Bob Barrera interviews businessman Joe Burton (b. February, 26, 1940 in Texas) about his business and life in Nevada. During the interview Joe discusses moving from Texas to Las Vegas, Nevada. He talks about his business; procedures and practices; and how the equipment he uses has changed over the years. Joe describes Downtown and how he felt about the Mafia running the casinos on the Strip. He also weighs in on the MX missiles being located in Las Vegas.
Dr. Joseph George, Jr., was born, raised, and educated through high school in Sudlersville, Maryland. He describes his college career at the University of Pennsylvania and earning his MD degree at University of Maryland in Baltimore. There were only 15 students in his high school class and 114 in his medical class. After graduation and two years of country medical practice, Dr. George joined the Army in 1942 and became a flight surgeon. His duty assignments took him to Africa, England, and St. Petersburg, Florida, doing physical exams for pilots and flight crews and treating soldiers with mental problems. He was discharged in 1945 and headed for California, but describes his change of mind when the train arrived in Las Vegas for a brief stopover. Dr. George liked what he saw, a typical small western city, and decided to stay. He mentions the original hotels and hospitals and names many of the doctors he knew in the forties and fifties. He opened his family practice in an office on Fourth and Carson and later moved to a location on East Sahara. Over the next forty or so years he delivered more than 6,000 babies at various hospitals in Henderson and Las Vegas. Dr. George shares several anecdotes and stories, names a few notable Las Vegas patients, and comments on historical incidents that occurred here. He gives his opinions on changes he has seen in medical practice and the need for improved psychiatric care in the valley. He also talks about keeping in touch with former patients, high school classmates, and the members of his medical class at University of Baltimore.
Photos show Peppermill signs during the day. Two surveys were conducted to gather information about this sign. One was conducted in 2002 and one was conducted in 2017. PDFs are available for both surveys. See the 2017 survey PDF for additional information that is not included in the object description. Site address: 2985 S Las Vegas Blvd Sign details: The Peppermill Inn Restaurant is located on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd, just north of the now defunct Silver City Casino. The actual establishment faces west toward the strip, separated from the traffic by the front parking lot. The lowrise brown clad establishment, boasts three specific pieces of signage on the exterior structure. In the parking lot near Las Vegas Blvd, a small two-sided, ground level cabinet, mirrors the aesthetics of the actual structure. Upon the west side of the building, the shingled roofline boasts channel letters filled with neon, as well as a more secluded sign on the north side of the building, toward the rear. Sign condition: Structure 3 Surface 3 Lighting 3 The condition of the three different pieces of signage are all in different states of repair. Sign form: Pylon; Fascia Sign-specific description: The pylon sign, which sits near the street, is a miniature representation of the facade of the Peppermill establishment. Two square legs, constructed of mortared pieces of stone support the two-sided cabinet. The horizontal, rectangular cabinet sits on the pole, and faces north/south. The top edge of the sign is reminiscent of a roofline, with a low rise a-frame design. The grade is very little but exaggerated by the rectangular element rising off of the top edge covered in brown wooden shingles, which also cover the top edge's surface. The effect of the top's finishing is the resemblance of the roof of the Peppermill restaurant. Just below the peak of the "roof-like" element on the surface of the sign, a rectangular metal plate possesses text. The text is stamped out of the metal to reveal recessed negative spaces of fonts. An orange transparent material resides behind the plate, providing the hue for the internally lit apparatus. The text reads "24 Hours" in all capitals. Below the small rectangle, larger, white text runs the length of the sign. The internally lit, closed face, channel letters are in all capitals. In smaller text, along the bottom portion of the face the phrase "Coffee Shop & Lounge," runs the length of the text. The letters are orange, closed faced, internally lit. The actual structure of the restaurant, further east on the property is the model for the previously mentioned sign. The low-rise pitched roofline of the facility concludes at a lowrise rectangular cap. Along the western edge the roofs overhang, large white channel letters lined on the interior with pink neon spell "Peppermill" in all capital letters. Following the brown shingled roofline around the south side of the building, a third sign, not seen by the general public, faces south. A steel cabinet is the two-dimensional representation of both the outer pylon sign as well as the structure itself. A rust colored brown cabinet houses a dork brown steel face, with plastic letters for the advertising of the establishment. "Peppermill" is spelled in all capital letters. Below the top text a two lined, series of orange all capital text spells "Restaurant Lounge." It is apparent that wooden shingles were evident on the top the top edge of the cabinet which rises in the pitched front geometric shape seen on the pylon in the front and the architectural element in the structures center. Underneath the primary cabinet a smaller, horizontal, rectangular cabinet, sits centered underneath the It too is a rust colored brown cabinet, with a dark brown face. Text, as tall as the cabinet spells, "Open 24HRS" in orange plastic all capital letters. Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent; Backlit Sign - media: Steel; Plastic; Masonry Sign - non-neon treatments: Graphics; Paint Sign animation: Chasing, flashing, oscillating Notes: The text, which resides on the southern wall and reads "Casino," is filled with incandescent bulbs that all illuminate at the same time, and oscillate. They then shut off at the same time, and then repeat. The raceways of incandescent bulbs chase each other while the neon, which surrounds the back lit, plastic, screens on this wall flash on then off. The bottom two raceways sandwiching the reflective panel chase from left to right, while the remainder of the raceways surrounding the signs, run right to left. The incandescent bulbs on the pylon chase each other gracefully up the length of the pylon. The animation is patterned so as to appear as if a section of several bulbs are pulsing its way up the towers, hugging the edge of the bulbous tops. The raceways continue around the east face of the building. The umbrellas in the plaza behind the pylon, also are animated with incandescent bulbs chasing each other downward along the raceways. Sign environment: The area surrounding the Peppermill contains several interesting properties making the entire area sort of a cove of history. Just to the north the deteriorating, and closed Silver City stands testament to the wave of constant change present on the strip. It is a reminder of the historical significance of the Peppermill and the fact that someday it might not be present at this location any more. Sign manufacturer: YESCO Sign - thematic influences: What is evident of the Peppermill theme works around the exterior appearance, and around the name itself. The brown wooden exterior, use of wooden shingles as adornments, and the major color palette all suggest the rustic, if not old west referenced, aesthetic. Sign - artistic significance: This has become a statement of the "old Vegas" of the 1970s. Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday Survey - date completed: 2002 Sign keywords: Pylon; Fascia; Neon; Incandescent; Backlit; Steel; Plastic; Masonry; Paint; Graphics
On February 13th, 1980, collector Valerie Fujii interviewed dancer, Elinor Horden, (born May 21st, 1930 in Ohio) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This interview covers local entertainment in the 1950s and the social and environmental changes that have occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada.