Walter P. Casey Jr. was born in Plandora, California, which is located in the Imperial Valley at the Southeastern tip of the California Mexico border. Walter grew up living on the farm where his father grew crops like wheat and alfalfa. In 1942 Walter graduated from the University of California Brawly, and then went on to attend Berkeley for four years. Upon completion, he went on to become a flight navigator for Pan American World Airways during World War II. During the war, the U.S. Navy contracted flight navigators for transporting services. Once Walter was finished with the Navy, he went on to work for United Airlines where he was to find business for their air freight service. In 1951, after doing that for a few years, Walter decided to move his family to Las Vegas. Walter describes Las Vegas back when there were only 50,000 people. He tells of the vibrant environment in the valley and describes some of the casinos that were around in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1954 Walter started his own business with a $6,000 loan from the Bank of Las Vegas. He personally ran the water softening business for almost forty-five years before handing it down to his son. Walter also talks about his involvement in politics. He was the chair of the Republican Party in the state of Nevada, and he also did some lobbying for the National Association of Manufactures. Towards the end of the interview Walter reflects on his marvelous life in Las Vegas and comments on the water situation in the valley today.

A special note: This interview was conducted in two parts before students of the UNLV College of Hotel Administration. Mr. Dazzio serves as a member of the college's International Advisory Board. During the interview he shares stories of his path from the son of an early dealer to being twenty-something working at the Stardust with Al Sachs and Frank Rosenthal to being a cofounder of R&R Global Hospitality. It was unlikely that Russ Dazzio's father had any idea of what he was bringing his young family into when he moved to Las Vegas from Pueblo, Colorado and became a dealer in the early 1950s. A few months afterwards, five-year-old Russ and his mother stepped off the Union Pacific train to join him. They walked down Fremont Street, "a tree lined horseshoe sidewalk", to the casino where his father dealt cards. No minors were allowed, so young Russ sipped an ice cold Coke and waited. From that point on, Russ's life became entwined with the growth and evolution of Las Vegas. After graduating from Western High School in 1968, Russ became one of the first students of the Hotel College at UNLV (then Southern Nevada). His studies were interrupted by enlisting in the Army during the Vietnam War, but he returned to his studies. During this interview he recalls his career path from a thirteen-year-old bus boy at the Thunderbird Hotel for $1.25 an hour to a finding himself working closely with Stardust executives Al Sachs and Frank Rosenthal while in his early 20s. He garnered a wealth of experiences in his jump from the Strip to an international chain of successful hotels The interview is sprinkled with humorous stories and sage advice from a successful hotel operator for the ITT Sheraton chain and founding partner of R&R Global Hospitality, a third party management firm (started in 1985). This is a business story filled with the ups and downs caused by two recessions in the 1980s. Today Russ is ever-busy with projects underway. He maintains a close relationship with UNLV's Hotel College, serving on the International Advisory Board and is proud of being an alumnus.

On November 28, 1986, James Courtney interviewed Norman Christiansen (born 1931 in Red Lodge, Montana) about his experiences while living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Christiansen first describes his family and background before talking about moving to Las Vegas in 1956 after graduating college in Montana. Christiansen, who worked at the Nevada Test Site for two years and eventually became a teacher at various schools, talks about the various changes he has noticed over the years in Las Vegas, including those in climate, pollution, economy, occupation, and standard of living. Christiansen also discusses his political involvement, his hobbies, the advantages and disadvantages of living in Las Vegas, historical events in Las Vegas, and atomic testing in Nevada.