From the Roosevelt Fitzgerald Professional Papers (MS-01082) -- Drafts for the Las Vegas Sentinel Voice file. On Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Jim Hodge describes an active and success filled life in this narrative. Born and raised in the South, Jim enlisted in the Navy at the young age of 17, just as World War II was winding down. His primary job was that of a cook. He became smitten with the life of an entertainer after participating in a play and headed for Hollywood in 1952. It was there that he auditioned for Donn Arden, who organized and directed Las Vegas shows. Though he didn't get the part, he did get hired to be a singer for a show featuring Betty Grable. Thus his career was launched and would span the heyday of Las Vegas entertainment from the 1950s to the 1970s. Jim talks about the people, shows and places that touched his life. He also offers thoughts about the changes in the Vegas entertainment scene as well as shares his relationship with his church over the past 40 years.
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Folder of materials from the Mabel Hoggard Papers (MS-00565) -- Personal papers file. This folder contains materials about Mabel Hoggard, including a Las Vegas Sentinel newspaper issue, newspaper clippings, a decree of divorce (Mabel E. Wims vs Irvin E. Wims), a memorial service program (Mabel Welch Wims Hoggard, March 10, 1905- May 31, 1989), and U.S. Congressional Records recognizing the achievements of Mrs. Mabel W. Hoggard. Mabel Hoggard's student records were not digitized per the Special Collections and Archives restrictions policy.
Mixed Content
In 1962, Elizabeth “Betty” Krolak moved from the Midwest to Las Vegas with her husband and six children. Not only would the drier desert climate benefit her youngest daughter’s health due to asthma, but the family hoped the Las Vegas economy would be beneficial for their future. Prior to her arrival in Las Vegas, Betty worked briefly as a secretary for the New York Central Railroad before becoming a stay-at-home mom and active member of the PTA. Upon their arrival in Las Vegas, Betty’s husband enrolled in a real estate class, but was unable to complete the program. Betty, not wanting to waste the $80 they had spent on the class, decided to attend in his place. This decision led to life changing events for Betty and her family over the next four decades. After taking the real estate class and passing the test, Betty became a licensed Nevada real estate broker in October of 1963. She initially went to work for Pyramid Realty and, in 1964, she opened her own office, Clark County Realty. After her divorce in 1967, Betty was left with “six hungry children” to feed and no child support or health insurance. She recalls how the benefits of being in real estate really became apparent during this period of her life. While real estate required long hours seven days a week, it also afforded a single mother flexibility that other careers would not have offered. Likewise, a woman could make more money in real estate in the 1960s and 1970s than most other careers provided, which was particularly important for Betty who was committed to raising her children without public assistance. Betty’s oral history chronicles the growth of the Las Vegas Board of Realtors which has grown into what today is the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors (GLVAR). She recalls how, in the 1960s, meetings took place in bowling allies and the primary role of the GLVAR was to provide networking opportunities and represent the Code of Ethics for realtors. However, the Board was dominated by males, with the role of women members confined to planning social events and arranging for refreshments. In 1968, Betty and several other women realtors set out to change this by initially establishing a local Women’s Council within the Board. In the years following, Betty became the first women to be an Executive Board Member. Today, more than half the members of the Executive Board are women. Betty’s oral history also speaks to many changes within the real estate industry over the past four decades, some positive and some not so positive. She recounts the 1960s to the 1980s, when casino workers’ main source of income came from tips which were often unreported, creating challenges in getting casino workers qualified for home loans because they did not have the ability to document their source of income. Likewise, single women had a hard time qualifying for home loans because they only had one income and, in those days, it rarely was enough to qualify for a mortgage on their own. Also during this period, realtors primarily focused on the resale market because builders wanted to work directly with buyers, but changes in the real estate market eventually led builders to realize the benefits of allowing realtors to sell new houses, too. During her career, Betty also experienced the rise of real estate franchises, beginning with Century 21’s arrival in Nevada, the development of Multiple Listing Service (MLS), changes to educational requirements, approaches to settling disputes, and new approaches to ethics violations. Perhaps the biggest change Betty’s oral history speaks to is the personal approach to selling real estate that has been lost over time. In the early days, brokers sold houses right alongside the sales agents. Today, however, regulations have placed brokers in a position where their primary role is to manage sales people, not sell houses. Also, realtors used to interact with other realtors, title company personnel, and mortgage lenders before technology, such as fax machines and computers, came along. In the early days, documents were transferred in person allowing people in the industry to get to know one another through these personal interactions. Today, everything is done electronically and it is rare to actually know the person on the other end. Selling real estate has lost a lot of its personal touch, according to Betty. In addition to being the mother of six children and running one of the largest real estate offices in the area, Betty also found time to give back to the community through her volunteer work with the Salvation Army. She was instrumental in establishing Southern Nevada’s Angel Tree project, which provides Christmas presents to children who otherwise would not receive them. She was also appointed by Governor Michael O’Callahan to the State of Nevada’s Real Estate Commission, making her the first woman to serve on the Commission. Betty’s career in real estate allowed her to witness and implement many changes that still impact the industry today. When Betty began her career, Las Vegas’ population was just over 45 thousand. By the mid-1990s Green Valley, Spring Valley, North Las Vegas, Summerlin, and Sun City had been developed and the Valley’s population exceeded 1 million people. Betty Krolak’s career merged with the real estate boom as she helped find homes for those who wanted to make Las Vegas their home. She made sure the real estate industry’s growth included women, training mechanisms, and ethics which continue to benefit realtors, home buyers, and home sellers to this day.
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The Hughes Electronics Corporation Records (1935-2021) contain the files and publications of the corporate communications department and records donated by Robert K. Roney, a leading engineer at Hughes. These records document the growth of the company in Southern California, from building experimental aircraft for Howard Hughes, to developing and manufacturing radar and guided missile systems for the United States military and NATO forces, to developing and manufacturing communication satellites and space probes for NASA, and becoming the largest manufacturer of communication satellites and provider of satellite TV. The collection contains press releases, executive biographies, executive speeches, annual reports, corporate directories, organizational charts, correspondence files, technical reports and notes, promotional materials, as well as articles and publications detailing the history of the company. The collection also includes audiovisual materials and photographs. The audiovisual series details the history of the company through news footage and documentaries about Howard Hughes, aviation, corporate mergers, interviews with executives and promotional videos.
Archival Collection