The new technologies of lighting, developed for theater and entertainment made its logical jump to the Las Vegas Strip where lighting design blends with and becomes architecture. Whether lighting the top of the Stratosphere Tower or the intimate atmosphere of an exclusive restaurant or bar, the designs of John Levy Lighting Productions has become a hallmark of the new themed visualization which turns mere structures and landscapes into iridescent light shows.
John G. Tryon was one of the early leading figures in the Engineering Department at UNLV. He grew up in Washington, D.C., the oldest of three sons. His father worked with the National Bituminous Coal Commission during the Depression and his mother was editor of the American Association of University Women's Publications. John went directly to University of Minnesota after high school graduation and earned a bachelor's in physics. During WWII he served in the Army Signal Corps and then went back to Cornell University to get his doctorate. His post doctoral work experience includes six years at Bell Telephone Laboratories, eleven years at University of Alaska, and six years at Tuskegee Institute. In 1974, Dr. Tryon interviewed at UNLV and was hired. The faculty carefully built up the curriculum, adding classes one at a time. John introduced a senior engineering design course modeled after one that pioneered at Dartmouth. He had also introduced this particular course at University of Alaska and Tuskegee. John was a member of the Academic Standards Committee at UNLV which helped set standards for academic probation and semester length. He has strong opinions on keeping engineering students who show promise and interest, and letting go of students whose academic strengths don't match the program. He believes students need to be matched to opportunity, be given the chance to find a niche that fits, and that they should not be given inflated grades or false hope. Dr. Tryon met his wife-to-be in Ithaca, New York, while attending Cornell University. His wife's mother, who was married to a botany professor, had invited him to Sunday dinner, something she had done for a number of students. John and his wife, who eventually became an English teacher, have two sons who grew to college age while they were in Alaska. Today they enjoy their church community, their family, and their circle of friends.
Four press/news releases from the Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The releases discuss entertainment news concerning various celebrities like Jerry Lewis, Don Rickles, Tony Bennett, Abbe Lane, Mary Welch, and Bruce Maxwell.
The McCall Family Papers are comprised primarily of family photographs and correspondence from 1910-1970. The materials concentrate on Quannah McCall and his daughter, Connie McCall, both were well known dentists in Southern Nevada. The materials also contain letters, postcards, holiday cards, and birth, death, and marriage certificates, as well as school commencement announcements for family members.