Newsletter issued by the Las Vegas Rotary Club

Photograph was taken at 102 E. Ramsey Avenue, Goldfield, Nevada, in front of the Lewis Rogers, Attorney-at-Law Office. July 4, 1906. Joe Gans (left) with three unidentified men. One is most likely Rogers, his attorney. Handwritten inscription w/ image: "On Sept. 3, 1906, Joe Gans, known as the "Old Masta", fought Oscar "Battling" Nelson in Goldfield. The fight was promoted by Southern Nevada Mining magnate Tex Rickard. Nelson had come out of retirement for the bout saying "I want to settle once and for all that a white boxer can defeat a ------ any day." Gans, a negro, had come to begin his training in Goldfield in June 1906. Because Gans was was black, he was compelled by boxing promoters to permit less-talented white fighters to last the scheduled number of bouts with him and occasionally defeat him. The Gans-Nelson fight for the lightweight championship lasted 42 rounds and is considered the single greatest boxing performance in history. Gans won when Nelson deliberately fouled him. The fight brought in a purse of $75,000 and was attended by 6500 spectators, both records at the time. Blacks from across the country came to cheer on Gans and many stayed in town to work following the contest. Less than four years later, Gans would be dead of tuberculosis."

Pictured L-R: Bill Briare (holding a framed print), unknown, Las Vegas Mayor Oran K. Gragson (center, holding statuette), two unknown men holding three framed prints. The location where the photograph was taken is unknown. Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 – October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N. Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor. William Hubert "Bill" Briare (July 13, 1930 – December 8, 2006) was an American politician. In the 1960s, Briare served in the Nevada Assembly and as a Clark County Commissioner. In 1971, he lost his first campaign for mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada to Oran K. Gragson, but Briare was elected in his next attempt in 1975, defeating Harry Reid. He was the former mayor of Las Vegas from 1975 to 1987. Briare was a member of the Democratic Party.

Need for engineering school explained; reluctance of engineers to stay in Vegas if education was not available; need for Air Force association to support program; FRGE group formed (Foundation for Resource Gains through Engineering); members included Bill Becker, Bob Gore; working with Nevada Association of Counties; media campaign. Gaining support of regents; mention of regents Lily Fong and Jack McBride; convincing legislature to support southern as well as northern school; engineering advisory council at UNLV; support from UNLV President Goodall; vice president of PEPCON on board; mention of Bob Weber, head of Nevada Professional Engineers Organization, and June Whitley, officer in telephone company. Personal background in military; need for technically trained professional engineers; currently administrative manager for Clark County School District (CCSD); time spent at Pentagon and TAC; graduate of Air War College; U. of Colorado for postgraduate degree in education; undergraduate work done at U. of California, Sacramento; tour in Vietnam; opinions on more rigidity in examination of instructors; opinions on negative and positive motivation for learning. Coming to Las Vegas; retiring from Air Force, 1981; formed private company, Logistics Technology Incorporated, to do hazardous materials work; hired to set up hazmat program for CCSD; stayed on to manage CCSD building program; currently creating energy-efficient mechanisms for schools; looking at alternative energy sources; working on green building certifications; many employees are graduates of UNLV engineering school. Maintenance of solar panels; working with Nevada Power; opinion of aesthetics of windmills; comments on efforts by FRGE to start engineering college; more comments on support from media, chamber of commerce, Nevada Development Authority, Nevada Association of Counties, university regents; passing reference to Runnin' Rebels; further mention of Bob Gore, Bill Becker, Fred Lewis, Tom Harden of PEPCON, and Hughes Summa Corporation.