Pete Barbutti (also spelled Barbuti) played the accordion, the piano, and the trumpet. He was also a comedian and appeared numerous times on the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson and toured with Nat King Cole. He and his family have lived in Las Vegas since 1960
Mike Pinjuv sired one of Las Vegas’s early families after arriving in 1917. Mike Pinjuv arrived in Las Vegas via the Union Pacific Railroad and brought Ivan Pinjuv and his family to town (although Mike’s sons do not know the familial relation between the two men). Mike and his wife, Frances Malner, raised six sons and two daughters to adulthood through World War 1, the Great Depression, and World War II. The oldest five brothers attended Las Vegas High School, while Fred, the youngest brother, and the two sisters attended Rancho High School. In this interview, their three younger sons recall how they, their parents, and their siblings navigated the social and physical changes in the Las Vegas landscape. Over the near century that the Pinjuv family has lived in Las Vegas its members have contributed to the city in countless ways. In the early years Mike owned a gas station and a grocery store and worked several jobs before going to Nellis Air Force Base as a civilian. Of the Pinjuv sons
Interviewed by Claytee White. Born in Florida, family arrived in Las Vegas in 1969. Father worked in the service industry. Worked as realtor before becoming President of the Latin Chamber of Commerce. Vice chairman of Hope for Prisoners and Vice Chairman of Workforce Connection.
Tucson, Arizona, native David Ober moved to Las Vegas twice. He arrived reluctantly the first time in 1978 with his parents as a high-school student, when his father, Hal Ober, came to Las Vegas to begin building and marketing the U.S. Home (now Lennar) brand. While the elder Ober soon left U.S. Home to open his own home-building business, R.A. Homes, his youngest child left Las Vegas shortly after his high school graduation to return to his native Tucson, follow in the footsteps of his siblings, and attend the University of Arizona. After graduating from the University of Arizona David Ober opened his own mortgage company and began building a life in Phoenix. In the late 1980s he agreed to take a large pay cut, return to Las Vegas, and learn his father's business from the ground up. At the time, Hal Ober was developing his award-winning, master-planned community, Desert Shores. David Ober, the youngest of the five children of Hal and D'Vorre (Dee) Ober, agreed to participate in the
In this interview, Behar reflects upon his childhood in France, and later adjusting to life in New York. He talks of his admiration for those that have cared for him in his youth, including Marie Cazous and his parents, Marco and Flora Behar. He details his career path, and how he ended up in Las Vegas. In addition, Behar describes a recent family trip to France, visiting his place of birth for the first time since leaving as a child.
On March 15, 1981, collector David Glasco interviewed card dealer, Alexander Grayson (born March 27th, 1952 in Durham, North Carolina) in his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview covers the black experience in Las Vegas. Mr. Grayson also discusses prejudice, racism, education, and entertainment. Additionally, he recalls relocating to Las Vegas from North Carolina with his family when he was a child, as his father was in the Air Force.