevada during her time as an educator.
On March 25, 1976, David Anderson interviewed Sherwin “Scoop” Garside (born May 26, 1915 in Tonopah, Nevada) about his life in Southern Nevada. Garside first talks about his father’s business in running an early Nevada newspaper and his personal knowledge of the early mining that took place in different parts of Nevada. He also talks about living in the town of Tonopah, the American Indians who lived in the area, and his experiences from living in Las Vegas. Garside also mentions the beginnings of gambling in Las Vegas, the population boom periods of Las Vegas, and his experiences in witnessing the aboveground atomic testing.
Throughout his career, former Clark County School District Superintendent (1989–2000) Brian Cram took his father's words to heart. He heard them repeatedly over the years as he watched and later, helped, his father clean classrooms at Robert E. Lake Elementary School: this place—the classroom—this is the most important place. Cram was born in Caliente, where his father worked on the railroad. In 1939, when Cram was a toddler, the family moved to Las Vegas and his father found work first as a sanitation engineer at a hospital, and then at CCSD as a custodian. The elder Cram, who spent his formative years in the Great Depression, prided himself on doing "good, honorable work" as a custodian, because the work—the classroom—mattered. Even so, he wanted more for his son. Cram largely ignored his father's advice during his four years at Las Vegas High School, where he ran with The Trimmers car club, wore a duck tail and a leather jacket, and copped an attitude. Cram's swagger, though, d
Part of an interview with Robert D. "Bob" Fisher on January 08, 2015. In this clip, Fisher discusses his time in Las Vegas and his involvement with Temple Beth Sholom.