Abstract
The Sheilagh Brooks Collection on Nevada Historical Sites and Museums dates from 1977 to 1983. It contains materials including budgets, planning proposals, agenda, and minutes related to the Nevada State Museum, including proposals to build a state museum in Southern Nevada. The collection also contains National Register of Historic Places nomination forms for sites throughout Nevada.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The Sheilagh Brooks Collection on Nevada Historical Sites and Museums dates from 1977 to 1983. It contains materials including budgets, planning proposals, agenda, and minutes related to the Nevada State Museum, including proposals to build a state museum in Southern Nevada. The collection also contains National Register of Historic Places nomination forms for sites throughout Nevada.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish. Some transcripts do not exist in final form, therefore any editing marks in a transcript (deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged by topic.
Biographical / Historical Note
Sheilagh Thompson was born on December 10, 1923 to Robert and Leah Thompson. She grew up in Southern California and graduated from San Pedro High School. She earned her BA in 1944, her MA in 1947, and her PhD in 1951 all in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. She married Richard Brooks on November 10, 1951, and the couple had two children, Kathleen and Carolyn.
During her time at Berkeley, Brooks held several positions including museum curator and research anthropologist. She also worked as an instructor in anthropology. She taught part-time at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) beginning in 1960. She relocated to Las Vegas permanently in 1966, and became the first full-time anthropology professor at UNLV. In 1973, she became a full professor and chair of the Anthropology-Ethnic Studies Department at UNLV. The Sheilagh Brooks Osteology Research Laboratory at UNLV is named in her honor for her many contributions to the University and to the study of anthropology and archaeology.
In addition to her teaching career, Brooks authored several articles on anthropology and was recognized as an expert in forensic anthropology. She also served in local and statewide organizations devoted to Nevada history and archaeology. She oversaw the excavation of Kiel Ranch in North Las Vegas, Nevada.
After suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Brooks passed away in 2008.
Source:
Sheilagh Brooks Biographical File, Richard and Sheilagh Brooks Papers, 1919-2003. MS-00885. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Preferred Citation
Sheilagh Brooks Collection on Nevada Historical Sites and Museums, 1977-1983. MS-00280. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1987 by Sheilagh Brooks; accession number 1987-048.
Processing Note
In 2018, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Angela Moor rehoused and arranged the materials, wrote the finding aid and entered the data into ArchivesSpace.