With a liveliness of a man decades younger, Harry Kogan looks at his 100th birthday with cheer and satisfaction. Born March 11, 1916 to poor Russian immigrant parents in the Jewish ghetto of Philadelphia, Harry vividly recalls walking to school shoeless, with no hat or no raincoat. A treat would be his mother handing him ten-cents to go to the theater and enjoy a silent movie. After graduating from high school in 1933, Harry quickly took one of the rare jobs available in a garment manufacturing company where he worked his way into being a skilled and valued fabric cutter-a job that paid $35 a week. Harry was raised with two brothers and lived in Philadelphia for the first 91 years of his life before moving to Las Vegas. One of his brothers learned the refrigeration business while enlisted in the Navy and after the war formed a commercial refrigeration business named Kogan Brothers. Harry is a philosophical and philanthropic man. He was slow to retire and traveled the world, took classes and donated to his favorite causes; among which are the Boys Town Jerusalem and the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas. He sat for this interview to honor his Jewish roots, to share his life experiences and spending the past years in Las Vegas.

Dayvid Figler (1967 - ) is the quiet boy who became an insightful and creative contributor to the local culture of Las Vegas. The oldest of Barbara and Meyer Figler?s three children, he was four years old when the family station wagon reached Las Vegas in 1971. They moved in with Uncle Izzy (aka Big Irish) Figler for a few months. Having the ?juice,? Dayvid?s father soon became a Pan dealer on the Strip. As the family grew, Barbara eventually immersed her energies in her children?s activities, Hadassah and Temple Beth Sholom. In this oral history, Dayvid also recalls his awkward, but incredibly interesting youth, his bar mitzvah at Temple Beth Sholom, and path to a successful career as a criminal defense attorney. He also talks about embracing Las Vegas as his home, owning a home in John S. Park neighborhood and mentions a number of literary depictions of Las Vegas that he admires. Dayvid describes growing up a ?casino kid? who lived in an apartment near the Riviera Hotel. This, in addition to his slight stature and academic brilliance, may have set him apart from many of his childhood peers. He graduated from Valley High School at the age of 16 and by the age of 23 he was a rising star in the legal world. He looks back with appreciation to his list of mentors who encouraged him along the way. Dayvid is also a local favorite as an essayist and poet. For a number of years he could be heard on KNPR/NPR. He has been a performer in hundreds of productions that featured his comic wit and writings, from Lollapalooza to Tom and Jerry?s on Maryland Parkway.

In this interview, Burton Cohen discusses his involvement in the Las Vegas casino industry, including booking entertainment for various hotels.

Burton Cohen's long casino executive career began in the mid-1960s when he accepted a proposition to become involved with the transformation of the Frontier Hotel. He left his south Florida roots and law practice to become a co-owner/general manager of the Frontier Hotel. Thus, began his highly regarded Las Vegas presence. For nearly four decades he served in the management of some of the Strip's most famous casinos: Flamingo, Dunes, Circus Circus, Caesar Palace, Thunderbird and the Desert Inn, which remains his favorite. In this interview, Burt reflects on the positions he held, the celebrities he hired and befriended, and offers a unique look at the behind the scenes marketing and entertainment strategies that he helmed. He shares stories of becoming entrenched in casino operations, his reflections of union experiences, and even anecdotes about moving his mother to Las Vegas.

Part I: Interview with Al Levy by Cheryl Caples on February 23, 1979. At the time of this interview, Levy was serving on the city commission (now the Las Vegas City Council). He talks about growing up in Las Vegas and attending Las Vegas Grammar School (Fifth Street School) and Las Vegas High School. He mentions the Helldorado events, recreational activities, and raising a family in Las Vegas. Part II: Interview with Al Levy by Martha Zehnder on March 8, 1981. Levy recalls much of the same information as the previous interview, and again talks about his schooling and attending the University of Southern California. He returned to Las Vegas to assist his father with his grocery stores. Levy talks about the polio epidemic as the reason that children were not allowed to swim at public or hotel pools. He discusses his real estate firm, Levy Realty Company, his involvement in the community and the Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce), and the booming hotel industry. Levy also discusses some city leaders he's known, including Mayor Gragson. He talks about his Jewish faith and having to go to Los Angeles to train for his bar mitzvah because there were no rabbis living in Las Vegas.

On February 26, 1979, Christina Oda interviewed Toshiyuki “George” Goto (born 1922 in Huntington Beach, California) about his life in Nevada. Goto first talks about his move to Nevada in 1951 before talking about his family, church activities, politics, and recreational activities. He then discusses the building, economic, and environmental changes in Las Vegas. Goto later talks in depth about his profession in landscaping, including the work he completed for some of the hotels and resorts built on the Las Vegas Strip. The latter part of the interview includes discussion about Goto’s Japanese ancestry and his perceptions as a minority when first moving to and living in Las Vegas. The interview’s conclusion covers the topics of social activities and Goto’s organization of a local chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

On February 27th, 1979, Pamela Atkins interviewed Vivian Harwell in Las Vegas, Nevada. Harwell begins the interview by explaining her reasons for moving to Las Vegas from Arkansas, and the type of living quarters that she had. She then goes on to talk about the recreation in Las Vegas in addition to the Nevada Test Site and local politics. The two later discuss the convenience of having local colleges available in Las Vegas and the availability of children’s activities in Las Vegas. The interview concludes with Harwell’s personal reflection on her time living in Las Vegas, and that she does not regret moving to Las Vegas.

Hailing from Indiana and California, Donna Guiffre Martin and Tom Martin came to Las Vegas in the early 1950s as their parents sought new opportunities. Donna's father, Gus Guiffre, quickly established himself as a local television personality, while Tom's father took on a variety of entrepreneurial opportunities. Like many of the young people in Las Vegas, Donna and Tom enjoyed riding around town; horse-back riding; football games; Helldorado - and, of course, Rancho High School. This interview covers both Donna and Tom's early years before their moves to Las Vegas, as well as their memories of first homes, childhood experiences, early adulthood and their current lives.