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Transcript of interview with Joyce Mack by Barbara Tabach, February 23, 2015

Date

2015-02-23

Archival Collection

Description

In this interview, Joyce Mack discusses meeting her husband, Jerry Mack, in Los Angeles,their early life as a couple, and moving to Las Vegas at the suggestion of Jerry's father, Nate Mack. She discusses how Jerry met Parry Thomas and their banking and real estate investments. Mrs. Mack talks about the opening of the Thomas and Mack Center at UNLV, and the development of the strip hotels, and discusses her children.

Joyce Mack: wife to Jerry Mack and matriarch of one of the most influential families of Las Vegas history. During this oral history conversation, she begins by tracing her family ancestry from Kiev to New York to Omaha and then Los Angeles, where she was born and raised. At a UCLA fraternity party in the early 1940s, a teenage Joyce Rosenberg was swept off her feet by her older brother's friend Jerry Mack. Jerry was from Boulder City, Nevada and had attended school in Las Vegas. In 1946, the couple married and took an extended honeymoon throughout the United States and Cuba. Soon afterwards, Jerry's father Nate Mack, a businessman and real estate developer encouraged the newlyweds to come to Las Vegas. She tells of Jerry sharing his vision of the valley's future. Thus began a successful journey that traverses decades of Las Vegas history and breathtaking growth in which the Macks were active participants and leaders. Joyce recalls the people the first met, who they raised their children side-by-side with and became lasting friends. These people were other Las Vegas pioneers including the Greenspuns and mostly importantly her husband's partnership with Parry Thomas which created the Bank of Las Vegas. It was their partnership she explains that reduced the presence of the mob element. As members of the small Jewish community of the late 1940s, the Macks would participate in the founding of Temple Beth Sholom.

Text

Mack, Jerome D. "Jerry", 1920-1998

Jerome D. "Jerry" Mack (1920-1998) was a banker, investor, and community leader in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mack and his business partner E. Parry Thomas were the first bankers to loan money to casinos in Las Vegas. Mack was a co-founder of Nevada Southern College in the 1950s, now known as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Mack and Thomas established UNLV's land foundation, which added 400 acres to the campus in 1967, and they funded the basketball stadium, which was named the Thomas & Mack Center in their honor.

Person

Judy and Harry Campbell oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02853

Abstract

Oral history interview with Judy and Harry Campbell conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White on October 04, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Judy discusses her early life in St. John’s, Newfoundland and her move to Ottawa, Canada. Harry discusses his upbringing in Ogden, Utah and his initial interests in architecture. He recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to work for architect Julius Gabriel, construction planning for the Four Queens, and planning for the home of Jerry Mack. Later, Judy talks about her move to Boulder City, Nevada in 1974, her involvement in interior design, and her initial interests in residential real estate. Later, Harry recalls his work with the construction planning of federal court rooms, working with Las Vegas architects, and the process of becoming a licensed architect. Lastly, Judy and Harry talk about the development of Lake Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Speech transcript by Joyce Mack for UNLV Alumni Association honor as 2008 Silver State Award recipient

Date

2008

Archival Collection

Description

In 2008, Joyce Mack was honored for her continued support of UNLV with the Silver State Award.

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