Oral history interview with Zia U. Khan conducted by Vanessa Concepcion, Cecilia Winchell, and Stefani Evans on May 21, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Zia talks about his childhood growing up in Zambia, Africa and reflects on the personal histories of his family. Zia shares how he returned to his birth country of India to attend medical school before immigrating to the United States to complete his cardiology residency at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Zia also discusses his move to Las Vegas where he opened his own cardiology practice, Desert Cardiovascular Consultants. He shares stories of his work as well as his philanthropic efforts with the Imagine Foundation and other humanitarian causes.
The Sands Hotel opened in Las Vegas, Nevada in December 1952. A controversial group of investors fronted by Texas gambler and oilman Jake Freedman and New York nightclub boss Jack Entratter built what was considered at the time one of the world’s most lavish hotels and a showcase Las Vegas resort. Freedman purchased the property itself for $15,000 and spent $600,000 on the construction. The Sands was designed by Googie California architect Wayne McAllister.
Basic Magnesium, Inc. (BMI) formed in June 1941 as a joint venture between Basic Refractories, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio and Magnesium Elektron, Limited of England. Basic Refractories, Inc. owned mining claims in Gabbs Valley, Nye County, Nevada, which produced the magnesite and brucite needed to produce magnesium metal. Magnesium Elektron, Limited owned the patent for the electrolytic process of extracting metallic magnesium from these minerals.
The Daughters of Union Veterans (DUV) of the Civil War, Las Vegas, Nevada Records comprise various materials from the organization ranging from the years 1861 to 1970, with a bulk of the material dating from 1948 to 1954. The contents consist of a scrapbook of memorabilia and newspaper clippings, magazine articles profiling the Grand Army of the Republic, reissues of Harper’s Weekly from 1861, and the correspondence and ephemera of Henrietta Denny.
Ann Brewington Papers (1984-1987) consist of letters and clippings related to Nevada history. Correspondence is primarily from Anne Brewington's sister, Ida Brewington, to Brewington regarding Ida Pittman's death. This collection also contains a letter from Florence Cahlan and copies of letters sent to Cahlan about an article she had written on Ida Brewington Pittman. Also included is another article about Pittman that appeared in the December 2, 1984 Nevadan that has a few hand written notes in the margins, as do a few of the letters.
The KLVX Steamboats on the Colorado Records consist of documents related to the production of Las Vegas' channel 10's (KLVX) Steamboats on the Colorado documentary between 1974 and 1976. The collection is comprised of correspondence, promotional materials, scripts, a treatment, a grant application, maps of the Colorado River from 1852 and other materials used as research for the documentary.
The Young Audiences New York, Nevada Humanities Collection dates from 1960 to 1982 and chronicles the chapter’s efforts to bring music education to students from kindergarden through high school of the Clark County School District in Nevada. The collection contains accounting records, performance reviews, grant applications, correspondence, and employee information. The collection also contains performance announcements, newspaper clippings, and students’ thank-you letters.