Materials in this collection (1969-1989) document various endeavors of the Operation Life organization. They include original correspondence, meeting minutes, news clippings, medical programs, grant applications, legal and financial documents, brochures and pamphlets, and other materials that provide context on the kinds of services provided by Operation Life. These files were kept by Jack Anderson in the course of his work as attorney for Operation Life.
The Bill Beam Papers document the career of miner and poetry enthusiast Bill (William) Beam from 1955 to 2004. The papers contain mining materials, photographs, and poetry from mines Beam worked in around the Southwestern United States. Also included are two albums of photographs from the Nevada Test Site.
The Michael S. Mack papers (approximately 1940s-1950s, undated) consist of photographs and documents related to the early Jewish community of Las Vegas, Nevada. Group photographs depict the Mack family and the Las Vegas Jewish community at events during the 1940s and 1950s, when the Las Vegas Jewish Community Center was the main Jewish organization in town. Individuals in the photographs were identified by Michael Mack. The collection includes documents written by Michael Mack that describe the early Las Vegas Jewish community and the history of his father and uncles, Louis, Nathan, and Harry Mack. The documents also list the names of Jewish individuals and businesses in Las Vegas.
The Ned V. Bearden Sr. Collection (1958-1966) consists of the Rolodex for Desert York Inc., Bearden's air conditioning equipment business that operated in Las Vegas, Nevada beginning in 1946. The Rolodex contains customer names and addresses, along with installation dates and model numbers for the air conditioning equipment installed.
Frances Harelik interviews IBM computer engineer Paul Bowerman in Las Vegas at Harelik’s home. Born in Wolforth, Texas in 1929, Mr. Bowerman relocated to Nevada in 1954. Other places Mr. Bowerman has lived include: California, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, New York, Minnesota, England, and Japan. From Mr. Bowerman’s perspective this interview provides insight into life in Las Vegas from 1954 to 1976.
Progress report with copies of relevant correspondence regarding the creation of an irrigation district in the Moapa Valley. Project Number: State Office #172, Clark County #12
This collection is unprocessed; see the access note for additional information. The Robert Scott Hooper Photographs (approximately 1960-2019) consist of photographic negatives, positives, prints, Polaroids, 16mm films, videos, business records, correspondence, drawings, and ephemera. The collection was created by prolific photographer Robert Scott Hooper and his longtime business partner and wife, Theresa Holmes. The couple's life and business was based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hooper's work focused on the female form, encompassing many areas of interest including sexual entertainment, modeling, pornography, and Las Vegas entertainment. Hooper was a contributing photographer with Playboy and Vegas Visitor magazines. Hooper also photographed many celebrities, Las Vegas production shows, notable events like hotel implosions, and the development of the Las Vegas Strip, including early time-lapse work on the Luxor Hotel and Casino and The Venetian. This collection also includes business records, model contracts, and correspondence.
On February 15, 1979, Andrew Levy interviewed Isabella Jessie Curtis (born 1922 in Monroe, Wisconsin) about her experiences in Southern Nevada. Curtis first talks about her career in waitressing at several restaurants and casinos in Las Vegas before describing some of the early businesses in the Downtown Las Vegas area. The interview then moves to discussions on Curtis’s involvement in politics, her early recreational activities, and the atomic testing. The two later discuss the first telephones in Las Vegas, the Helldorado celebration, and her work at the Tropicana Las Vegas. The interview concludes with Curtis’s description on living in Sandy Valley, Nevada, and some of her first memories of the Union Pacific train depot in Las Vegas.