Oral history interview with Count Guido Roberto Deiro conducted by David G. Schwartz on January 30, 2002 and November 22, 2017 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Deiro gives his personal recollections of living in Las Vegas, Nevada, including his father’s career, his upbringing, and fondest memories of the city.
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Folder from the Nevada Women's History Project Records (MS-00406).
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Oral history interview with Stella Champo Iaconis conducted by Kay Long on May 14, 1997, May 21, 1997, May 26, 1997, and September 22, 1997 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Iaconis opens her interviews discussing her difficult upbringing and life on a ranch in Las Vegas, Nevada with her dad in the 1910s and 1920s. Iaconis then describes her experiences as a waitress in Las Vegas. As the interviews continue, Iaconis discusses Block 16 and sex work, the Helldorado Days, and life in 1930s Las Vegas. Iaconis ends the interview talking about her father and his career as a miner; her many husbands; and her personal history in Las Vegas.
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Oral history interview with Gloria Dea Anzalone conducted by Claytee D. White on October 22, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Gloria Dea describes her childhood in Oakland, California where she learned the art of magic from her father. Her family moved to Sacramento where Gloria Dea first performed in Breuners Department Store and by age twelve, she was working in nighclubs. Later in Hollywood, Gloria Dea danced in several films and entertained in USO shows. She performed in 1941 at the Last Frontier and the El Rancho - some of the earliest places on what was later the Las Vegas Strip. In the interview, she recalls time serving as president of both the Women's Club of Burbank, Hadassah, and the board of American Guild of Variery Artists.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Peter F. Perazzo conducted by Claytee D. White on July 22, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Perazzo discusses his personal history and moving from Reno, Nevada to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s. Perazzo talks about his Native American ancestry, his career in land surveying, and how construction and land surveying have changed over the years. He then describes designing public and residential buildings in Las Vegas, and at the Nevada Test Site. Later, Perazzo discusses his employment at the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1985 and in 1995 at the Nevada Department of Transportation, where he was involved in many state projects such as the Hoover Dam bypass, Red Rock state road, and freeway widening.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gerald Connor conducted by James Bonnell on February 22, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Connor first discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada and serving as a pilot in the United States Air Force. He then discusses his education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and his church membership. Topics that Connor discusses during the interview also include changes in the school district and properties located in Downtown Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Strip, his political activity within the Democratic Party, the Helldorado Parades, and the early atomic tests at the Nevada Test Site.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Roberta Kane conducted by Barbara Tabach on September 6, 2017 and May 22, 2018 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Kane explains how she was the first born Jewish baby in Las Vegas, Nevada and her parents’ deep involvement with the Jewish community of the 1930s. She then talks about the formalization that occurred in the Jewish community with the building of Temple Beth Sholom. In a second session, Kane recalls the Wildcat Lair, a gathering spot of students from Las Vegas High School in the 1950s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Joan Swift conducted by Sue Peterson on March 18, 2004, March 25, 2004, and June 22, 2004 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Swift discusses life in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1940s and 1950s. Swift begins the interview by describing her upbringing in the Basic townsite and Boulder City, Nevada, attending Basic High School, and life in Southern Nevada during World War II. She then discusses working in the Clark County Recorder's office, explaining her job duties and what function the office served for the county. Swift continues, talking about recreation activities at the time, including visiting the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip and the Helldorado Parades. Swift discusses nuclear weapons testing at the Nevada Test Site and her career as the Clark County recorder. Lastly, she describes her thoughts on the future of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection