Oral history interview with Archie Curtis conducted by Lawrence R. Biggs on March 07, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Curtis discusses athletics in Nevada, racial discrimination on the Las Vegas, Nevada Strip, social and environmental changes, and the local health effects of the early atomic tests.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Virginia T. Lanier conducted by Heidi G. Hughes on March 16, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Lanier discusses living on the Las Vegas, Nevada Strip from the 1950s through the 1960s. Lanier then describes riding the public bus, and working in food service.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Austin R. Wardle conducted by Elizabeth Nelson Patrick on August 05, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Wardle discusses the history of Tonopah, Nevada, a town in which he first arrived in 1902. Wardle discusses theaters in Tonopah, Jewish families that lived in Tonopah, and the prominent immigrant population that worked in the mines. He continues talking about other families that have lived in Tonopah and life in the town. Wardle also discusses how Tonopah has changed, housing in Tonopah, and the mining industry of the town.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Herbert Wells conducted by Patricia van Betten February 24, 2005 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Wells discusses his personal history and being drafted to the United States military in 1945. He describes military life, his education in mining, and his career mining in Blue Diamond, Nevada. Wells discusses managing shifts for the miners that lived in the Blue Diamond village and describes the infrastructure at the village. Later, Wells talks about his employment at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as a civil and environmental engineer professor.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Beverly Mason conducted by Claytee D. White on December 21, 2012 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: A Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview Beverly Mason discusses growing up in historical West Las Vegas, Nevada, being a part of the school integration movement of the 1970s, working at the Nevada Test Site as an industrial hygienist, and then working in the School Community Partnership Office as a program manager.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Frank Fahrenkopf conducted by Tony Batt on October 14 through 21, 2024 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Fahrenkopf begins by recalling his childhood in New York and later moving to Nevada with his father and sister. Following graduation from the University of Nevada, Reno, Fahrenkopf earned a law degree from the University of California in Berkeley. Fahrenkopf details his career as a lawyer, being chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, and his close relationship with Paul Laxalt, and his appointment as chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1983 by Laxalt’s best friend, President Ronald Reagan. He also details how he created the American Gaming Association.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Elizabeth Garrison conducted by Walter John Ritzau on February 25, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Garrison first talks about her schooling in Las Vegas, Nevada, the atomic testing, the Devils Hole in Ash Meadows, early church involvement, and some of the environmental aspects of Las Vegas. Garrison later describes her work for the Central Telephone Company and the Helldorado Parade.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gloria Hewitt conducted by Claytee D. White on June 21, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Hewitt discusses her early life in Cleveland, Ohio. She recalls attending Talladega College in Alabama, her teaching experience in Chicago, Illinois, and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1991. Hewitt talks about her interests in politics, organizing an event to register people to vote, and being a founding member of the Southern Nevada Coalition of Concerned Women (SNCCW). Lastly, Hewitt discusses the importance of education and parental involvement in schools.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Andrew Walsh conducted by Barbara Tabach and Claytee D. White on February 13, 2019 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Walsh recalls his early life in New York City, New York, and working for the New York Police Department. He then recalls moving and joining the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in 1998. He discusses his current position as Deputy Chief/Division Commander of Tourist Safety, his role in the aftermath of the October 1, 2017 mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, and community healing.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dennis W. James conducted by Wayne Bennett on April 05, 2006 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, James reflects upon his 30-year career as a teacher and administrator in New York’s Sachem Central School District. He discusses the process by which he became a teacher and eventually an administrator, his regular responsibilities and challenges as principal, and his approach to school administration. He also discusses his experience being at school the day of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Archival Collection