The Ned V. Bearden Sr. Photograph Collection contains black-and-white photographic prints and negatives of early Las Vegas, Nevada Fremont Street hotels, casinos, as well as Las Vegas businesses and residences between approximately 1940 to 1960. These photographs detail air conditioning units installations by Bearden throughout Las Vegas.
On January 20, 1975, collector businessman, James M. Greene interviewed businessman, William F. Kelsey (born November 6th, 1908 in Pasadena, California) in his home in Nelson, Nevada. Mrs. Kelsey is also present during the interview. This interview covers the life and times of Mr. Kelsey.
William Flangas was born in Ely, Nevada, in 1927. He attended grade school through high school in White Pine County. In his junior year, he left school to join the Navy. After the war, he enrolled at UNR on the G.I. Bill, and graduated with a degree in metallurgical engineering. In 1951, Bill worked for Kennecott in a 'deep root' project, spent a summer in Chile working in a smelter, and then went back to work for Kennecott in underground operations. On the basis of this experience, he wrote a thesis and earned an EM degree (Engineer of Mines). Bill was approached in 1958 by Mr. Reynolds of the Reynolds Electric/Engineering Company with a request that he come help them out at the Nevada Test Site. He refused at first, but after a second call and a visit to the tunnel site, he accepted the job, pulled together a first-rate group of experienced miners, and stayed on to enjoy a 40 year career concurrent with the job at the test site, Bill was appointed to the State Planning Board, later renamed the State Public Works Board. The function of the board was to list public buildings in order of priority. In 1984, the College of Engineering at UNLV made the priority list. Bill helped set up three point contact among the university personnel, the architectural firm, and the Public Works Board. This was to ensure that the building met the needs of the engineers but did not go over budget.
Chris Bianchi comes from Peru, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in hotel administration with a concentration in casino management and received his master's in hospitality administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2015. Chris did an internship at the Barbary Coast Hotel & Casino in 2002 as a dealer and was transferred to the South Point Casino and Spa as a pit manager in 2005.
From the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas collection OH-00600. On March 16, 1978, collector John Russell Foreman interviewed Irving Junior Foreman (born June 25th, 1930 in Beaver, Utah) in North Las Vegas, Nevada. In this interview, Foreman speaks about his career in the construction industry in Las Vegas, Nevada. He also discusses the changes in the construction industry from the 1950s to the 1970s, including the machinery used.