Dr. Darville Knowles was born in Miami, Florida, in 1948. His mother and father were schoolteachers in Dade County. After their divorce in 1962, Darville's mother relocated to Las Vegas with her two sons and took a teaching position here. Dr. Knowles comments on the differences between Miami and Las Vegas as far as segregation regarding housing, education, and job opportunities. He also mentions that his grandmother had emigrated from the Bahamas and that she impressed on them to make their own situation and community better. He recalls that track and field athletics were desegregated before the contact sports, such as football and basketball. Darville and his brother Michael (a lawyer in Miami) both graduated from college. Darville attended Howard University and Stanford University Medical School and completed his internship at the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis. Dan Wilkes, a family friend and pathologist in Las Vegas, convinced Darville to look at Las Vegas for job opportunities. After trying St. Louis, Atlanta, Houston, and Los Angeles, Dr. Knowles finally settled in Las Vegas in 1982 and "grew' his practice at Sunrise Hospital. Dr. Knowles comments on health problems in Las Vegas related to eating choices, lack of exercise, and poor air quality. He describes how HMOs have changed the practice of medicine and gives his opinions on how health care should be addressed by Congress. He also discusses the future of medicine, the research he was involved in, and the AIDS crisis. Dr. Knowles talks about how medicine has changed since 1982, the large number of respiratory problems that he treats, and comments further on HMOs and the fixture of medicine in Las Vegas. He also shares that he found time to author a murder mystery and has plans to write more.
Oral history interview with Austin R. Wardle conducted by Elizabeth Nelson Patrick on August 05, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Wardle discusses the history of Tonopah, Nevada, a town in which he first arrived in 1902. Wardle discusses theaters in Tonopah, Jewish families that lived in Tonopah, and the prominent immigrant population that worked in the mines. He continues talking about other families that have lived in Tonopah and life in the town. Wardle also discusses how Tonopah has changed, housing in Tonopah, and the mining industry of the town.
Michael S. Mack is a realtor in Las Vegas, Nevada and a member of one of the founding families of the Southern Nevada Jewish community. Mack was born June 6, 1937 in Los Angeles, California to Louis and Lucille Mack. His family, including his uncles Nathan and Harry Mack, moved to Las Vegas in 1937, and were instrumental in the development of the valley and the establishment of the local Jewish community. Michael Mack graduated from Las Vegas High School in 1955 and pursued a career in real estate.