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Oral history interviews with Diana Bennett conducted by Claytee D. White on February 4, 2022 and April 16, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In these interviews, Bennett discusses growing up as the daughter of William "Bill" Bennett, the visionary behind Circus Circus, Excalibur, Luxor, and the Sahara hotels. She recalls no one hiring her after dropping out of Arizona State University to pursue her passion of entering the gaming industry. Finally, Dick Thomas hired Bennett to work at the Flamingo. Today, Diana Bennett is the CEO and co-founder of Paragon Gaming, a developer and operator of gaming-based properties, second generation casino operator, and one of the most effective and respected executives in the gaming industry. Bennett discusses her role in developing, constructing, and managing the River Cree Reserve outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the first ever First Nations gaming property in Alberta.
Archival Collection
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The Bill Willard Photograph Collection depicts Las Vegas, Nevada, hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Valley, and Laughlin, Nevada from 1905 to 1919 and from 1940 to 1999. The photographs primarily depict hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, including the Sahara Hotel, Circus Circus Hotel and Casino, MGM Grand Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, Caesars Palace, Flamingo Hotel, and the Aladdin Hotel. The photographs also depict students at Nevada Southern University (predecessor of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas), the city of Las Vegas, industrial plants in Henderson and Apex, Nevada, and events in Laughlin, Nevada.
Archival Collection
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