The Claudine Williams Photograph Collection (approximately 2007-2009) consists of nine optical disks containing ninety-eight digital surrogate images dating between 1940 and 2000. The images primarily portray Claudine Williams in publicity images for various hotel and casinos Williams and her husband owned alongside prominent individuals, including Dean Martin, Hillary and Bill Clinton, and Robert Reich. Other images depict Williams in her youth and with her family members. Additional materials include images of Williams’ business cards, articles in various Las Vegas and Nevada magazines and newspapers on Williams, and images of properties Williams operated.
Jarmilla McMillan-Arnold’s father, Dr. James B. McMillan, was the first black dentist in the state of Nevada. Dr. McMillan’s colleagues consisted of Dr. West, the first black medical doctor in the state, and Dr. Ice, the first black surgeon in Nevada. This interview highlights and archives the solid foundation upon which Nevada’s black community was built. Jarmilla recalls early memories of growing up as the daughter of Las Vegas NAACP president Dr. McMillan. She was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a Caucasian and Indian mother who was a professional dancer. Jarmilla’s parents separated when she was very young and as a result she was raised by her paternal grandmother who owned a restaurant in Pontiac, Michigan. Jarmilla describes her grandmother as being well-known and highly regarded in the community where she maintained her business. Jarmilla attended Catholic schools in Detroit, Pontiac, and Las Vegas. Having moved to Las Vegas with her father, Jarmilla’s narrative offers keen insigh
The PublicUs coffee shop sign sits at 1126 Fremont in Downtown Las Vegas. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet. Site address: 1126 Fremont St Sign owner: Kimo Akiona, Cole McBride and Travis Landice Sign details: PublicUs opened in 2015. This property has previously held other restaurants the most recent being a Philly Cheese Steak restaurant. PublicUs represents "for the people" in Latin. Hemant Kishore is the baker and chef. This location is a canteen-style restaurant and coffee house where they make all organic foods in house. Sign condition: 4- the steel part of the sign looks relatively new and has bright paint, but the plastic portion for the sign does some aging to it. Sign form: Pylon Sign-specific description: On the corner of Fremont E and Maryland pkwy at the corner of their building there is a blue been sticking out of the ground that is curved at the top. Near this curved section is a rectangle steel sign box that has a back lit plastic sign in it, and underneath is a similar rectangular box. The bigger rectangular box has a white background, but has the a light tan box with PublicUs logo in white letters in the light tan brown box. The smaller box on the bottom has the white backdrop and the tan colored rectangle has Fremont Village written in a white font. Both rectangle signs have an arrow pointing through them with the tip of the arrow above their main logo sign and the "feathers" of the arrow underneath Fremont Village sign. Sign - type of display: Backlit plastic sign and incandescent light bulbs Sign - media: Steel and plastic Sign - non-neon treatments: Plastic back lit portion of sign Sign animation: Flasher for incandescent light bulbs Sign environment: This is located on the corner of Maryland Pkwy and Fremont Street East. Surrounding this property is a lot of old motels that have been shut down, and painted over though many of their neon signs are still up and some working. On the same block as them is a vintage barber shop and a vintage tattoo parlor. Sign manufacturer: Main portion of the sign was around before they opened so information on the base of the sign was not found Sign - date of installation: The sign box has records of being around longer than the PublicUs has, records (Google Maps satellite view) show the sign similar to this has been up since at least 2013 Sign - date of redesign/move: Late 2015 is when their main logo was installed Sign - thematic influences: This sign shows how signs can be re-purposed or can evolve with different colors and slightly different designs over the years even though the theme of the property has changed. Sign - artistic significance: The arrow in the sign could signify a bulls eye in the sense that you are looking in the right spot or have found the perfect spot. Survey - research locations: Google Maps satellite view, Sprudge coffee blog http://sprudge.com/publicus-97938.html , Eating Las Vegas http://www.eatinglv.com/2015/03/publicus-is-open-and-baking-for-the-people/ Survey - research notes: This restaurant has faux trees and nice wooden tables inside to make it feel as though you are outdoors but still in a homey place. Surveyor: Emily Fellmer Survey - date completed: 2017-08-18 Sign keywords: Plastic; Backlit; Incandescent; Steel; Flashing; Pole sign