Transcribed from attachment on the back of the photo: "Sands Hotel before 1962 left to right Dr. James B. McMillan, Dr. Charles I. West, Sammy Davis, Jr., Mons. James B. Empey, Pastor of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. Presenting an "Award of Merit and honorary fellowship" to Sammy Davis, Jr. and Will Maston trio from the George Washington Carver Memorial Institute of Washington, D. D. for outstanding contributions to the arts, humanities, and better race relations."
Sands Hotel and Casino: 3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South

William Dean Whitaker was born in 1925 and raised in a suburb of Los Angeles, California. Dean, as he is known, talks briefly about his parents and his brothers, for his youth quickly ended when he joined the Air Force and became an aviation cadet once he had turned 18 years old. The year was 1943 and World War II was raging. He became a member of the 398 th Bomb Group and flew twenty missions before being captured by the Germans. In this oral history, Dean talks with vivid recollection of the day he was captured and details of being a POW in Germany. Among his anecdotes are those of his mother's unwavering belief that he would return home, the humanity of a German soldier, and of meeting Gen. George Patton. Included are photos and excerpts from his personal history of his life during the war. Dean and his wife Lucille moved to Las Vegas in 1990.