The C. A. Earle Rinker Papers (1880-1960) contain materials that document the history of early twentieth century Goldfield, located in central Nevada, as well as the life of Rinker. Materials in the collection include correspondence, mining prospectuses, maps, ledgers, souvenirs, photographic negatives, and ephemera that document mining and daily life. Also included is biographical material that tells the story of Earle Rinker and his family before 1906 and after 1909, documenting his life in Indiana and Illinois.
Kevin Brady was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in Pennsylvania. Brady started in the gaming industry in 1993 as a surveillance officer for Players International Lake Charles and eventually became a surveillance supervisor at Paragon Casino Resort. He later became a surveillance manager and casino controller at Harrah’s St. Louis where he worked in finance while also earning his master’s degree in business administration. Brady later entered the position of eastern division director of slot operations for Harrah’s in 2001 before transferring to Harrah’s Shreveport to work in slot operations. He worked there during Boyd’s purchase of the property and then went to Delta Downs to manage several areas of that location. Brady became vice president of slot operations at Mohegan Sun in 2005 and after two years moved to the Sands Casino in Pennsylvania where he worked for another seven years. Brady currently works at Resorts Mohegan Sun in Atlantic City as vice president of casino operations. The interview with Brady begins with his narrative of his journey through his various positions and roles in the gaming industry. During the discussion, he also talks about his experience and approach in negotiating with vendors for new slot games on the floor, and he provides his philosophy on how to lay out a slot floor. Brady then discusses his view on what makes a good slot manager, with a focus on how to lead employees, and he then talks about the changes in technology since he first started in the slot industry. He also describes how the gaming business has changed overall since he first started, and he gives his opinion on what he believes the future of slots will hold, specifically regarding skill-based gaming and millennials. The interview concludes with Brady describing his personal gambling and his own advice to young people who might want to go into slot operations.
Laura Taylor was born in New Haven, Connecticut and spent her childhood bouncing between New York and Ohio to follow her father’s career. Robert Cox, her father, was a businessman who attended Syracuse University on the GI Bill. Her mother, Lillian Cox (neé Bower) was concert pianist and college music professor. At the age of seventeen, Taylor received a scholarship to attend the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Powell. Unfortunately, Dr. Powell died two years later, which prompted a move into commercial music. Taylor performed at a number of local clubs as well as soloed in national commercial campaigns for United Airlines and Buick. She moved to Miami, Florida with her first husband in her early 20s. After she and her husband divorced, Taylor recorded her first album with Good Sounds Records of Criteria Studios. Her songs Dancin’ in My Feet, Lady Scorpion, All Through Me, and Some Love made Billboard and Record World charts. She returned to New York City and formed the Laura Taylor Trio to perform jazz music in famous hotels like the Plaza Hotel and The Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Taylor moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1983 to open for Don Rickles at the Desert Inn Hotel, which led to many years of performing in the Desert Inn’s Starlight Theater. She married her second and current husband, Robert Cox, in 1985 after meeting him at a concert. Taylor also enjoyed a number of jazz performances on public radio and at a number of venues across Las Vegas. Today, Laura Taylor is still active in the jazz world of Las Vegas, serving as a member of the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the Jazz Society. She also continues to write and perform jazz music, appearing at Smith Center for Performing Arts as well as releasing five CDs.
Arby L. Hambric's book entitled, "To Thee I See: From picking in the fields of Texas to cooking for dignitaries on U.S. Navy ships, a journey I wouldn't change," describes his profound journey from working in the cotton fields as a child to being drafted into the U.S. Navy, before completing high school. During this interview, he recalls the significant achievements of the "Red Tails" and the Tuskegee Airmen. Beginning his 20 year Navy career before military integration, Arby describes the racial tensions that plagued the U.S. Navy in the 1940s, and discusses how he was able to successfully navigate that racist environment for two decades and three war eras. Arby enrolled in San Diego State College after leaving the U.S. Navy. He also worked as maintenance personnel for Sears and Roebuck and started a catering business with his wife. He became a member of the Southern Nevada Enterprise Community, SNEC Board upon moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, after his wife died. With a family legacy he can be proud of, Arby highlights the achievements of his great grandson Taquan Mizzell, a Virginia Cavaliers running back at the University of Virginia. As a Navy veteran, Arby often volunteered his time and resources to help others in need. He recalls driving the sick and elderly back and forth from the Westside community to Valley Hospital or University Medical Center, UMC. He also discusses government enforced road closures and a wall that was built to block Blacks from entering the new downtown. This interview sheds new light on military integration and offers key strategies for overcoming environmental racism. Arby mentions a documentary about the closing of the wall and offers his predictions on the future of the Westside.
From the Clark County Economic Opportunity Board Records -- Series I. Administrative. This folder contains memos, agendas and minutes from meetings of the Clark County Economic Opportunity Board from July 1967 through December 1967.
The Gene Hertzog Professional Papers (approximately 1930-2015) are comprised of photographs, slides, transparencies, publications, video cassettes, correspondence, and digital files spanning Gene Hertzog's working years with the United States Army, the Bureau of Reclamation, and as a freelance photographer and videographer based in Southern Nevada, New Mexico, and Washington state. The collection documents the complicated infrastructure required to supply water to the Las Vegas Valley and includes still and moving images of the Springs Preserve, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Colorado River, and the Columbia Basin. The majority of the collection comes from Hertzog's time as a regional photographer for the Bureau of Reclamation and offers a unique glimpse into the Bureau's work in Southern Nevada, the southwest, and the Pacific Northwest from the 1950s to the mid-1990s.