These Boots Were Made For........ Ed!

Not too long ago I went to the home of member Ed Dodrill.  His home told so much more about Ed than I am able to glean from our monthly meetings, where we are all so busy saying "Hi!" to everyone present, we rarely get the chance to learn more about one another.  Ed has lived a fascinating life and he has always been generous with his stories of his time as a reporter, a cowboy poet, and long-time Las Vegas resident, but what I recently learned about Ed is he is very, very talented as a designer and he LOVES cowboy boots.  

Enter Ed's home and you find a western theme throughout.  What drew me most is collection of cowboy boots.  The boots are on display and each one is unique.  Why?  Because Ed designs them himself.  He told me he sketches the images he likes, sends them off to a guy who puts the one-of-a-kind boot together and then sends them back to Ed.  Here's what Ed has to say about his boot, ummmm, fetish...............................

Here's one of Ed's Cowboy Outfits!

Yes, I wear cowboy boots. Of course I still wear socks!

I wore my first pair of cowboy boots when I was about 5 or 6 years old. My mother made the mistake of asking me what I wanted for my birthday. They were black with white diamonds on the top. The high heel was about ¼ of an inch higher than normal shoes.
After they wore out, I still kept wearing them until the socks were black when I took the boots off. A pair of boots, but not cowboy boots, finally replaced them. Everyone noticed. I was able to talk mother into cowboy boots every once in a while. I was content knowing the boots would last longer if I also wore shoes. When my oldest brother got married, I was the best man and that required a present. Acme boots. Just as they were getting very tight, the other brother got married. New boots! I was the only student at John Adams High School, in Queens, New York City, who wore cowboy boots.
I never had to drop everything to tie a shoelace. Another advantage, and I’m not telling, is that a person in cowboy boots doesn’t have to wear socks. If so, they don’t have to match.  Next time you are at an airport, watch the flow of traffic to or from the airplanes. Those who wear boots keep them shined!

Shortly after getting my first job with a newspaper, I purchased a few pair. making sure they did not clash with the rest of my wardrobe. Weekends were spent at a dude ranch, learning to ride. Boots were a must. The boot comments stopped. The idiot who owned a horse in New York City was the new topic of ridicule.

I wore shoes in the Army but was lucky enough to be stationed in Oklahoma, near the Texas border. I found my way to the Nocona boot factory in Texas and opted for a pair of custom-made black boots that were affordable on a private’s pay. Several pair followed
After moving to Las Vegas I landed a job at the Las Vegas Sun. One day Rex Bell, the District Attorney, dropped by my office and told me to meet him at the coffee shop at the Sahara Hotel at 8 a.m. Saturday. After breakfast we walked over to the convention center where I purchased three pair of Justin boots at wholesale cost. I am still wearing them.

Years later my wife and I took a trip that included El Paso, Texas. We visited a boot maker who advertised in a publication I received. After the visit we took a walk and saw a little run-down shop with a sign that read: RJ Boots. We walked inside. There was a large hole in the roof where there had been a fire and RJ, the boot maker, hadn’t gotten around to getting it repaired. After looking around I figured he was more interested in making boots and the quality of the boots was impressive. We ordered a pair for my wife. We were sold. RJ made all the boots in the photo. I would spend a year working on a design and them a computer wiz friend of mine would make a clear pattern.
After RJ was robbed and beat up, he ended his career and I stopped ordering custom made boots.  I am not extravagant. I have only a dozen pair of those fancy boots. The other 50 pairs are off-the-shelf. 

Ed gets LOTS of attention for his boot creations!

July 16th Meeting Recap

I am telling you, a seat at the Las Vegas Media Group luncheon is becoming the hottest ticket in town.  Over the last year or so we have had some amazing speakers come and share their storied lives with us.  What’s even more impressive is the caliber of members that we have that attend each month.  I am so proud and humbled to be able to spend time with all of you.  With the help of member suggestions, we have a great lineup of future speakers.  But, let’s talk about today.

We had 48 people come to hear Frank Fiedler, former host of the radio show, “Let’s Talk Las Vegas” share some of his stories and the people he was privileged to interview during his 12 years on the air.  We also had several new faces in the crowd and we hope to see them back again. 

Fred Fiedler, host of "Let's Talk Las Vegas" speaks
at the Las Vegas Media Group luncheon

Our sound system was wonderful today, thanks to Ed Dodrill for sharing his equipment with us.

