Interview with Judge Lee Gates conducted by Claytee D. White on December 5, 1996. Born in Louisiana, Gates moved to Las Vegas around 1960. Following high school, he attended UNLV, where he was a member of the Black Student Association and studied under professor Roosevelt Fitzgerald, who raised his awareness of black history. Gates participated in the civil rights movement and worked as a lawyer before becoming a judge. He discusses Jackson Street, Dr. Charles West, attorney Charles Kellar, and his own involvement with Ruby Duncan's group.
Legal materials include articles of incorporation for Operation Life, Operation Life Local Development Company, and Operation Life Enterprises, Inc. It also includes the bylaws for Operation Life CDC and Operation Life Local Development Company. Also contained are lease agreements between Operation Life and various other entities and real property, escrow and earnest money documents pertaining to property purchased by Operation Life.
Archival Collection
Ruby Duncan Collection on Operation Life
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: MS-00367 Collection Name: Ruby Duncan Collection on Operation Life Box/Folder: N/A
Judge Lee Gates was born in Louisiana in the 1940s, but moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1960 with his father. His mother had moved there earlier, gotten a job, and established a home in the historical Westside neighborhood of Las Vegas. He was a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he was a member of the Black Student Association and studied under professor Roosevelt Fitzgerald, who raised his awareness of black history. Gates participated in the civil rights movement and worked as a lawyer before becoming a judge.
Included are miscellaneous informational materials, a working file for the Committee of Low Income Women, working files for the Alcohol and Drug Abuse program for 1986–1988, food bank client forms, applications and submission logs for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, material specific to the operations of the medical center, program applications for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) from 1983 to 1987, and miscellaneous files pertaining to youth employment, Carey Arms Daycare and general youth issues.
Archival Collection
Ruby Duncan Collection on Operation Life
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: MS-00367 Collection Name: Ruby Duncan Collection on Operation Life Box/Folder: N/A
Attorney Jack Anderson was one of the lawyers who handled legal issues for Operation Life, the Westside community organization founded by welfare rights activist Ruby Duncan. The organization aided residents in housing, health services, food, education, job training, day care for working mothers, and general economic development. A former card dealer, Anderson, a caucasian, graduated from the historically black Howard Law School, and began work with his friend Mahlon Brown III, for Clark County Legal Services in the early 1970s.
Diane Guinn was a State of Nevada Division of State Welfare and Supportive Services worker who worked assisted Ruby Duncan in developing Operation Life in 1972, a nonprofit organization that promoted welfare reform in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was born on April 5, 1949 in Seattle, Washington, and later moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1952. Her mother, Louise Canon, was a cashier in restaurants and a manager in dress stores, while her father, Doug Canon, was a bartender. Guinn married Frank Guinn, an electrical foreman, on 1972 in Las Vegas.
In this interview, Renee Diamond discusses coming to Las Vegas via Los Angeles, with her husband and children in the 1970s and getting involved in politics. She talks about her husband, Leo, and his business selling vinyl records in L.A., and her work in a doctor's office. Once in Las Vegas, the Diamonds joined Temple Beth Sholom and later Congregation Ner Tamid. Renee talks about her involvement in the political arena in southern Nevada, including the League of Women Voters.
Community activism and social justice rank high in the legacy of Renee Diamond. She often refers to herself as one of the last of the generation without college degrees that could make a difference in the politics of the state. When Renee, her husband Leo Diamond moved their family to Las Vegas from southern California, the energetic advocate Renee quickly plugged into the community. The word "No" was not part of her vocabulary. Among the many Jewish and secular activities the she engaged in were: the editorial board of the Jewish Reporter newspaper; Hadassah; Anti-Defamation League; Red Cross Board; State Museum Board to name a few. She remains a vibrant Democratic Party leader and served one term on the Nevada Assembly in 1989. She was on the front lines as a fierce and active supporter of Welfare Rights, Fair Housing and the Equal Rights Amendment. It is a life that included working alongside illustrious women and men of Southern Nevada history. A list that includes: Harriet Trudell, Ruby Duncan, Myrna Williams and Dorothy Eisenberg and many more mentioned here. Meanwhile she raised four children and enjoyed a loving 43-year marriage with Leo (aka "Uncle Leo") whose career included the popular Bingo Palace, Slots-A-Fun and Stations Casinos. During this oral history interview she recalls the Las Vegas that she moved to in 1972 and reflects on what attracted people here, ways to be part of the Jewish life which might even include a bowling league and how involvement in raising social awareness was a worthy investment of ones' time. This is a look at a woman who made a difference.
Folder of materials from the Mabel Hoggard Papers (MS-00565) -- Civic engagement file. Las Vegas Westside newspaper clippings, community programs, and correspondence. This folder includes a program for a tribute to Ruby Duncan; Operation Life Community Press newsletter, Year 1, Volume 4, March 1978; Westside Council summary; Westside Federal Credit Union Education Committee records; and Nevada Equal Rights Commission letters and amended statistical report, March 16, 1978.
The Story of Classic Las Vegas Oral History Interviews (approximately 1950-2006) is comprised of raw and edited video recordings of oral history interviews used for The Story of Classic Las Vegas documentary which was produced, directed, and edited by Lynn Zook. The documentary offers first person historical overviews of what it was like to live in Las Vegas, Nevada from the 1920s to the 1970s. Individuals interviewed include a wide range of community members of the Las Vegas Valley including business owners, educators, entertainers, politicians, gaming professionals, casino workers, and activists. Materials also include a media kit with promotional materials and interview transcript for one of the interviewees, Betty Willis.