Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., the Las Vegas-based gaming company, will formally donate its extensive corporate archives, including hundreds of photographs, publications, documents, and artifacts, to UNLV at an Oct. 23 news conference.
The 5 p.m. event will take place in the special collections section of UNLV's Lied Library. Special collections, which will house the archives, is located on the third floor.
Phil Satre, Harrah's chairman of the board, will present the archives to UNLV President Carol C. Harter. The collection, now known as "Harrah's Archive," is part of the Gaming Studies Research Center based in special collections.
"This is a wonderful collection for UNLV to receive," said Peter Michel, director of special collections. "It is eclectic in nature. We have celebrity and entertainment memorabilia, financial reports, publicity and advertising files, corporate communications, newspaper clippings, film, videotape, and a variety of promotional items carrying the company logo.
"These items represent 65 years of gaming history and will serve to enhance UNLV's position as an international center for the study of gaming and the gaming industry," Michel said.
The collection also contains extensive material about founder William Harrah's large antique car collection and his personal historical game and card collections.
"We are proud to share our company's rich history with the people of Nevada," Satre said. "The story of Nevada's gaming industry cannot be told without our company's founder, Bill Harrah. These archives provide an intriguing look at his life and the legacy of the company he created."
Harrah's began humbly in 1937 when Harrah opened a bingo parlor in Reno. Harrah's went on to play a significant role in the development and defining of gaming resorts over the years. Today, it is one of the nation's largest gaming companies, operating 26 casinos in 13 states, including seven in Nevada.
The company's affiliation with UNLV precedes the donation of the archives. The two entities have had a solid relationship for many years; the university's William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration is named in Harrah's honor.