We spent some time talking about our dear friends that have recently passed, as well as sent some thoughts out to those that are presently ailing.  Several members shared stories about Ralph Denton, Ron Bell, and Fred Davis, members who we have just lost.  Our thoughts went out to Nelson Sardelli who lost his wife, Micki, after a long illness.  To the family members who have lost loved ones, please know you are in our thoughts and prayers.

We have lots of July Birthdays!  Happy Birthday to:

• Roger Buehrer
• Chuck Evans
• John Foley
• Cork Proctor
• John "Buzzy" Ullom
• Sam Upton

• and A.D. Hopkins!

We haven’t set anyone up to speak at the August meeting as of yet, and if we don’t have anyone it will be a great time for all of us to chat and catch up.  As usual, I will send an email reminder out to let you know what to expect.

If you know of anyone who is not getting my emails and would like to (or if they’ve changed their email addresses and forgot to tell me), please feel free to have them send me an email so I can add them to the list.  Send an email to lasvegasmediagroup@gmail.com

See you all next month.

June Meeting Recap

In this message:

• Marie Rowley on early Las Vegas brothel history
• Cork Proctor's Roast
• Harriet Trudell's Birthday Celebration in her honor
• Birthdays
• Next Meeting information

Another great turnout for our luncheon today with 47 members in attendance. Could it have something to do with the topic? Marie Rowley did a great job sharing her research on early Las Vegas brothels. She was talking to a group of people who could add to her research as many of them were here in Vegas when brothels operated under the radar in Clark County. Several members shared some of their knowledge with Marie. It was a great talk!

Here Rich Friedland introduces Marie Rowley to the group

Marie is headed to the University of Illinois, Chicago to continue her studies. Best of luck to you, Marie.

We had many new faces in the crowd today, some were guests of members and some we just have not had the privilege of seeing for a while. Frank Mitrani also made an appearance all the way from Kanab, Utah. As we wrapped up our meeting it was just so great to see so many old friends catching up, shaking hands, and clapping one another on the back.

For those of our membership that are ailing and cannot be with us, please know that many of us ask after you, we think of you, wish you the best and hope to see you again soon.

Two of our members will be recognized in the community soon. Cork Proctor will be honored (maybe that’s not the right word) in a roast to celebrate his 8oth birthday and the release of his book, “My Mind is an Open Mouth” (Stephen’s Press). Tickets are $40.00 and the proceeds benefit Opportunity Village.

Harriet Trudell’s 80th birthday will be celebrated on August 22, hosted by the Women’s Democratic Club (http://www.womensdemo.com/). The event takes place at the Springs Preserve at 5:30 pm. Tickets are $50.00 each or $80.00 for two. Call the WDC at 702 737-8683 for more information or to RSVP.

We said Happy Birthday to three June Babies! Best wishes to:

Rich Friedland

David Kramer

Pat Clary

Next month we meet on July 16 and our speaker is long-time Las Vegas resident Frank Fiedler, who hosted a radio show called, "Let's Talk Las Vegas."

See you all soon!

 

A Seredipitous Meeting I will Never Regret or Forget

I never regret anything I’ve done in life, although there are a few things I shake my head at and say, “What was I thinking?” The reason I have no regrets is that no matter what I’ve done, there seems to have been a purpose and a lesson behind it. I’m the ultimate optimist and have gone through life seeing things just that way. How I met the members of the Las Vegas “Old Timers” Media Group is just such an example of a silver lining from a dark cloud, or period, in my life.

In 2001 my husband and I had just returned to Las Vegas after trying to make a go of it in a small, rural western New York village. I had wanted badly to return to small town life, to live where neighbors actually made eye contact with you and fresh produce could be purchased from the local farm down the road. It was a great experience – for the first couple of years. By the third winter that lasted six months, I was ready, as was my husband, to head back to the desert.

Luckily, we had the wisdom to rent out our home so we had a place to move back to. My husband had maintained contact with his former employer so, another spot of luck, he was rehired. For me, however, I went months without employment. Through a friend-of-a-friend, the way Las Vegas used to hire good employees, I received an invitation to interview at Jackie Gaughan’s downtown casino, The Plaza. First I was offered a position as Food and Beverage manager. I turned it down as one, I had no experience in that field and, two, I didn’t want to work in a smoky, old casino. While I thought I’d have to keep looking I received another offer from the Plaza, “How would you like to be Convention Manager?”

