On March 16, 1978, Valerie McLeod interviewed her father William Lee McLeod (b. January 31st, 1937 in Los Angeles, California) about his life in Las Vegas, Nevada. McLeod begins by speaking about his career as a contractor, the growth of Las Vegas and the city’s population. Moreover, he speaks about recreational activities such as riding motorcycles and exploring mines around Nevada. McLeod also spends time going over Indian reservations around Nevada and neighboring states, the Lost City in Nevada, boomtowns and ghost towns. Lastly, McLeod talks about the history of water and springs in the state of Nevada, what he would consider to be the Old Ranch and the stagecoaches that passed through Gold Point, Nevada.

Patricia Mulroy served Las Vegas as the general manager of the Las Vegas Valley Water District from 1989 to 2014. She served the state of Nevada as the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority from 1993 to 2014. Patricia helped to build the Authority, and saw the state through the devastating drought of the Colorado River. Patricia was born in Frankfurt, Germany on February 24, 1953. As a young girl, she lived in several different countries, but always felt that the United States was her home. Her experiences abroad led her to develop a fascination with government work and state service. She arrived in Nevada in 1974 to attend UNLV. In 1989, Patricia became the general manager of the Las Vegas Valley Water District. She entered the field at a tumultuous time, facing the drought of the Colorado River and tension within the districts. She pioneered the Water Authority, which revolutionized southern Nevada’s water rights system and allowed the districts to deal with the is

It is February 20th, 1995, the world’s eyes are set on El Estadio Azteca, Mexico’s largest sports stadium. Inside the facility, in front of an estimated 130,000 people, Mexican legend, Julio César Chávez, is defending his WBC super-light weight title against the American, Greg Haugen. In front of his countrymen, Chávez is punishing Haugen, who disrespected him years earlier in Las Vegas. During the 5th round, Haugen is barely able to stand on his feet, as the record breaking crowd calls for him to be knocked out. Chávez continues to land a barrage of punches, until finally the third man in the ring that night decides to step in to put an end to it. The stadium erupts with cheers for El León de Culiacán. The history books remembers this fight as the largest outdoor fight in the history of the sport. Casual boxing fans will always remember Chávez and Haugen battling it out in the heart of Mexico, but a third man stood in the ring that night: Joe Cortez. Cortez was born to Puerto Rican parents in Spanish Harlem, New York City. Boxing was always a part of this Hall of Fame referee’s life. Cortez won multiple Golden Glove tournaments as an amateur boxer and had a successful, but short career as a professional boxer. Outside of boxing, Cortez also found success as military man, deli owner, hotel manager, and director of an ophthalmologist outreach program. Eventually, he would find himself back in the boxing ring, this time as a referee. His career as a referee took Cortez to the top of the boxing world. When he retired in 2012, Cortez officiated 176 World Championship Fights. In 2011, Cortez was inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame alongside, Mike Tyson, Julio César Chávez, Kostya Tszyu, Ignacio Beristain, and Sylvester Stallone.

Maggie Arias-Petrel is a successful businessperson and philanthropist. Born in Quito, Ecuador in 1966, Maggie grew up during the Space Age, meeting astronauts through her father’s work as a NASA engineer. Her mother worked as a teacher in an all-girls school. When she was a teenager, Maggie visited her aunt in California and decided to stay in the U.S. She eventually returned to Ecuador and helped her mother run her toy store business, helping her manage multiple locations. Her entrepreneurship flourished as she helped the family business grow into a successful enterprise. Despite the success in her home country, Maggie always dreamed of coming back and living in the U.S. When her family returned, they settled in Las Vegas in 1991. Through her entrepreneurship, Maggie helped many doctors set up their practices, and began her own consulting business, Global Professional Consulting. Today, her expertise includes over 20 years of medical practice management, marketing and advertising for medical and legal, business development and consulting experience. Maggie is also the Chairwoman of the Executive Board of Directors of the Latin Chamber of Commerce of Nevada. She is responsible for changing the direction of the Chamber and helping it become what it is today. She is also the director of the Señoras of Excellence, a philanthropic organization that focuses on raising funds to help Latino students attend college. They have awarded thousands of dollars in scholarship funds to students across the Las Vegas Valley. Because of her work in the medical field, Maggie understands the importance of affordable health care and accessibility. During the Obama Administration, she was part of Senator Harry Reid’s promotion team for the Affordable Health Care Act. She also worked with Governor Jim Gibbons doing international research work in Mexico, and was invited to the White House for the Cinco de Mayo celebration through the U.S. Hispanic Chamber and the Latino Coalition. Maggie is also responsible for the partnership between the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, one of the most prestigious and accomplished institutions of higher education in Mexico, St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, and the Nevada System of Higher Education to develop nursing programs with direct collaboration from UAG to increase the number of bilingual-bicultural medical professionals in Nevada. She is the director for the Workforce Connections of Nevada Board and the Dignity HealthCare - St. Rose Dominican Hospital Board of Directors. Maggie has also received numerous accolades and awards such as the Community Service Award from the Latin Chamber of Commerce, Señoras of Excellence Award given to woman who excel in their professions, the Excellence in Advocacy Award by The Colors of Lupus Foundation, and the “Woman in Business” Award by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. In 2011, she was named one of the ten most influential Hispanics in the city by the Las Vegas Business Press. She is also one of the community leaders featured in the Las Vegas Latino Leaders Inaugural Edition Book. Maggie attended Los Angeles Mission College and Central University of Ecuador. She lives in Green Valley with her two sons.

On November 3, 1978, Jane P. Kowalewski interviewed Mazie Martin Jones (born in Las Vegas, Nevada) about her father, Doctor Roy Martin, the first doctor to own a private practice in Las Vegas. Jones explains how her father first arrived in Nevada and his different investments in real estate, hospitals, and hotels. She goes on to explain her father’s hotel pursuits after retiring from medicine in the late forties.

On February 28th, 1979, collector Richard Probst interviewed Louise Kirkwood (born December 13th, 1925 in Kemmerer, Wyoming) at her residence in North Las Vegas, Nevada. In the interview, Mrs. Kirkwood discusses moving to Nevada and raising her family. She also discusses recreation in Nevada and her involvement in church activities.

On February 18, 1979, Richard Fesler interviewed Jack W. Cornell (born 1918 in Manhattan, Nevada) about his experiences living in Nevada. The two first discuss historical buildings, including the Nye County Courthouse, and Cornell describes his family background and the different locations at which his ancestors lived. Cornell then talks about his experiences as an airplane mechanic for the Army Air Corps during World War II and the different countries he would visit during that time. The two also discuss the effects of the Depression, Cornell’s work in automotive body repair, and his recreational activities. Cornell also describes an experience in which he assisted an air escort for President Roosevelt, and he also describes when he witnessed one of the atomic tests. The interview concludes with Cornell’s thoughts on how the rural area in Manhattan has changed over time.