Oral history interview with George Lee conducted by Stefani Evans and Su Kim Chung on February 29, 2024 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Lee describes his four decades of experience as a Las Vegas blackjack dealer (36 at the Four Queens Casino), after leaving behind a career in dance. Lee was selected to originate the role of "Tea" in a 1954 New York City Ballet stage production of The Nutcracker. He also danced in South Pacific at the Thunderbird, and with Carol Channing's revue at The Riviera, and a traveling production of Disney on Parade. After dancing in Alcazar de Paris at the Desert Inn Hotel in 1980, he quit dancing and went to dealer school. He worked swing shift at the Four Queens Hotel, and attended ballet classes at UNLV during the day. Lee, now 89, still works five days a week at the Four Queens. In this interview, Lee talks about ballet, typecasting, discipline, and being "ten times better." He discusses becoming a U.S. citizen in 1959 and changing his surname from Li to Lee.
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View of Highway 91 showing the Thunderbird Hotel sign, El Rancho Vegas and gas stations. Sticker on back: "Please credit Las Vegas News Bureau, 4405."
Site Name: Las Vegas Strip
Address: Las Vegas; Clark County; Nevada
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Elaina Blake grew up in Port Orchard, Washington. She married at seventeen years old and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada that same year. She started in positions at the Sahara Hotel and Casino, and then the Thunderbird. She eventually started working in real estate and became a developer. Blake was president elect for the Chamber of Commerce in 1984, and served on the Clark County Planning Commission.
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