Kevin: Stories about the early Pinto Palomino neighborhood, work as a teenager, black-white relations, schooling including Bishop Gorman, and the move to Las Vegas. Barbara: Difference between Flintridge, CA, and Las Vegas in 1968 when the family arrived. Husband served as one of the doctors of Howard Hughes. Community participation and hotel-casino entertainment for young couples, rearing children in Las Vegas.

The Gans family moved to Las Vegas in 1950 to help alleviate Jim’s mother’s sinus condition and to provide better opportunities for his father who was in the refrigeration and air conditioning field. Jim started in school at Bonanza Elementary, then to a new Hyde Park Junior High where he was part of the first class and on to Rancho High School. Jim was always a hard worker. His first jobs were mowing lawns, a paper route, and working at a dog boarding kennel for 25-cents an hour. He learned early on that hard work and saving money would always pay off. His interests were varied including becoming a certified instructor for the Red Cross and serving on their Safety Committee. He led the Sierra Club as their Outing Chairman and spent a lot of time hiking. After graduation from high school he attended Nevada Southern University on and off because he also had to work, it took him six years to graduate. During this time, he became a member of the IBEW Union and helped build the Science and Technology Building and the Dickinson Library on campus. He then went to work for the Environmental Agency, also on campus. After that, he worked for the Titanium Metal Corporation in Henderson, NV. Always interested in flying, he went to Reno and attended the Aviation academy, got his license and stayed on for a while as an instructor. He and his wife, who he met at NSU, came back to Las Vegas where he worked for Central Telephone Co. and then Southwest Gas Company. His career path took a positive turn when he was hired by the Las Vegas Valley Water district and then transferred to the Clark County Sanitation District. He headed up an environmental planning department that culminated in a new, advanced waste water treatment plan and management system. In 1982, Jim went back to UNLV and got a MA in public administration. He spent 25 years with the Sanitation Department, 20 of those years as the General Manager. In 1999, Jim’s good friend Manny Cortez convinced him he needed a change and offered him a job at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. He took the job and worked there until he retired. Jim spends many hours in various volunteer endeavors. One is PAYBAC (Professionals and Youth Building a Commitment) where he goes to various middle schools and talks to the students about the importance of education. For Jim Gans, retired is a relative term. The Gans family moved to Las Vegas in 1950 to help alleviate his mother’s sinus condition and also better opportunities for his father who was in the refrigeration and air conditioning field. Jim started in school at Bonanza Elementary, then to a new Hyde Park Junior High where he was part of the first class and on the Rancho High School. Jim was always a hard worker. His first jobs were mowing lawns, a paper route, and working at a dog boarding kennel for .25 an hour. He learned early on that hard work and saving money would always pay off. His interests were varied including becoming a certified instructor for the Red Cross and serving on their Safety Committee. He led the Sierra Club as their Outing Chairman and spent a lot of time hiking. After graduation from high school he attended Nevada Southern University on and off because he also had to work, it took him six years to graduate. During this time, he became a member of the IBEW Union and helped build the Science and Technology Building and the Dickinson Library on campus. He then went to work for the Environmental Agency also on campus. After that, he worked for the Titanium Metal Corporation in Henderson, NV. Always interested in flying, he went to Reno and attended the Aviation academy, got his license and stayed on for a while as an instructor. He and his wife, who he met at NSU, came back to Las Vegas where he worked for Central Telephone Co. and then Southwest Gas Company. His career path took a positive turn when he was hired by the Las Vegas Valley Water district and then transferred to the Clark County Sanitation District. He headed up an environmental planning department that culminated in a new, advanced waste water treatment plan and management system. In 1982, Jim went back to UNLV and got a MA in public administration. He spent 25 years with the Sanitation Department, 20 of those years as the General Manager. In 1999, Jim’s good friend Manny Cortez convinced him he needed a change and offered him a job at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. He took the job and worked there until he retired. Jim spends many hours in various volunteer endeavors. One is PAYBAC (Professionals and Youth Building a Commitment) where he goes to various middle schools and talks to the students about the importance of education. For Jim Gans, retired is a relative term.

Frank Leone was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. he bagan playing paino as a young child. Frank earned degrees in music and moved to Las Vegas in 1967. He played at various casinos, played with famous singers such as Frank Sinatra, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, and Elvis Presley, and he conducted the Berlin Synphony and the London Philharmonic. Frank was a board member and president of the Musicians Union.