Oral history interview with Janis Walker conducted by Claytee D. White on July 03, 2006 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Walker discusses her career as an African American showgirl in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1970s and 1980s. Walker describes dancing in the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino productions of Hallelujah Hollywood and Jubilee!, and what the life of a showgirl was like. She also talks about the company manager at the MGM, "Fluff" LeCoque, her own children, her work at the time of the interview, and how entertainment in Las Vegas has changed.
Oral history interview with Patricia M. Haack conducted by Claytee D. White on May 21, 2014 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Haack begins by discussing her upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1940s and 1950s, and what it was like living in the Four Mile community. She continues, describing her education at Las Vegas High School and her career working for First National Bank of Nevada, eventually becoming the vice president of the bank. Haack talks about other aspects of her personal history, such as living in California and the different locations she has lived in Las Vegas. She concludes by discussing her recreational activities and her efforts to start an alumni association for Las Vegas High School graduates.
Oral history interview with John Warfel conducted by Dennis McBride on March 11, 1998 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Warfel discusses his personal history and his experiences as a gay priest within the Episcopal Church. He recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada and interviewing for a ministry job at Christ Church. Warfel describes same-sex blessings and marriages in the Episcopal Church and the pressures of vestry approval that he dealt with during his career.
Oral history interviews with Elizabeth von Till Warren conducted by Claytee D. White and Ashley Guthre on July 07, 2010 and November 18, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In her first interview, Warren describes living in Freeport, Long Island and her education in anthropology. She talks about her involvement in preserving historical sites in Goodsprings, Nevada and discusses the significance of these sites. In her second interview, Warren describes voluntary desegregation in Clark County schools and her experience working with the Clark County Schools’ Professional Growth Services. She then explains her employment at Clark County Community College and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and doing preservation work in the Desert Research Institute (DRI) Museum. Lastly, Warren discusses Rails to Trails, a program that manages old railroad beds, and her employment for the Southern Nevada Historical Society, the Preservation Association of Clark County, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Oral history interview with David L. Washington conducted by Claytee D. White on March 18, 2009 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Washington discusses his personal history, education, experiences in the military, and becoming a firefighter in Las Vegas, Nevada. Washington talks about his employment at the Las Vegas Fire & Rescue department, explains the procedures for certain fire emergencies, and what it was like when women joined the department in the 1960s. Finally, he recalls becoming the City of Las Vegas Fire Chief.
Oral history interview with David L. Weide conducted by Claytee D. White on May 31, 2007 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Weide discusses his career as a geologist, teaching geology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the history of the University of Las Vegas, Nevada. Weide begins by explaining the history behind the name "Blue Diamond Village," how he came to study geology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the employment process at UNLV. He describes the geological history of Nevada, hosting his own folk music program on the local radio station, KNPR, and his opinions on UNLV's intention to become a "Research One" institution.
Oral history interview with Herbert Wells conducted by Patricia van Betten February 24, 2005 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Wells discusses his personal history and being drafted to the United States military in 1945. He describes military life, his education in mining, and his career mining in Blue Diamond, Nevada. Wells discusses managing shifts for the miners that lived in the Blue Diamond village and describes the infrastructure at the village. Later, Wells talks about his employment at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as a civil and environmental engineer professor.
Oral history interview with Betty West conducted by Claytee D. White on May 10, 2008 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, West discusses growing up in Blue Diamond, Nevada. She describes the work her father, Mark West, did at the mines and recalls the Village where mine workers and their families lived in the 1950s. West discusses her employment at the Sahara Hotel in the 1960s as a slot girl and later as a cocktail waitress. Lastly, West talks about the changes in Blue Diamond, and eventually moving to Las Vegas, Nevada.
Oral history interview with Bonnie and Billy Wilkinson conducted by Claytee D. White on May 10, 2008 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. The Wilkinsons open the interview by discussing their personal histories. Billy recalls moving to Jean, Nevada in 1940 where his father worked on the railroad, and eventually settling to Blue Diamond, Nevada in the 1950s. The two describe the Four Mile brothel, Bonnie Springs Ranch, and their experience as a married couple in Blue Diamond. Bonnie talks about her employment at the Blue Diamond Gypsum Corporation plant and describes going to school in Blue Diamond. Lastly, the two discuss West Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s and share anecdotes of their lives in Las Vegas.
Oral history interview with John West conducted by Claytee D. White on August 10, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, West discusses his family background and arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1954. West describes his educational experiences in Las Vegas and his career as a clinical psychologist. He recalls his father’s career in medicine and becoming the first African American licensed medical doctor in Las Vegas. West then talks about attending entertainment events before race integration was introduced, and the voting patterns in West Las Vegas. Lastly, West discusses his father’s decision to remain living in West Las Vegas and operating his medical office there after integration.