Oral history interview with Leroy Payne conducted by Claytee D. White on January 29, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Payne discusses working for Lockheed Overseas Corporation during World War II and his construction career in Las Vegas, Nevada. Payne describes traveling around England while employed by Lockheed Corporation and performing procurement duties for United States military bases. He also describes meeting and marrying his wife in Belfast, Ireland in 1943. Payne concludes by discussing their move to Las Vegas during the 1960s and his work in housing development constructing different neighborhoods and communities.
Oral history interview with Billie Mae Polson conducted by Claytee D. White on November 01, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Polson begins the interview by discussing her upbringing during the Great Depression in Kansas City, Missouri before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with her family in 1948. She describes what Las Vegas was like at that time and attending the University of Nevada, Reno during the 1950s. Polson then describes her career working for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas libraries, first in the early libraries located in the Frazier and Grant Halls, and later in the James R. Dickinson Library. She concludes by describing some of the history of the university, and how working in the library changed as technology advanced.
Oral history interview with Paul Pradia conducted by Claytee D. White on July 13, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Pradia discusses living in Cameron, Louisiana and the natural disasters that he experienced. Pradia recalls joining the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at Southern University (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and later receiving a commission to the United States Army. He describes race-relations in the military during the early 1960s and his employment for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Lastly, Pradia discusses African American golfers and teaching golf professionally in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Oral history interview with Cork Proctor conducted by Claytee D. White on February 3, 2006 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Proctor discusses his upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1940s and 1950s. He tells several anecdotes of his life, such as the time he stole a car in the Huntridge Theater parking lot or his time working as a gravedigger, and describes popular establishments and entertainment venues in Las Vegas. Proctor then talks about his career in show business as a comedian and radio host, race relations in Las Vegas, and meeting his wife. He also discusses how Las Vegas has developed socially and expanded, how he expects it to evolve in the future, and other experiences from entertainment gigs.
Oral history interview with Albert Purdue conducted by Claytee D. White on August 16, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Purdue begins by explaining the importance of the railroad industry and specifically the Union Pacific Railroad Company to early Las Vegas, Nevada. He discusses his family's military history and the presence of the military in Nevada during the 1940s for desert training for the North African front during World War II. He gives an overview of life in Las Vegas from the 1940s to the 1960s, and discusses how the city has changed and what the future of the city may look like. Purdue talks about when the casinos of Las Vegas were controlled by organized crime and when Howard Hughes arrived and began buying properties. Purdue also discusses racial segregation in Las Vegas and the diverse peoples who live in the city.
Oral history interview with Otto Ravenholt conducted by Kenneth "K. J." Evans on June 16, 1999 for the Las Vegas Review-Journal First 100 Oral History Project. In the interview, Ravenholt discusses his family's history, his marriage, his education, and his service in the United States Army. Ravenholt talks about arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1963, working as Clark County, Nevada's first Chief Health Officer, and establishing a health center at 2nd Street and Stewart Street. He recalls administrative and legislative issues during the health center's construction, memories of World War II and the Korean War, and his investigative work as a coroner.
Oral history interviews with Moniru Ravanipur conducted by Claytee D. White on February 13, 2013, March 06, 2013, and April 24, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In these interviews, Ravanipur discusses her upbringing in Iran, her experience of the Iranian Revolution, and her writing, which ranges from fiction to autobiographical. Ravanipur describes living by the sea in the Persian Gulf, and how the religious beliefs of the people in that area differed from those of the Islamic Republic and the rest of Iran. She describes attending Tehran University during the revolution and being persecuted for her political beliefs, forcing her to flee to Kurdistan to escape possible execution. Ravanipur explains the history behind the Iranian Revolution and how she observed the country changing religiously and in its customs and norms, as well as the violence she witnessed. She concludes by describing how she became a prominent writer in Iran and internationally, and briefly describes applying for fellowship at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.