Interview with Johnny Pate and Jillean Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on March 4, 2004. As a jazz pianist and composer, Pate was a close friend to legendary singer Joe Williams. Pate and Williams share fond memories of touring with Joe Williams and the Count Basie Orchestra, cruises on the Norwegian line, and playing at the Dunes. Williams recalls moving to Las Vegas with Joe in 1968 and their first home on the Las Vegas Country Club golf course, where they were visited by the likes of Joe Lewis, Perry Como, and Andy Williams. Pate also details his long career, which began with teaching himself piano, tuba, and bass fiddle in the Army, and progressed to arranging and composing, which led over time to record company deals and film scores. Teaching at UNLV, Pate continues the yearly benefit concert to raise money for the Joe Williams scholarship fund.
Interview with Roosevelt Toston conducted by Claytee D. White on July 11, 2006. Toston grew up in Epps, Louisiana, and came to Las Vegas in the 1950s as a teenager. He describes his experience at Las Vegas High School and the first jobs he held at the Fremont Hotel and the Nevada Test Site. Toston honed his skills at Dana McKay's School of Business, Bell Telephone of Nevada, and in the military. A correspondence course in broadcasting led to jobs at television stations 3 and 8, and ultimately to a position with the Convention Authority in the area of tourism marketing.
Interview with Dr. Porter Troutman conducted by Claytee D. White on November 20, 2006. Active in the civil rights movement during college in the 1960s, Troutman became a teacher and later Director of National Teacher Corps, a competency-based teacher education program. His courses at UNLV focus on multicultural education.
Interview with Jean Bennett conducted by Claytee D. White on July 8, 2008. Bennett's early rock-and-roll career blossomed with music producer Buck Ram, who sold her the legal rights to the Platters in 1966. Bennett's assistant Gayle Schreiber also contributes to the interview.
Interview with Samuel E. Wright conducted by Claytee D. White on October 8, 2010. Wright candidly discusses growing up during the 1960s racial riots and notes the influence of black activist Stokely Carmichael during that era. He attended Howard University and began a career in public transportation that eventually brought him to Los Angeles and then to Las Vegas with a personal invitation from Mayor Bill Briare. Arriving in Vegas in 1979, Wright worked for the Regional Transportation Commission for twenty-six years, improving systems for a rapidly expanding city. Wright's career ignited his interest in preserving local history and neighborhoods, leading him to start a non-profit organization called PlaceMakers with Las Vegas architect Bob Fielden.
Interview with Ida Bowser conducted by Claytee D. White on August 30, 2007. Born in Tallulah, Louisiana, Bowser came to Las Vegas as a child. Her first job after high school was as a teacher's aide. Later, she worked as a maid at the Sahara and Flamingo hotels. Disenchanted with maid's work, Bowser applied to the welfare office for on-the-job training and began working for the UNLV library, where she remained for thirty-seven years. Bowser recalls Ruby Duncan and the civil rights movement, notable individuals and places, and a discrimination lawsuit.