Interview with Irving Kirshbaum by Cheryl Rogers on February 23, 1979. In this interview, Kirshbaum discusses the Riviera Hotel where he began working in 1955. He also talks about the landscape of the Las Vegas Strip in the 1950s, and the state of gambling, comps, customer service, and dealer training. The interviewer asks about the treatment of minorities at the Riviera, and in Las Vegas generally, and the effect of corporate ownership on casinos.
Hank Greenspun discusses coming to Las Vegas in the 1940s, his journalistic endeavors, and some of the politics that affected him.
No release form is on file for this interview. The interview is accessible onsite only, and researchers must seek permission from the interviewee or heirs for quotation, reproduction, or publication. Please contact special.collections@unlv.edu for further information.
On February 7, 1976, collector, Marc Hechter interviewed Herbert and Erma Holtam in the collector’s home in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview covers the history of the early Las Vegas Valley area. The discussion includes an in-depth overview of the Helldorado Parade and Helldorado Village. The building of the hotels on the Strip, homesteading, and local housing developments, are also discussed.
On March 1, 1980, Gloria Banks interviewed her business acquaintance, Kenneth F. Johann (born 1924 in New York City) about his work life in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two discuss the origins of Johann’s business and early land prices in Southern Nevada. Johann explains the history of his investments as well as how land development progressed in Las Vegas from the 1950s and onward.
Ian McLaughlin interviews Robert “Bob” Brown (birthdate unknown) at his home on February 23, 1981 about his experiences living in Las Vegas since 1955. Brown mentions that his background is in the food business, working for various hotels and restaurants in the city. Brown discusses some of the developments of the Las Vegas Strip, including the opening and closing of various casinos, as well as issues relating to the increasing crime rate, rise in air pollution, and growth in population in the city. Brown also mentions some of the entertainers from the Strip such as Wayne Newton and Frank Sinatra, and he describes the various recreational activities available to Las Vegans in and around the city. The interview concludes with Brown’s discussion about how means of transportation have evolved and how the city has grown since he moved to Las Vegas.
Congregation Bet Knesset Bamidbar or ‘Congregation in the Desert” is the largest age 50-and-over Jewish congregation in the Las Vegas Valley. It was founded in 1990 and meets in Sun City, Summerlin. BKB is a traditional reform temple.
With services in the heart of community, BKB grew under the leadership of Rabbi Hershel Brooks. Its membership peaked to over 1,100 members in 1999.