That position didn’t sound so bad; after all I knew how to plan and throw a good party. As I had no other offers pending and the pay wasn’t too bad, I reluctantly took the job. I lasted all of nine months, but while there I met some amazing people, both employees and clients. Frank Mitrani and his group were one of my favorites.

The “Old Timers” as they like to call themselves have been meeting for over a decade. When they came to me at the Plaza, they were looking for a place to hold their monthly meeting where they could eat and socialize for a price they could afford. It took a little convincing to my bosses, but I was able to book the group for the price of meals alone. It was during their monthly meetings that I came to know Frank and become familiar with the group.

 

I was drawn to find out more because I was (and still am) a “wanna-be-writer” and the group name, Las Vegas Media Group, seemed like a good place to start my future career. I was a little mistaken, however, as the members were retired from the world of journalism and weren’t in much of a position to further my career aspirations. But, they were really nice people who liked to get together and reminisce about Las Vegas history so I always stuck around to listen.

 

Frank never intended his quasi-club to be exclusive and anyone expressing an interest in history was welcome to join them at their meetings. He promptly placed me on his email list. From then on I received a monthly reminder about the day, time and place of the meetings.

Sometime in 2002 I left the Plaza, found a few other great opportunities that led me in the direction of the career I enjoy today – that of historian, college professor, and writer. While on that path I had little time to visit my old friends at the Las Vegas Media Group luncheons, but would make an appearance every now and then.

 

When, in 2008 I was hired to conduct a research history of the Spring Mountains, I knew just the place I needed to go. I went to a lunch meeting, was welcomed like an old lost friend, and received great leads on little-known stories about the history of Mt. Charleston to make my final report a rich one. After that re-acquaintance, I have been to almost every meeting since.

I see in this group of men and women, professional and hobby historians and long-time Las Vegans, a rich, diverse treasure trove of knowledge. I realize that so many of their members have passed on. Many of them are in the winter of their lives and when it is their time to say “So long,” with them goes their stories, recollections, and memories. It is my goal to gather and preserve those that remain. Each and every meeting is full of friends sharing their stories over a good meal and among good company. What more could a girl ask for?

No, I have no regrets because I am wise enough to know that every life experience is an opportunity. I know that taking that job that I didn’t really fit into was just my luck. I was in the right place at the right time and came away with a lifetime of great friends.

Now that I’m a member, I never really agreed with the group referring to themselves as “Old Timers” because I didn’t see myself as one. I suspect that down the road I will feel like I fit right in with that description – with no regrets whatsoever.

Pat Clary Shares His Las Vegas Life

The Las Vegas Media Group met on May 21, 2012 for their monthly lunch.  As usual, lunch was yummy.  Just before dessert our speaker, Mr. Pat Clary got up and shared some of his Las Vegas life and memories. 

Pat was born in Las Vegas and credits the BMI industry in bringing his family to this region.  From what I could see, it was a great reunion for Pat and his wife, Diane with several members of our group as many seemed to be long-time friends.  Find out more about this interesting gentleman at his website.

Speaking of long-time friends, it was great to see Murray Westgate visiting us from Thailand (here he is sitting with Jim Marsh and Milt Bozanic).

The one complaint was the sound system. Thanks go to Dave Williams for donating a sound system, however, it really doesn’t work well and I know that several members sitting in the back of the room missed much of Pat’s talk due to it. Anyone have ideas on how we can fix this issue?

Some speakers don’t project as well as other (Mark Hall-Patton is not one of them!) and their talks are so important that I hate to have anyone miss what they have to say.  I did create an audio recording of the talk so I can make sure anyone interested has a copy and I will see about getting it uploaded to our website.

Speaking of Mark Hall-Patton, there's a new exhibit: Lost Vegas: Bulldozed & Imploded Casinos of the Las Vegas Valley (May 25 - August 26, 2012) at the Clark County Heritage Museum and he urged members to plan on a visit soon. 

The raffle was fun and lots of items were won, to the delight of all. 

An announcement was made that the price of the lunch will go up from $15.00 to $17.00, starting in June.  We are charged $14.00 a plate, plus an additional $20.00 for the dessert, as that is not included in the cost of the lunch provided by the Wedding Room.  In addition, when I call in the head count and less than that number shows up, we have to pay for the uneaten meals.  When we made the announcement no one seemed to mind. 
Here are birthday wishes for the following members:

• Betty Bunch   
• Don Payne    
• Bo Boivert    
• Phil Jensen    
• Mark Massagli

Thanks to Pat Gaffey for the recommendation of next’s month’s speaker, Ms. Marie Rowley, a graduate student who will share with the group her research on the infamous Block 16 and prostitution in early Las Vegas history.

