The UNLV Libraries Collection of Desert Inn Hotel and Casino Promotional and Publicity Materials (approximately 1954-1993) consists of newspaper clippings, show programs, press releases, "Guide to What's Happening NOW" magazines, and other promotional and publicity materials about the Desert Inn.
The Prencess Nelson Scrapbooks (approximately 1950-1979) consist of three scrapbooks documenting the career of Prencess Mayhall, a former showgirl and model. The scrapbooks contain photographs, newspaper clippings, magazine covers, and handwritten notes to Mayhall from various performers and models. Mayhall performed in a variety of shows in New York; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Los Angeles, California. She appears in photographs at a number of shows at the Thunderbird, Sands, and Frontier Hotels. Also included in the scrapbook is a 1954 American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) contract between Mayhall and Copacabana in New York, and photographs of Mayhall with entertainers including Red Skelton, Paul Anka, and Sammy Davis Jr. Prencess went by a number of names throughout her career, most commonly 'Prencess Mayhall' while in New York, and 'Lee Temple' while performing at the Sands Hotel.
The Bill Hughes Photographs (approximately 1980-2012) contains negatives, slides, prints, proofs, and born digital images created by local photographer and photojournalist Bill Hughes for publications including Las Vegas CityLife, Las Vegas Business Press, Las Vegas Weekly, as well as commercial clients. A portion of prints in the collection consist of modeling photographs Hughes took as part of his business. The digital images represent a variety of clients, and feature local bands, DJs, and performers in nightclubs and bars on the Strip and downtown Las Vegas. Also included in digital files are portraits, artistic photographs and self-portraits, and material used for Las Vegas Weekly, CityLife, and Business Press.
Oral history interview with Florence Dolphyne conducted by Claytee D. White on July 16, 1999 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Professor Dolphyne, the first female professor at the University of Ghana, West Africa, talks about her upbringing in a small village and explains how the African concept of "village" differs from the American definition. She discusses early childhood education, learning through play, and rituals and naming ceremonies. She then shifts focus to discuss economic development for women in Africa, how the women's rights movement differed from the United States, and various aspects of women in trade and business.
Oral history interview with Earl McDonald conducted by Claytee D. White on October 4, 2000 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, McDonald, a sixty-year resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, relates his background in Mississippi and Louisiana, leaving home at fourteen and traveling to California, and being drafted into the Army during World War II. He then discusses moving to Las Vegas and working as a musician and valet while training to be an electrician. He talks at length about the Westside, detailing the clubs and restaurants that opened along Jackson Street, including the El Rio, the Cotton Club, the El Morocco, and the Ebony Club. He also explains the discrimination that prevented Black individuals from joining unions even when they worked union jobs, and the response by the United States Justice department. He also discusses gambling and the potential for revitalizing the Westside community.
Oral history interview with John Mance conducted by Claytee D. White on February 27, 1998 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Mance discusses his introduction to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), forming a local branch in California in 1955, and his continued involvement with the executive committee of the national organization since that date. He explains the heirarchy and make-up of the NAACP, from the national convention to the local branches and their rights and responsibilities. He continues talking about the officers, who are all volunteers, and the numbers of paid administrative staff. He explains his involvement in the various local branches and his forty-two years as a national board member.
Oral history interview with Marjorie Pierce conducted by Andres Moses on January 17, 2006 for the Living to Dance: Tapping in Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Pierce discusses her early life in Kansas City, Missouri and becoming a dancer at a young age. She talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1951, performing at the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino and the Dunes Hotel and Casino, and being cast in the musical Tenderloin. Pierce describes tap dancing techniques and unions for professional dancers.
Oral history interview with Rose Lawson conducted by Helen Littleton and Connie Degernes on July 26, 1974 for the Boulder City Oral History Project. In this interview, Lawson discusses living in Boulder City, Nevada during the construction of the Boulder Dam. She remembers the houses built by Six Companies, Inc., the first churches built in Boulder City, and the increase in population in the early 1940s.
Oral history interview with Barbara Cole conducted by Claytee D. White on June 29, 2005 for the the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Barbara Cole talks about the history of African Americans in Las Vegas, Nevada previous to the 1950s. She discusses her early childhood and her large family, as well as the family's contributions to the community. Barbara shares her thoughts on the race relations in Las Vegas throughout her life and details some of her own personal experiences with it. She also shares her knowledge of the foundation of Las Vegas' Westside.
The Stephen G. Brown Literary Papers (approximately 1974-2020) consist of the literary work of University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) professor Stephen G. Brown. The collection contains journals, sketch books, published and unpublished manuscripts, and literary criticism articles written by Brown. Collection also includes digital files relating to Brown's work as an author.