Las Vegas Mayor Oran K. Gragson, his wife Bonnie with film star Gene Kelly. Pictured L-R: Gene Kelly, Mrs. Bonnie Gragson, and Mayor Oran K. Gragson. The location where the photograph was taken is unknown. Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 – October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N. Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor. Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director, producer and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style, his good looks, and the likeable characters that he played on screen. Best known today for his performances in films such as An American in Paris (1951), Anchors Aweigh (1945), and Singin' in the Rain (1952), he was a dominant force in musical films until they fell out of fashion in the late 1950s. His many innovations transformed the Hollywood musical and he is credited with almost single-handedly making the ballet form commercially acceptable to film audiences. Kelly received an Academy Honorary Award in 1952 for his career achievements. He later received lifetime achievement awards in the Kennedy Center Honors (1982), and from the Screen Actors Guild and American Film Institute. In 1999, the American Film Institute also numbered him 15th in their Greatest Male Stars of All Time list.
An album documenting some of the key events and activities that the Americanism and Civic Affairs Committee of the Las Vegas B'nai B'rith Women, Chapter No. 415, participated in during 1955. Created by Mrs. Russell Sherman, the Americanism and Civics Chairman from 1955-1956, the album contains various items including text passages, newspaper clippings, letters, programs, photographs, announcements, and certificates.
Photographs from a photo album owned by Sharon Sigesmund Pierce. The photos were taken at an event celebrating Sharon's donation to the construction of a new building in Summerlin for Temple Beth Sholom, circa 1996.