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Epstein, Kenny, 1941-
Kenneth Epstein was born in 1941 in Chicago, Illinois. When he was 15 years old, Epstein’s family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Three years later, he began to work in the gaming industry. His mentor was Jackie Gaughan, then-owner of the El Cortez Hotel and Casino, whom he met in Lake Tahoe in 1956. In 1975, Epstein became Gaughan’s business partner in the operation of the El Cortez. He also helped Gaughan and his son open the Barbary Coast on the Las Vegas Strip in 1979.
Person
Wanderer, John
John Paul Wanderer was born February 20, 1940 in Yonkers, New York. The son of attorney Emilie Wanderer, he came to Las Vegas, Nevada with his mother and siblings in 1946. He attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and earned a Bachelor of Science degree, then graduated from Arizona State University School of Law in 1974. That same year, Wanderer and his mom established their own practice in Las Vegas, Wanderer & Wanderer.
Person
Chenin, Susan
Suzie Chenin was born August 28, 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio. The next year, her parents, Joseph and Irene Chenin, moved the family to Las Vegas, Nevada. Her father, a dentist, was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, becoming the first Jewish dentist in the state – and only the thirtieth overall. After graduating from Las Vegas High School, Chenin attended Arizona State University. However, she quit school and moved to Los Angeles, California where she got a job with a large real estate developer. This was her first foray into the industry.
Person
Schwartz, Priscilla, 1938-
Priscilla (Kahn) Schwartz was born to Hyman and Elizabeth Kahn, August 3, 1938 in Buffalo, New York. Schwartz became the first member of her family to graduate from college when she received her degree in nursing from the University of Michigan.
Person
Radoff, Janellen, 1940-
Janellen Radoff was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her mother was a local radio/TV personality with her own show and her father was a successful real estate entrepreneur. Radoff attended the University of Michigan studying at the school of architecture and design. Before moving to Nevada, her career path included Restaurant Associates, a short stint as a Girl Friday for Johnny Carson, and freelance product design while starting a family.
Person
Wolf, Natalie
Natalie Wolf was born and raised Jewish in New York City. She met her husband Rowland (Ron), also a New York native, on a blind date. They married in 1959 and settled into raising a family. Two of their three sons, Mitch, Kelly and Jamie, were also born in New York. They were ages 6 and 3 when the family moved to their new home on the desert in 1971. Unwillingly to move without a job, Natalie and her husband Ron were receptive to her sister Rita Park’s suggestion that the couple join her in the management of the Greyhound Bus Station.
Person
Epstein, Ike Lawrence, 1966-
Lawrence Epstein was born Ike Lawrence Epstein in 1966 to Kenny Epstein and Donna Goldstein. He attended Vanderbilt University (BA 1989, JD 1992). After graduation from law school, Lawrence returned to live fulltime in Las Vegas, where he practiced law for few years. He later became an executive with the UFC, where he is the current COO. He is also active in the family business, the El Cortez Hotel and Casino with his father and sisters. In addition, Lawrence serves the community as a board member of Meadows School and on the Stadium Board.
Person
Silver, Frank P., Dr.
Dr. Frank P. Silver (1934 - ) was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Silver relocated his OB/GYN medical practice to the small community of Boulder City in 1973. Before the move, Dr. Silver graduated from La Salle University, Jefferson University Medical School and did his residency at Nazareth Hospital.
Person
Harlig, Mendy, Rabbi
Rabbi Mendy Harlig was born and raised in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. He was ordained as a rabbi in 1996. He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1998. Rabbi Mendy Harlig is the spiritual leader of the Chabad of Green Valley, later renamed Chabad of Henderson. He was introduced to the Las Vegas community in 1990 by his brother Rabbi Shea Harlig. Hasidic Judaism has surrounded Mendy since his youth in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. He seemed destined to become a Chabad rabbi.
Person
Kane, Roberta Gordon, 1932-
Roberta “Bobbie” Kane (1932 - ) is the first known Jewish child born in Las Vegas. Her parents, Sallie and Mike Gordon, owned liquor stores and are among the founders of the first Jewish congregation in Las Vegas.
Bobbie is a 1950 graduate of Las Vegas High School and briefly attended Southern California. When she returned several years later, she pursued a career with the Desert Inn group of hotels and helped open the Stardust in 1957.
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