In this interview, conducted for the 50th anniversary of UNLV, Marta Sorkin discusses her family and her experience moving to California, and then to Las Vegas. Sorkin worked at the James R. Dickinson Library at UNLV and later in Lied Library, helping to implement and update various databases, and create displays on current topics. She briefly discusses her involvement with Hillel and the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas.
Marta Sorkin begins by reminiscing about her childhood in Far Rockaway Long Island, New York. She details the life her parents lived, which set an example for Marta and her two siblings. Through hard work, advanced education, and involvement in causes that were important to them, they created the template by which Marta lives her life. Marta describes her early work history, which included modeling, sales, library work, and working part time in her father's dry-cleaning plant. She and her daughter were living with her parents for a time in California, and they visited Las Vegas on weekends. It was during one of those visits that Marta met her second husband-to-be. They eventually married and decided to settle in Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, Marta enrolled at UNLV, became involved with the Preservation Association of Clark County, and volunteered at the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas. In addition, she completed her BA and MA degrees at UNLV and started working at the university's library. She details her work there, including creating display cases, working in the reference section, doing research for students and faculty, and compiling interviews. Marta also describes the fundraisers she spearheaded to help raise money for the various societies she was involved with: non-events, pancake breakfasts, dinners, and dance and band performances. In her closing comments she mentions an interview she did for Ralph Roske's class and expresses her appreciation for the career she's had at UNLV.
On November 30, 1986, collector Patton Alberti interviewed Ruby Canonic Leavitt (born 1907 in Genoa, Nevada) at her home in Reno, Nevada. Mrs. Leavitt discusses her time as a teacher in Verdi, Nevada, as well as other places in Northern Nevada. She also discusses the changes she has seen in teaching and in the towns she has lived in over time.
Collection is comprised of the papers of Las Vegas producer, manager, and agent Matt Gregory from 1959 to 1986. Included are contracts, costume sketches, press releases, videos, show reviews, and advertisements. Also included are correspondence, public relations material, business related material, costume and set design drawings and sketches, slides, negatives, photographs, transparencies, and videos, mostly from the 1960s through the 1980s.
The Lori Lipman Brown Papers date from 1975 to 2009 and document former Nevada State Senator Lori Lipman Brown's political career. It includes correspondence and materials from Brown's service as a Nevada State Senator from 1992 to 1994, case files from her defamation lawsuit against Nevada State Senator Kathy Augustine, and papers from her work opposing the Nevada Question 2 ballot measure on same-sex marriage in 2000. The collection also contains photocopies of biographical materials and personal and publicity photographs of Brown, as well as material from her time working with local high school and commmunity theatre programs.
The Tonopah Mining Company Records derive from the office of the company’s general manager in Tonopah, Nevada and consist of documents directly generated by its mining and milling operations from 1901 through 1941. The collection includes daily work reports, assay reports and certificates, employee time cards, invoices and receipts for mining equipment and supplies, monthly stores reports, and the company’s numerous insurance policies. Several of the company’s annual reports, including an original typescript copy of the 1907 annual report, are included in the collection. Additionally, select records from the company's subsidiary, Desert Power and Mill Company, as well as the Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad, which include overcharge claims, freight and repair bills, and delivery receipts are included in the collection.
The Art Wolf Professional Papers (1988-2018) document the career of museum professional and consultant Art Wolf who specialized in supporting cultural heritage of indigenous communities, particularly in the Southwest and Las Vegas, Nevada. Materials document Wolf's work with the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) as a board member, in conference planning, and as a Study Leader for Smithsonian Associates Study Tours. Also included are materials that represent Wolf's involvement as an alumni of the Leadership Las Vegas program and director of the Nevada State Museum. The collection includes some ephemera and invitations to different events held in Las Vegas, Nevada that Wolf was invited to. The collection also includes examples of unsuccessful bids for consultancy jobs through WOLF Consulting and his files as a master's thesis adviser for the Museum Studies program at Harvard Extension School.
The Bob Weinstein Papers on Compulsive Gambling (1945-2024) contain pamphlets, brochures, conference packets, promotional material, correspondence, and ephemera related to Weinstein's involvement in Gamblers Anonymous (G.A.). The collection contains G.A. recovery resources, workshop and training booklets, and meeting minutes and correspondence from Weinstein's time on the G.A. International Board of Trustees. Also contained in the collection are copies of correspondence from Jim W. (founder of Gamblers Anonymous) to Bill W. (a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous) and many books and other publications related to compulsive gambling.