Oral history interview with Robert Shipley conducted by Claytee D. White on October 15, 2018 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Shipley discusses his early life in Chicago, Illinois and upbringing as a musician. Shipley recalls being the drummer for The Emotions, Natalie Cole, and performing at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, Nevada. He talks about the special treatment musicians had, and the respect that Steve Wynn had for performers. Lastly, Shipley remembers performing for Diana Ross, the challenges he faced as an African American musician, and his decision to retire.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Russell Harvey conducted by Claytee D. White on May 20, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Harvey discusses his upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada and growing up in the Westside community. He talks about recreation activities he participated in, the discrimination he experienced, and integration in Las Vegas in 1960. Harvey remembers attending Nevada Southern University (now University of Nevada, Las Vegas), working stage production for shows on the Strip, and being a member of the Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local Union 720. Lastly, Harvey discusses his involvement with the Nevada Minority Purchasing Council.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Isaac Barrón conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón and Claytee D. White on March 27, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Isaac Barrón was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. His father entered the United States as a Bracero. Barrón attended Rancho High School and earned his bachelor's degree in secondary education from UNLV. He currently teaches history at Rancho High School and serves as North Las Vegas' Councilman. In this oral history, Barrón recalls his youth in North Las Vegas, navigating the presence of gangs, and his path to being a community activist and advocate for North Las Vegas youth. He has led volunteer efforts for community improvement projects, including the plans for a new public library. He holds the distinction of being the first Latinx member of the North Las Vegas City Council and Southern Nevada's first Hispanic Mayor Pro Tempore. In 2013, he was elected to represent Ward 1 and was reelected for a second term in April 2017. He discusses being Mexican American, the Coalition of Pan American Organizations, the Hispanic Student Union, the Bracero Program, and Rancho High School.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Juan Chacon conducted by Claytee White on August 28, 2012 for the African Americans in Las Vegas Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Chacon discusses his upbringing, early life in Mexico and the United States, his education, segregation, anti-communism, becoming a U. S. citizen, his military career, and his work in Las Vegas, Nevada since retirement.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dallamy Santos Hantewn conducted by Elsa Lopez on December 6, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada: An Intitaive of the UNLV University Libraries. Dallamy recalls her memories of her childhood in Cuba as well as her early life and her parents. She discusses her immigration to the United States, first to Pennsylvania and then to Las Vegas, Nevada. Dallamy relates her experiences with race discrimination in hiring practices and her experiences working in hotels in Las Vegas. Later in the interview, she discusses the impact of the local Culinary Workers Union on her life as well as her work in protests for labor rights.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Harry Reid conducted by Claytee D. White on July 28, 2017, December 1, 2017, August 8, 2019, and September 12, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the first interview, Senator Harry Reid talks about his experiences as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981. He discusses casino decisions related to the Stardust Resort and Casino, the Fremont Hotel, the Aladdin Hotel and Casino, and the Hacienda Resort Hotel and Casino as well as the FBI requesting wiretaps and the Nevada Gaming Commission issuing gaming licenses at that time. In the second interview, Reid shares details as city attorney in Henderson, Nevada, his work with the University Medical Center Hospital Board, and case details as an attorney with the firm of Singleton, DeLanoy, and Jemison. Some of the cases he describes include litigation against Safeway stores, charges of drugs and murder, and evictions.
In the third interview, Reid discusses his term serving the United States House of Representatives and his role as Senate Majority Leader. He recalls his election to Nevada Assembly in 1968, his tenure as Lieutenant Governor of Nevada from 1971 to 1975, his position as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981, and his position as Nevada's delegate in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1987. Reid also talks about his political defeats when running for United States Senate and for Mayor of Las Vegas. In the fourth interview, Reid talks about various significant sites in Nevada including Searchlight, Yucca Mountain, and the Nevada Test Site.
Archival Collection
Records are comprised of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs records from 1952 to 2009. The collection contains information about UNLV's academic affairs including information about the development and growth of departments, as well as what type of classes were offered. The collection also includes faculty schedule cards from 1955 to 1978.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with William Boyd conducted by Claytee D. White on August 21, 2013 and September 25, 2013 for the UNLV Boyd Law School project, UNLV Gaming Law Journal. In these interviews, Boyd discusses his family's move to Las Vegas, Nevada when he was a child, his education and fifteen-year career as a lawyer, his introduction to the gaming industry in Las Vegas, and the evolution of the Boyd Gaming Group.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Greta Peay conducted by Kali Woods on November 11, 2015 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Peay, a school administrator with the Clark County School District (CCSD) discusses Las Vegas education experiences in Nevada that are relevant to racial inequities across the country. Peay also comments on studies that show Nevada schools at the bottom of national rankings when comparing Black graduation rates, the school-to-prison pipeline, and low enrollment in college-prep courses for Black high-school students.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Leo Dunbar, Harry Hall, Harold Wadman, Carl Merrill, and Mary Ann Merrill conducted by Dennis McBride on June 24, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. The interviewees discuss their early lives and families, moving to Nevada, and starting work on the Hoover Dam. They recall memories of living in Boulder City, Nevada during the Great Depression and beyond, and share information about the construction of the dam and the city as well as personal stories about their lives in Southern Nevada.
Archival Collection