Louise Lorenzi Fountain was born on Nov. 14, 1913, to David Lorenzi, a French immigrant, and Julia Travese Moore from La Belle, Missouri. Her younger years were devoted to helping her father develop and manage Lorenzi Lake Park, which was built by Lorenzi and is considered a primary landmark in the development and life of the citizens of Las Vegas. Louise Lorenzi's father has been noted as one of the 100 most influential citizens of Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Review Journal. He opened the park in 1926 with a pair of man-made lakes and a swimming pool, dance hall, band shell and other amenities. In the interview, Louise talks about her father and mother and describes Las Vegas during its early years. Louise Lorenzi married Edgar Fountain in 1936. He had hitchhiked from Georgia in search of work on the construction of Boulder Dam, now Hoover Dam. The couple left Las Vegas for 10 years and lived in Grand Coulee, Washington, where he helped build Grand Coulee Dam. After returning to Las Vegas, Louise became a full partner in several business ventures the couple started. Those included the Nevada Amusement Co., a collection of 35 coin-operated phonograph machines; Frontier Radio and Appliance Co.; and later a television sales business; partnerships in two soft-drink bottling companies and a Toyota dealership. Louise Lorenzi Fountain was active in two Methodist churches and was a member of the First Presbyterian Church. She was a charter member and regent of the Valley of Fire Chapter of The Daughters of the American Revolution. Louise Lorenzi Fountain passed away on January 29, 2006 at 92 years of age.
Dr. Lonnie D. Spight grew up in northern Colorado, earned his bachelor's degree at Colorado State University, and his PhD at University of Nevada Reno. His interest in astronomy dates from his early years on the farm in Colorado, star-gazing in the fields at night. Before coming to UNLV, Lonnie worked for the Department of Defense on scattering cross sections and explosions. Working between Los Alamos and the Test Site, he was often in Las Vegas and had met most of the physicists at the university. He was invited midterm to take over a physics class for a faculty member who had fallen ill, and was offered a job the following fall of 1970. In the seventies when Dr. Spight arrived, the physics department was located in trailers, and the university campus was mostly desert. Lonnie served as chair of the department on several occasions, and was responsible for insisting that faculty members get involved in research, no matter how tight the budget. He worked on solar energy and far-field microwave analysis, and helped set up safety standards for the new laser technology. One of Dr. Spight's interests outside of physics is a love for classical music. He was a volunteer "Deejay" for 12 years with KNPR once it got started in 1980. Meanwhile, after 37 years with UNLV Lonnie retains his enthusiasm and love for teaching. Today he teaches quantum mechanics and hopes that one day he will be able to teach a particle physics course which ties together cosmology, the beginning of the universe, fundamental cutting edge physics, quarks, gluon plasmas, and more. He has the course materials ready to go and is looking forward to many more years at UNLV.
Celesta Lowe Papers (1943-1995) consist of clippings, published writings ("Echoes from the Archives" and "Southwestern Bookshelf" columns), correspondence, and photographs related to Southern Nevada
history. Also included are National League of American Pen Women and Pen Hens material.
Examples of photographic subjects include scenes and closeups of some years of the World Series of Poker tournaments; Horseshoe Casino interiors, exteriors, roadside billboards and renovations; Binion's Montana ranch; and Jack Binion doing promotional giveaways for the Horseshoe.
The majority of photographic items are prints which can be found in black and white as well as color. There are also negatives and contact sheets, almost all of which duplicate prints already existing in the collection.
Archival Collection
Binion's Horseshoe Casino Records on Poker
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: MS-00325 Collection Name: Binion's Horseshoe Casino Records on Poker Box/Folder: N/A
Andrew (Drew) Levy was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, where his family became prominent civic and real estate leaders. His grandfather was Harry Levy, a former Las Vegas City Commissioner, and his father Alvin Levy was a former councilman. Drew is always proud to say that he never left Las Vegas and of partnering with his father in the Levy Realty Company. While growing up, Drew it was easy for a teenager to enjoy the perks that could accompany his family?s civic persona?such as casino shows, events and meeting early Las Vegas casino executives like Moe Dalitz. After graduation from Clark High School, Drew attended Arizona State University. It was in Tempe that he met Debbie Cheek, his future wife. When Debbie arrived in Las Vegas, she enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she finished her degree and started her accounting practice. She ran her business for ten years before opening Art Starts Here, an art school. In the 1990s, Debbie?s passion for art led her to be involved in the creation of First Friday, a local monthly art festival. She also teaches a summer art camp for the Adelson Educational Campus. Drew and Debbie became deeply involved in the many Jewish congregations in Las Vegas. Blossoming first at Temple Beth Sholom where they were married in 1980, Debbie sat on the preschool board and oversaw the temple board, while Drew was the advisor for the youth group. The couple later joined Congregation Ner Tamid where Drew was congregation president from 1999 to 2000 and Debbie was board treasurer in 2001. Debbie includes stories of her conversion to Judaism and keeping kosher. In this interview, Drew and Debbie Levy reflect on changes they see in Las Vegas, from when Drew was a kid to the times they raised their own daughters, Sarah and Jenna, here. Looking at the larger picture of the city, they describe booms in the real estate market and growth in the artistic and cultural aspects of Las Vegas. They provide a perspective of the growth of the local Jewish community.
Two audio clips from an interview with Theron and Naomi Goynes by Claytee D. White on June 28 and July 12, 2012. In the clips, Theron and Naomi remember their early years in the Las Vegas schools and the advent of desegregation.