Oral history interview with Rizzo Rich conducted by Nancy Hardyl on June 19, 2003 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Rich discusses the choreographing process for the
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Oral history interview with Robert O. Cannon conducted by Julia Bragg on March 11, 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Cannon talks about the El Rancho Hotel and Casino, Carole Lombard’s plane accident, living in Boulder City, Nevada during World War II, segregation of African Americans from a white person’s perspective, and the creation of a course in hotel administration at the University of Southern Nevada (now known as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas).
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Michael Mack conducted by Claytee D. White on May 21, 2009 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood Oral History Project. Mack discusses his childhood memories living in and near the John S. Park Neighborhood, including his father opening a shoe store in Boulder City, Nevada and later expanding into the salvage business. Mack later discusses his parents moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, opening his clothing store, and setting up the first bail bondsman office in the city.
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Oral history interview with William Brymer conducted by Rob Mullaney on March 09, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Brymer explains how he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada for the gaming attractions and eventually married and had two children. Brymer talks about working as a craps dealer at the Frontier Club in Downtown Las Vegas, the Last Frontier on the Las Vegas Strip, and later a pit boss at the Sahara. Brymer also discusses a visit by Lyndon B. Johnson, the early atomic testing, the importance of religion in his life, changes in climate, the development of the Strip, the existence and decline of agriculture, and some of the entertainers who performed on the Strip.
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Oral history interview with Thomas Mulroy conducted by Don Kinney on February 27, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Mulroy discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1950 from Chicago, Illinois due to health reasons. Mulroy discusses the positions he held working for Southern Nevada Power and Telephone Company; Bonanza Air Lines, before it was taken over by Hughes Airwest; and for the City of Las Vegas as the Senior Citizens Coordinating Officer. Mulroy also describes nuclear weapons tests, how Las Vegas has expanded, and entertainment in Las Vegas.
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Oral history interview with Paulette Canty conducted by Claytee White on July 02, 1998 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Canty opens her interview by discussing her life in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1960s. Canty talks about being one of the first students to be integrated in the Las Vegas school system. She discusses how the Clark County School District prepared African American and white students for integration. She describes how integration was positive for herself, but that it was a negative experience for her sister and other African American students. Canty also talks about how African American children were raised at the time, discussing the values instilled in boys versus girls. She also talks about her experience working in the gaming industry including as a manager at Bally's Hotel and Casino. She discusses the treatment of African American employees by the gaming industry and labor unions.
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Oral history interview with Howard Cannon conducted by K.J. Evans on September 28, 1998 for the Las Vegas Review-Journal First 100 Oral History Project. Cannon discusses his political involvement and working for the Las Vegas City Attorney’s Office. He then talks about his service in the Air National Guard during World War II and creating Nellis Air Force Base. Cannon also mentions his interactions with presidents, his thoughts on the Vietnam War, his support for civil rights, and his stance as a lawmaker.
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Oral history interview with Patsy Leavitt conducted by Patricia Van Betten on April 07, 2005 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Leavitt talks first about her maternal grandmother, who brought her mother and uncle to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1931 and opened a boardinghouse that she ran until her death in 1948. She then discusses her father's family, who arrived in Las Vegas in the late 1920s and established a sand and gravel business. She describes her education and her working life in Las Vegas. She then talks about the many changes that Las Vegas went through in the 1950s, from road improvements to new businesses and the growth of the casino industry, to the impact of nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site. Finally, she talks about her marriage, her children, and the decision to move to Blue Diamond Village in the early 1990s.
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Oral history interview with Betty Ham Dokter conducted by Roger Jablonski on February 27, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Dokter describes church activity and the first casino properties that were built. She later talks about presidential visits, economic changes in Nevada, and the construction of Hoover Dam. The latter part of the interview covers the topics of racial minorities, as well as social and environmental changes.
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