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Truly McGee Mann oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01188

Abstract

Oral history interview with Truly McGee Mann conducted by Tamara Wochnik on March 11, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Mann discusses entertainment and gives insight on show business from the perspective of a dance choreographer in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Archival Collection

Melvin Eugene Serviss oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01672

Abstract

Oral history interview with Melvin Eugene Serviss conducted by Juan Ortiz on February 26, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Serviss discusses his personal history in Missouri and Las Vegas, Nevada. Serviss describes going to clubs and meeting celebrities who were in Missouri for the filming of the movie Jesse James. Serviss also describes his time working for Harry S. Truman's political campaign to become Senator for the state of Missouri. Serviss discusses how he arrived to Las Vegas in 1930, the construction of the Hoover Dam, and how the city has changed and expanded.

Archival Collection

Lindell Blake oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00202

Abstract

Oral history interview with Lindell Blake conducted by Claytee D. White on January 12, 2006 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Blake discusses his personal history and moving to New York, New York at the age of three. Blake talks about his life in New York, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1990, and his starting his career as a tap dancer. He talks about performing in various productions across the United States, and teaching tap dancing. Lastly, Blake recalls the history of tap dancing in the United States and describes the audition process for dancers in Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Ronnie Bank oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02205

Abstract

Oral history interview with Ronnie Bank conducted by Lael Byrd on November 30, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Bank discusses his personal history and growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. He talks about his employment at the Las Vegas Hilton (currently Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino) and Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. Bank then describes nightlife and entertainment on the Strip in the 1980s, discrimination at night clubs, and West Las Vegas entertainment. He goes on to describe the riots following Rodney King’s death, the challenges with interracial relationships, and why families began moving away from the Westside. Lastly, Bank discusses working as a disc jockey (DJ) in Las Vegas, African American radio stations, and the development of the Westside.

Archival Collection

Saul Willis oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02249

Abstract

Oral history interview with Saul Willis conducted by Claytee D. White on January 14, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Willis discusses his personal history and moving from Sondheimer, Louisiana to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1968. He talks about living in West Las Vegas, nightlife entertainment in the area, and community leaders at the time. He then recalls the increase of drug use in the Westside, being incarcerated for a year, and starting an automobile mechanic business. Lastly, Willis discusses his experience with the Las Vegas court system and the continued development of the Westside.

Archival Collection

Norma de la Cerna Tolbert oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02886

Abstract

Oral history interview with Norma de la Cerna Tolbert conducted by Claytee D. White on June 25, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Tolbert discusess her career as a professional dancer from the age of fifteen. She begins by describing her early childhood in Houston, Texas, moving to Chicago, Illinois where she began to study dance, and leaving home at fifteen years old to go to Atlantic City, New Jersey to dance in professional productions. Tolbert then discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955, performing at the Moulin Rouge, and living in the Berkley Square community where they built new housing for the dancers. She also discusses performing at the Dunes Hotel and Casino, the African American community of Las Vegas, and the closing of the Moulin Rouge.

Archival Collection

Sennes Family oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02610

Abstract

Oral history interview with the Sennes family conducted by Claytee D. White on November 18, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Frank Sennes Jr., Jerry Sennes, and Luanne Sennes Glenn discuss their father, Frank Sennes Sr., and his life and career as an entertainment director. They describe their early lives traveling with their father to various states before eventually moving to Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1950s, where Sennes Sr. became the entertainment director for the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino and the Moulin Rouge. They talk about their father's personal history, his work with Donn Arden, and the various celebrities they met through their father.

Archival Collection

George Wallace oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02642

Abstract

Oral history interview with George Wallace conducted by Claytee D. White on April 10, 2009 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. Wallace begins the interview by discussing his upbringing in Atlanta, Georgia, his extensive family, and attending college at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio to study transportation. He describes having a career in advertising in New York City, New York before moving to Los Angeles, California, where he made the career transition into stand-up comedy. Wallace details his career as a successful comedian, writing for The Redd Foxx Show, going on tour with musicians such as Diana Ross and Tom Jones, and having his own running show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Other topics of discussion also include Wallace's friendship with fellow comedian Jerry Seinfeld, being awarded "Best Male Comedian" by the American Comedy Awards in 1995, and the changes Wallace has noticed in comedy and African American culture.

Archival Collection

Pete Menefee oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02654

Abstract

Oral history interview with Pete Menefee conducted by Su Kim Chung on April 14, 2016 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Menefee begins the interview by talking about his childhood in San Diego, California, where he took dancing classes starting at the age of ten. He discusses working as a dancer on shows starring Dick Van Dyke, Terry Gar, Goldie Hawn, and Elvis. Menefee recalls working in shows and musicals including Bye Bye Birdie, Fair Lady, and Viva Las Vegas. He describes his evolution as a costume designer and stage designer from his childhood creating miniature stages of Disney shows to creating costumes for shows on the Las Vegas Strip, Nevada. He also talks about surviving the MGM Grand fire in 1980.

Archival Collection

Beryl Warren oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02720

Abstract

Oral history interview with Beryl Warren conducted by Claytee D. White on June 21, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Warren begins her interview by describing her early life in Mobile, Alabama in the 1940s and 1950s. She then discusses her young adult life in California as a telephone operator. Warren then talks about her marriages, her education at St. Dominguez College in California, and working for Motown Records as production assistant. Warren then discusses her husband, Mark Warren, a prominent African American television producer and director. She explains that she came to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1993 when Mark wanted to buy a vacation home in the area. She then talks about how during the 1990s the couple had jobs in Las Vegas, but also commuted to work in Los Angeles on occasion, until her husband's death in 1999. She then describes how family tragedy led to her raising her grandchildren, and also take on some hobbies, such as gardening, in order to live an active lifestyle. Warren then discusses her life with her husband and her fondness for him, and having to teach her grandsons to be cautious around police while raising them in Las Vegas. Lastly, she recalls her community work and her service organization, Southern Nevada Collation of Concerned Women (SNCCW).

Archival Collection