From the Roosevelt Fitzgerald Professional Papers (MS-01082) -- Drafts for the Las Vegas Sentinel Voice file. On Black Runnin' Rebels Augmon, Johnson, Hunt, Young, Scurry etc.
Oral history interview with Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez conducted by Rodrigo Vazquez and Barbara Tabach on June 16, 2021 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Laurents is a Las Vegas native, graduate of Clark High School, and son of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants. He is currently an English teacher at Rancho High School and was a former student worker on the Latinx Voices project.
Information about the Kings Row Trailer Park sign that sits at 3660 Boulder Hwy. Site address: 3660 Boulder Hwy Sign owner: Kings Row Trlr Pk Inc Sign details: This property is still functioning as a mobile home park along Boulder Highway. They are one of the largest RV parks in Southern Nevada and within a close distance to downtown and Boulder Station Casino. They advertise that they have some of the best deals in town as well as about 200 spaces available. They have been operating in Las Vegas for more than 60 years. Sign condition: 5 - in great condition, well maintained Sign form: Roadside pole with a message center and directional elements Sign-specific description: This sign is made up of many different small cabinets. The top is a painted crown that is plastic and backlit. This sits on top of a red minimal arrow sign that points to the direction of the trailer park. This sign has yellow incandescent light bulbs lining the edge with "Kings Row" painted in white paint on the top of the sign, "Trailer Park" painted in bold yellow text in the center, and the text is outlined with neon tubes. The cabinet under this is a long, red trapezoid with "OVERNITES" painted on it in bold white text that is also outlined with neon tubes. Under this is what appears to be an iron flourish on top of another plastic backlit sign. This sign as "RV SPACES" painted on it in bold red text over yellow paint, "INDOOR HOMES TRAILERS CAMPING" in bold red text against a white background, and "MOBILE HOME SPACES POOL REC HALL" in bold red text against a yellow background. Under this is another iron flourish. Following that sign is a plastic backlit reader board. Under that is a plastic backlit sign with "CAMPERS" in white text and underlined against a red background. Finally, there is another plastic sign in the shape of an arrow with "Kings Row" in a light blue script, "ENTRANCE " in red, and "TRAILER PARK" in black inscribed on it. Sign - type of display: Neon, incandescent, backlit Sign - media: Steel and Plastic Sign - non-neon treatments: Paint Sign environment: This property sits along Boulder High way and near many other RV rental businesses. It is also down the street from Boulder Station Hotel & Casino. Sign - date of installation: Possibly c. 1962 Sign - date of redesign/move: Current sign not the original, which was a long rectangular shape cabinet Sign - thematic influences: This sign is very unique to the RV park. To emphasize the "Kings Row" theme, the crown perched on the top of the sign is designed to help with this. Much of this sign is used to tell motorists and pedestrians what the property has. Sign - artistic significance: This sign is elaborate. There are many different elements to this sign overall. This sign is that there is a crown to signify the royal theme of this property, possibly as a way to differentiate from other RV park signs around town. Survey - research locations: Kings Row website, assessor's website Surveyor: Lauren Vaccaro Survey - date completed: 2017-09-14 Sign keywords: Neon; Incandescent; Backlit; Steel; Plastic; Paint; Pole sign; Roadside; Directional; Reader board
William Dean Whitaker was born in 1925 and raised in a suburb of Los Angeles, California. Dean, as he is known, talks briefly about his parents and his brothers, for his youth quickly ended when he joined the Air Force and became an aviation cadet once he had turned 18 years old. The year was 1943 and World War II was raging. He became a member of the 398 th Bomb Group and flew twenty missions before being captured by the Germans. In this oral history, Dean talks with vivid recollection of the day he was captured and details of being a POW in Germany. Among his anecdotes are those of his mother's unwavering belief that he would return home, the humanity of a German soldier, and of meeting Gen. George Patton. Included are photos and excerpts from his personal history of his life during the war. Dean and his wife Lucille moved to Las Vegas in 1990.
Kay Dwyer was born August 30, 1934 to James and Eileen Crawford. Her father attained a job as an accountant with Basic Magnesium Incorporated in 1942. This meant that the family moved to Henderson, Nevada, which was a brand new community back in the early 1940's. The BMI plant, which manufactured magnesium for bombs and other war materials, is discussed throughout the interview. The interview begins with Kay reading a composition that she wrote entitled, "Our Summer of 1942 and More." In the reading she talks about the early years of her life when she first moved to southern Nevada. Kay gives remarkable details about the towns of Basic and Henderson (Basic became the town of Henderson) were like during this historic period. In 1952, she graduated from Basic High School and then moved to Los Angeles to attend Pepperdine University for two years. She moved back to the Las Vegas area and started a family with Stanly Hardy with whom she had three children. Sadly, at age 31 Stanly passed away from pancreatic cancer. After a break, Kay decided to go back to school and graduated from Nevada Southern University (now UNLV). Upon graduation, she immediately began teaching at Clark High School. In 1968, Kay married George Dwyer after being a widow for five years. Later, she taught at Las Vegas High School where she would go on to spend the next 25 years until 1995. This interview is an excellent resource for quality information pertaining to the early years of Southern Nevada. Kay Dwyer's extraordinary experiences provide us with a special look at the history of Las Vegas.
The MGM Mirage Records on Mandalay Resort Group consists of materials from Mandalay Resort Group’s office of public relations and community affairs records, which was closed after Mandalay’s corporate merger with MGM Mirage in 2005. The files, dating from 1968 to 2005, provide documentation of Mandalay Resort Group’s external affairs and internal operations. They contain subject files, photographs, negatives, slides, correspondence, VHS tapes, corporate publications, press releases, press kits, wholesale room agreements, hotel ephemera, employee newsletters, and press clippings. Of particular interest are files and photographs documenting the planning, development, construction, and opening of the Mandalay Resort Group properties.
The now permanently closed Mermaids Casino sits at 32 Fremont Street at the Fremont Street Experience. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survery Data Sheet. Site address: 32 Fremont St Sign owner: Derek and Greg Stevens Sign details: Shutdown in 2016, opened briefly June 28th, 2017 for 8 hours to abide by gambling license law, was torn down shortly after. 2.76 acre lot, originally built in 1949. Sign condition: Signage was removed from building during deconstruction Sign form: Decorated shed Sign-specific description: Covering all the sides of the Mermaids facing Fremont street, gives the feel of New Orleans during Mardi Gras with its bright vibrant colors, drums, maracas, and other items. Skeleton neon was used to accentuate features of the sign like details in the drums, outlining the word "Mermaids", and a good portion of the sign was internally lit as well. Giant TV screen hung in the middle at the corner of the building, giant Sun shaped pinata thing above the TV screen adding more to the theme. Sign - type of display: Neon, LED screen Sign - media: Steel and fiberglass Sign - non-neon treatments: LED screen Sign animation: Animated with an LED TV screen and some neon would flash on and off Sign environment: Downtown on Fremont Street, part of the Experience. Surrounded by other casinos and gift stores. Sign - date of installation: c. 1999 Sign - date of redesign/move: Torn down Summer 2017 Sign - thematic influences: Southern party themed, Mardi Gras. Sign - artistic significance: American South and Mardi Gras. Survey - research locations: Vital Vegas, Assessor's website Surveyor: Danny Jacobs Survey - date completed: 2017-09-09 Sign keywords: Neon; Steel; Fiberglass; Flashing; Video screen; Sculptural