Oral history interview with Jon Sparer conducted by Barbara Tabach on March 04, 2015 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Sparer discusses his career as an architect of many major Las Vegas, Nevada hotels and casinos. He also talks about designing the Congregation Ner Tamid and The Center for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) community.
An essay by Esther Toporek Finder accompanying the photographs describes the event: "Holocaust survivors, along with Clark County students and teachers, sat down to break matzo and bread together at Las Vegas? first Holocaust Education Seder Sunday (April 6) at the Rio Hotel. Three generations from the survivor community gathered with middle and high school students and teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools. The leader for the traditional portion of the service was Rabbi Sanford Akselrad and the Shoah segments were led by Professor Esther Finder. Kevin Janison, from MyNews3, served as host and MC. Both Finder and Janison are children of Holocaust survivors. Ray Fiol lit candles on behalf of the approximately six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and a 7th candle to represent the non-Jewish victims of Nazi atrocity. Music was provided by Cantorial Soloist Lola Rivera. Educator and librarian Susan Dubin shared original poetry as part of the blessing after the meal. Participants dined on foods traditional for Passover: matzo ball soup, roasted chicken with matzo kugel, tsimmis and a non-dairy chocolate dessert."
In this interview, Unger reflects upon his long and successful career in hotel management in Las Vegas and also in Arizona and Pennsylvania. He shares stories as a local celebrity, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s when he worked at Caesars Palace, as well as the big projects he oversaw, including organizing the first big fight nights, World Series of Tavern Poker and Grand Prix race. He talks about working with Morris Shenker, Moe Dalitz, Cliff Perlman and Billy Weinberger, and the role of the Jewish community in the city, and specifically in the gaming industry. Unger also discusses his non-gaming industry ventures which have included a satellite communications business and a bagel business.
Mike Unger was born in Queens, New York in 1947, and spent most of his childhood in Long Island, growing up in a predominantly Jewish and Italian community. As a young adult, Unger was already working hard, running one of his family?s restaurant after school. When he was in high school, his family moved to Los Angeles to accommodate his father?s health needs, and eventually end up in Las Vegas by 1967. Over the next two decades, Unger would work at nine properties in the city. Unger is one of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas? first hotel management graduates, and started his career with Summa Corporation in its management training program at the Frontier Hotel and Casino. After a brief stint at the Airport Marina Hotel in Los Angeles in 1972, Unger returned to Las Vegas, serving in management capacities at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino, Summa Corporation headquarters and Landmark Hotel and Casino. In 1978, he joined Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino management team, and was integral in creating the city?s first large boxing events, the World Series of Tavern Pool, and the Grand Prix race. Unger also ran properties for the White Mountain Apache and Colorado River Indian Tribes in Arizona, as well as the Showboat Hotel and Casino. In this interview, Unger reflects upon his long and successful career in hotel management in Las Vegas and also in Arizona and Pennsylvania. He shares stories as a local celebrity, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s when he worked at Caesars Palace, as well as the big projects he oversaw, including organizing the first big fight nights, World Series of Tavern Poker and Grand Prix race. He talks about working with Morris Shenker, Moe Dalitz, Cliff Perlman and Billy Weinberger, and the role of the Jewish community in the city, and specifically in the gaming industry. Unger also discusses his non-gaming industry ventures which have included a satellite communications business and a bagel business.