Lee Gray has been in Las Vegas since the 1950's. His father moved here in 1943, worked several jobs to save money, and then sent for his brother. He bought land, had his brother build a home on the property, and then sent for his wife and children. The whole family lived on the west side, and Gray's father and mother worked several jobs to provide for the large family. He has fond memories of the many youth organizations in which he and his brothers and sisters were involved.

The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History was founded as the Museum of Natural History by Richard H. Brooks in 1967 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brooks was then the director of the Desert Research Institute (DRI). The museum was owned by DRI until the ownership was transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1969. The museum's primary operations included exhibitions that displayed artifacts and artworks of the archaeology, history, and geology of Southern Nevada.