Joan Massagli spent her childhood in the Tacoma, Washington area, singing three-part harmony—a member of a musically talented family that included five children and an aunt and uncle who raised all the kids to enjoy music. By high school in the early 1950s, she and her two older sisters were regulars on a local TV show. In 1956, the Sawyer Sisters act was formed and they were soon obtaining regular gigs in Las Vegas. Their popularity continued form 1957 to 1964 and they played many of the major hotels, usually as a warm up act for headliners that includes a list of names such as Roy Clark, Louis Prima, Shecky Greene, and Delia Reece. At first the Sawyer Sisters included older sister Nanette Susan and Joan. When Nanette quit to raise her family, youngest sister Kate stepped into what was called a "lively and lovely" trio. Joan met her future husband and musician Mark Tully Massagli, while performing in the early 1960s. Caring for ailing parents while working mostly in Las Vegas, the couple made Vegas home. Even after the Sawyer Sisters name faded from the Strip's marquees, Las Vegas remained home to the Massagli's, who raised their children here. Today they live in the Blue Diamond Village area and recall the changes that have occurred on the Las Vegas Strip—especially from an entertainer's point of view.
The collection is comprised of a short documentary film, Forever in Our Hearts (2018), that highlights the Healing Garden, a memorial established after the 1 October shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. The film is comprised of photographs taken by Tanya Olson, a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Olson created the film as a way to memorialize the 1 October shooting.
The Las Vegas Land & Water Company Records from the Las Vegas Valley Water District (1918-1989) are primarily comprised of contracts, correspondence, and maps that document the establishment of a water distribution system in Las Vegas, Nevada that would provide water using the state's Colorado River allocation. The records include water main extension agreements, correspondence, and bills of sale for water main construction, as well as articles and correspondence documenting the groundwater shortage in Las Vegas. The collection also includes maps for water distribution systems and pipelines throughout the Las Vegas Valley.
The UNLV Libraries Collection of Circus Circus Hotel and Casino Promotional Materials and Reports includes annual reports, financial reports, newspaper and magazine clippings, press kits, press releases, and promotional materials for the Circus Circus hotel and casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Reno, Nevada, dating from 1972 to 2006.
The Stardust Resort and Casino Records (1950-2006) contain materials of the Stardust Resort and Casino, which operated in Las Vegas, Nevada from 1958 to 2006. The collection contains materials on events hosted by the Stardust, the resort and casino's corporate history, interior and exterior building design, and performers. The collection also includes photographs, negatives, and slides that document the history of the resort and casino. Newspaper and magazine clippings, advertisement and marketing materials related to the Stardust's venues, shows, entertainers, and events are also present in the collection. The collection also contains a significant amount of audiovisual material, including VHS tapes, audio cassettes, optical discs, film reels, and cassette tapes containing footage and audio recordings of Stardust show promotions, news broadcasting clips, interviews, and commercials featuring the Stardust.