Oral history interview with Larry Davis conducted by Barbara Tabach on October 14, 2020 for The Great Pause: Las Vegas Chronicles of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Born and raised in Southern California, Larry moved to Las Vegas in 1995 to work in the funeral services industry. He describes the changes he has seen during his career during the past 40 years with particular regard to recent challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The general records and papers series (1922-1978) contains newspaper articles dating from 1922, tracing the rise of burlesque in New York City, New York. This series also includes correspondence and papers about Harold Minsky and Eddie Lynch, his manager for many years, published articles about the various Minsky shows, photographs of showgirls, and rehearsal photographs for a show in New York City in 1964. Also included are book sale correspondence for The Night They Raided Minsky’s and promotional information on the motion picture of the same name, production cost receipts, bills, payroll receipts, profit and loss statements, and costume designs and prices.
Archival Collection
Minsky's Burlesque Records
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Collection Number: MS-00290 Collection Name: Minsky's Burlesque Records Box/Folder: N/A
Henderson developer and Philadelphia native Richard MacDonald is a natural storyteller, and he has stories to tell. The man behind MacDonald Highlands and the Dragon Ridge Country Club first moved to Las Vegas as a young teen with his parents in 1959. After graduating Las Vegas High School in 1963, his parents moved to Hawaii and he enrolled at Nevada Southern University (now UNLV) and supported himself in Las Vegas by selling unfinished houses. His parents convinced him to move to Hawaii, where he attended the University of Hawaii worked with his father selling blocks of pre-developed cemetery lots to Asian buyers. In this interview, MacDonald describes his experience as a white man facing racial discrimination, of Las Vegas as Hawaii's Ninth Island, of earning his real estate broker's license, and of his father's plan to develop and sell Las Vegas property to Hawaiians. Returning to Las Vegas, MacDonald worked with Frank Sala and Chuck Ruthe to obtain his first two sections of Henderson land, which became Sun City MacDonald Ranch and the western part of MacDonald Highlands. He talks of developing Sunridge at MacDonald Ranch on Eastern Avenue and The Canyons at MacDonald Ranch. He also speaks to local prejudice against Hawaiians and to the way the City of Henderson favored Hank Greenspun and American Nevada Corporation. He recalls his twenty-year experience as a developer with the City of Henderson, its planning commission, city manager, city attorney, and city council. He reveals associations with Del Webb and the Del Webb CEO, Anthem, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Sultan of Brunei, and polo fields as well as Red Alerts, the Foothills project, and MacDonald Highlands. Along the way he talks of golf course architects and planners and the MacDonald Highlands golf course, his family, the Great Recession, and his current status with the City of Henderson and the Archaeological Institute of America.
A black and white image of 75-year-old Sam Jones by a tent in Williamsville (known to the residents as Ragtown), a makeshift community created near Black Canyon as construction began on the Hoover Dam.
Thomas C. Wilson, co-founder of Nevada Day which was started in 1938. Behind him is a sign that says "All for our country, 100 years, Centennial of the state of Nevada, 1864-1964".
The Paris Las Vegas replica of the Eiffel Tower is seen between the Veer Towers at City Center. Architecture on the Las Vegas Strip has had many different styles over the years.
Anna Fayle, also known as Anna Louise Trapnell, stands with Leonard R. Fayle about 1931. Anna and Leonard married the next year. They are standing in front of J.L. Cobb's Packard automobile.