On March 19, 1978, Marcela Yepes interviewed Richard Erbe (born 1922 in El Monte, California) about his experiences in Las Vegas, Nevada and specifically about his career in education. Erbe first talks about his family background and German ancestry before describing how he ended up moving to Nevada. He then describes his wife’s father’s background in the gaming industry and some of the early illicit casinos that existed in California. The interview shifts to Erbe’s educational background, his first teaching position as a fifth grade teacher, his experience in the military, and his reasoning for not seeking employment in the gaming industry. The two also discuss church activity, politics, and social activities in Las Vegas. The latter part of the interview includes Erbe’s viewpoints on the issues in the educational system, his experiences as a principal at multiple Clark County schools, and some of the challenges he encountered in the administrative side in the field of education.

During the early 1970s, the boom of Las Vegas included many single people following family who had already settled there. Among those was Martin (Marty) Wilner. Marty?s parents were Leo and Mickey Wilner. Leo moved to Las Vegas to become the Executive Director at Temple Beth Sholom, the only synagogue in town. Marty, who was born and raised in California, had recently earned his doctorate in psychology at the University of Houston. He became a counselor at UNLV. Not long after, Marty met Linda at a Jewish Singles event. Linda was a divorced, mother of three children, who had moved from California to find comfort in living near her parents. Robert Wilner is one of her three children. He was adopted by Marty and works with his mother in the real estate business. In this interview, they recall together the Las Vegas of the 1970s. For Robert, he remembers his bar mitzvah, and growing up with Jewish friends under the careful eye of his grandparents. As an adult, he has enjoyed a successful career as a real estate agents working with his mother. For Linda, the success of real estate was being part of one of the most robust housing markets in the country. She and Robert recall an extensive list of visionaries who developed the valley, as well as the inherent challenges of water, unions and maintaining their high level of ethics.