Patricia 'Pat' Merl plans for college did not materialized after graduation from a New Jersey high school in the late 1960s. Instead she took a receptionist job. The by the age of 19, it was her interest in dance classes that would lead her to audition to be a professional dancer for the Rockettes of Radio City Music Hall fame. Her days and weeks were filled with rigorous rehearsals and performances, but it was also an exciting time for a young and spirited girl. A side trip to Las Vegas in 1971 during her first ever vacation opened her to a new world of possibilities for a professional dancer. So without a job, she decides to remain in Las Vegas and explore the options. It became the beginning of a wide and varied career in the live entertainment industry. Pat's dancing resume includes working in many of the Las Vegas chorus lines of the 1970s, provides a flavor of what the work was like then and how it changed during the era. She includes the story of Frank Rosenthal and
Night view of the front entrance to the Last Frontier Village. The Golden Slipper Gambling Hall is seen in the foreground. The gambling hall was named the Golden Slipper prior to its being named the Silver Slipper. Site Name: Frontier Address: 3120 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Aerial view, looking west, of University of Nevada, Las Vegas (then Nevada Southern University) campus. Maude Frazier Hall and Archie Grant Hall (at an angle) are seen in the foreground. The round library building is in the center behind them. The Gymnasium is at the upper left, and the Fong Geoscience Building is at the upper center.
Aerial view, looking west, of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus. The photo shows the entire campus from Tonopah residence hall on the south to the Judy Bayley Theater on the north and Frazier Hall on the east to the EPA buildings on the west. Intersection of Maryland Parkway and Harmon Ave. is seen in the foreground.
Crowds watch in anticipation and excitement as women pass by and wave on an unidentified float during the Helldorado Parade. This float is in front of the Westerner Gambling Hall on Fremont Street in 1948 or 1949. Site Name: Westerner Gambling Hall and Saloon (Las Vegas, Nev.) Street Address: 23 Fremont Street