You must RSVP to attend the meetings. 

Member in the News: Pat Getter's E-Book Released

‘Deposition vs. Root Canal’
Paperback, E-Book Give ‘Preparation Techniques to Make Dental Work the Only Painful Experience’

            LAS VEGAS – Deposition vs. root canal? Tough choice if you conjure up an image of being given the third degree by Perry Mason. But, giving a deposition need not be a dreaded – and dreadful – experience.
           
            In her new book, “Deposition vs. Root Canal,” local author Pat Getter explains how depositions unfold, what to expect and ways for deponents to focus and strengthen their responses to be more comfortable and confident as effective, credible witnesses.  
            “It’s not unusual to be intimidated or nervous by the thought of testifying under oath,” Getter said. “You just don’t want it to affect your ability to communicate. The best way to overcome this is to be prepared.”

            “Deposition vs. Root Canal” is sound advice for anyone named in a lawsuit, being sued or in a custody battle. It is also a handy primer for attorneys to give to their clients, especially when attorneys don’t have the time, do not enjoy the task or simply do not know how to prepare deponents. 

            “Most attorneys appreciate the importance of preparing to take depositions, but fewer appreciate the importance of preparing deponents to give depositions,” she said.

            Getter researched these techniques after her personal preparation for depositions given as part of a series of lawsuits demanding more than a billion dollars from her former Fortune 100 employer.
                       
            “Deposition vs. Root Canal” paperback is available at www.HelpMeBeDeposed.com, at CreateSpace at http://bit.ly/HS15xb and at Amazon at http://amzn.to/HQMGWn. 

            “Deposition vs. Root Canal” e-book is available at www.HelpMeBeDeposed.com, for Kindles at Amazon at http://amzn.to/HXqsRR and for Nooks at Barnes and Noble at http://bit.ly/HbsLTd.

All other readers are available at www.smashwords.com.

################################################################################

Pat Getter also is the author of “Find Your Inner ‘Popeye’ – Work Advice for Square Pegs in the Round Holes of Life.”

April Meeting Recap

April 16, 2012

Meeting recap

In this Message:

· New faces and Members Rarely Seen

· Margo Pesek as speaker

· Happy Birthdays

· Walking Box Ranch tour scheduled

· Las Vegas Showgirl photos wanted

· Next Meeting date

What a perfect spring day it was today and even with the pleasant day outside, 39 members of the Las Vegas Media Group met for lunch and enjoyed one another’s company. There was lots of catching up to do with friends, especially those we haven’t seen for awhile: Hank Thornley, Sandy Stesch, and A.D. Hopkins, and to meet some new: Harry Mortenson (husband of Helen), Rusty Feuer (along with her brother, Wayne) and Corinne Sidney (former Las Vegas showgirls).

Our speaker was the Las Vegas Review Journal travel columnist Margo Pesek and gave some great insights into Nevada off-the-beaten-path. As usual, we had give-aways with our raffle, which is always a lot of fun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout-outs to

• Jane Pinjuv
• Dave Pinjuv
• Milt Bozanic
• Jackie Brett
• Kathleen McClean
• Gretchen Payne

Joe Thomson made an announcement about a tour of the Walking Box Ranch.

He is going to forward the details to me and I will be sure to let all of you know when and where to meet. Sounds like a great tour! 

In addition to the Walking Box Ranch tour, several other events are taking place:

· Victorian Casino Antiques Auction (May 4-6). Go to www.vcaauction.com

· Hacks and Tracks XV (A Jim Marsh sponsored event). Contact Jim if you are interested and would like more information.

Lisa is looking for your collection of Las Vegas showgirl memorabilia: photographs, news articles and postcards.

She is compiling all for a book on the subject and would like to have as much variety as she can. If you have any that you would like to see published in a pictorial history of Las Vegas showgirls, please contact her at 702 245-9206 or email at gioiaacres1988@gmail.com

Mark your calendars that our next meeting is on May 21, ALWAYS the 3^rd Monday of the month. We might even see Frank Mitrani at the next one! RSVP by the Thursday before, please!