Flo Mlynarczyk began life in Fort Morgan, Colorado. Her parents divorced and she moved with her mother first to Loveland and eventually to Los Angeles. Her mother started the first Red Cross in Bell Gardens, oversaw the building of their home, and raised money for various charities. Flo remembers when the Japanese were rounded up and interred during WWII. She was in grade school and recalls that one day they all just disappeared. Upon graduation from high school in 1943, Flo moved to Kodiak, Alaska, to live with friends. She recalls total blackouts on the streets of Kodiak due to the war, the Short Snorter Club, and her return to California after a bout of pneumonia. Back in Bell Gardens, Flo worked for a department store, married and divorced in 1945, gave birth to her son Michael in 1946, and ended up in Tonopah, Nevada, with a sister who ran a cafe there. After a second marriage ended, Flo moved to Las Vegas and began working at Phelps Pump and Equipment as a bookkeeper.
Dr. Dave Emerson was born in Littleton, Massachusetts. His father, a mining engineer, moved the family to Mexico twice, once when Dave was one year old and again when he was seven. In 1938, his father retired to work on his apple orchard in Littleton. Dave helped with pruning, spraying and dusting for insects, and hauling apples to the cider mill. Dr. Emerson graduated from high school in Littleton in 1945 and joined the army. Because he was only 17, the army sent him to Norwich University in Vermont until he turned 18. He then went on active duty until December, 1947. After he mustered out, Dartmouth College accepted his credits and he completed courses through his junior year. He was then called back to active duty in the Korean conflict, and was assigned to the Army Chemical Center in Maryland. After his army stint, Dr. Emerson worked a summer for Dow Chemical as a research engineer, and then returned to Michigan to pursue a Master's degree. He met and married his wife during this time. After completing his doctorate, Dave went to work for Shell Oil Company. Dave spent six years with Shell and decided to turn to teaching. He took a job at a branch of the University of Michigan. He worked there 17 years, doing research, teaching, and even spending a little time as chairman of the Division of Art, Sciences, and Letters. He was then notified of an opening at UNLV for dean of the College of Science, Math, and Engineering. In 1981, Dr. Emerson and his wife moved to Las Vegas, and he began teaching chemistry classes. He was instrumental in building up the engineering department through distance education for students who needed credits in math, computer skills, or electrical engineering. He also helped put together and sell the idea of a strong engineering school at UNLV, and then worked to gain accreditation for civil, mechanical, electrical and other areas of engineering. After retiring in 1998, Dr. Emerson worked on the self-study for the year 2000 accreditation. He still does research at UNLV on a volunteer basis. He and his wife continue to enjoy their home here in Vegas as well as their travels around the country.
Dr. Tom Wright was born and grew up in Illinois. His father finished his PhD in Chicago and then taught at Illinois College in Jacksonville. His mother suffered from arthritis and was told to seek a warmer climate, so John Wright packed up his family and moved to Las Vegas. Tom was 14, ready for high school, and his two brothers were elementary school age. Tom attended Las Vegas High School, which was close to the Crestwood community where the family had purchased their first home. He remembers that UNLV had no buildings when his dad first started teaching there. Instead, he conducted class in high school classrooms and church Sunday school rooms. Dr. Wright started off at a community college as a Geology Major, but a class with Bud Poland convinced him that history was his passion. He transferred to Pomona to continue his bachelor's degree. He spent his junior year in Peru on a study-abroad program, and that experience made him a Latin Americanist. The information he gath