Narrator affiliation: Biologist, U.S. Navy

Part of the Nevada Test Site Oral History Project (MS-00818)

In 1954, Dan Connell enrolled as a sophomore at Las Vegas High School, newly arrived from Ocean Gate, New Jersey, where his father was a New Jersey state trooper. The family’s first living space was a converted two-car garage close to McCarran airport. Living there seemed far out of town at the time; so far out that the school district could not justify providing him bus service. Instead, the family was reimbursed for his transportation costs. Dan also worked fulltime in a restaurant near McCarran Airport while going to high school. This was followed by two years in the military. Afterwards, he returned to Las Vegas, went to school, married his wife Linda, and eventually settled in the Westleigh neighborhood of Ward 1 in 1973. Westleigh remains their home, the place where they raised four sons, lived near their parents, enjoyed Sunday dinners surrounded by family and friends, and the neighborhood where their sons delivered newspapers. All four sons, David, Donald, Mark and Brian, still reside in Las Vegas. Dan has seen the neighborhood weather ups and downs and is enjoying the current renaissance spurred on by Downtown development. He describes the quality of the houses that has made them endure the decades no matter what. He also shares the story of meeting Sheriff Ralph Lamb while working at a restaurant. Looking to follow in his father’s law enforcement footsteps, Dan soon was hired by the Metro. He is retired from a 40-year-career in local law enforcement in both Las Vegas and Henderson.

Narrator affiliation: Biologist, U.S. Navy