Interview with Jean Tobman and two of her daughters, Marilyn (Tobman) Moran and Janie (Tobman) Moore by Claytee White, November 5, 2013. In this interview, Jean Tobman recalls coming to Las Vegas with her husband and two young children in the 1950s, and the life they established in the Pinto area of the Westside. Her husband, Herb, owned City Furniture and a cab company near downtown. Marilyn and Janie discuss their youth and the enjoyable time they had growing up in Las Vegas. Marilyn talks about how the city has grown and her time on the planning commission. Janie also discusses the growth of Las Vegas and her nostalgia for old Las Vegas.
In 1953, Jean and Herb Tobman moved from New Jersey to Las Vegas. The Tombans settled in the Pinto Palamino. Upon moving, Jean initially assisted her mother at her rooming house, and Herb worked with Jean's father at City Furniture. Herb bought his first cab soon thereafter, and grew one vehicle into Western Cab Company, which is still family-run. After a large fire closed City Furniture, Herb worked as the general manager at Moulin Rouge, jumpstarting his career in the gaming industry. Marilyn, Janie and Helen are the children of Jean and Herb and all still live in Las Vegas. The girls grew up keeping horses, as did many other neighbors in the Pinto area. Marilyn married John Moran, the sheriff's son, who served as a police officer himself. She sat on the planning commission for a decade, during the city's growth spurt. Janie spent a semester at Arizona State University before returning to Las Vegas to work at Stardust Hotel, a property co-owned by her father, who also served as the its president.
Jarmilla McMillan-Arnold’s father, Dr. James B. McMillan, was the first black dentist in the state of Nevada. Dr. McMillan’s colleagues consisted of Dr. West, the first black medical doctor in the state, and Dr. Ice, the first black surgeon in Nevada. This interview highlights and archives the solid foundation upon which Nevada’s black community was built. Jarmilla recalls early memories of growing up as the daughter of Las Vegas NAACP president Dr. McMillan. She was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a Caucasian and Indian mother who was a professional dancer. Jarmilla’s parents separated when she was very young and as a result she was raised by her paternal grandmother who owned a restaurant in Pontiac, Michigan. Jarmilla describes her grandmother as being well-known and highly regarded in the community where she maintained her business. Jarmilla attended Catholic schools in Detroit, Pontiac, and Las Vegas. Having moved to Las Vegas with her father, Jarmilla’s narrative offers keen insigh
Floyd Francis (center), Jake Beckley (right), and unidentified man in the "Old Swimming Hole" on the Von Tobel and Beckley property
Transcribed Notes: Transcribed from photo sleeve: "Floyd Francis (center), Jake Beckley (right), and unidentified man (on left) in an old swimming hole formed on the property of Von Tobel and Beckley."; Transcribed background history: "Early Las Vegas History by Florence Lee Jones, April 1969: Creating their own oasis in the Las Vegas Valley was the hobby of the late Ed Von Tobel, Sr., and his partner, the late Jake Beckley, when they came to Las Vegas in 1905 as gay young bachelors. At their ranch in Paradise Valley, where they owned the 120 acres now comprising the Sierra Vista Ranchos, exclusive residential area, they used the facilities at hand to form an 'old swimming hole.' From one of the three wells they drilled they diverted the free-flowing water into a nearby creek bed, built a cement dam to contain the water, and had their own pleasure resort. In this picture, from left, an unidentified man; Floyd Francis, early employee of the Von Tobel Lumber Company; and Jake Beckley, a partner in the fi