Oral history interview with Rachel Coleman conducted by Claytee White on July 24, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Rachel Coleman discusses her move to Las Vegas, Nevada and her first job in town, washing glasses at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino. She continues speaking about her work experience including how she was promoted to executive housekeeper at the Hacienda Resort Hotel and Casino in 1969. She then talks about how she became a representative for the Culinary Union Local 226 in 1973, how she became department head of the Union in 1981, and her experience running for Union president in 1987. Finally, Coleman recalls the atmosphere of Las Vegas from the 1960s through the 1980s.
Archival Collection
Joyce Marshall-Moore came to Las Vegas from Chicago in December of 1953. Only eight years old at the time, she clearly remembers the road trip with her father Royce (known as "Mousie"), her mother Agnes, and her two brothers. They left Chicago, where it was snowing, and arrived in Las Vegas on a cold snowy day! Joyce attended school at Sunrise Acres ES until eighth grade and then went to Rancho High School, graduating in 1962. She recalls that her father worked for a time at the El Rancho Vegas and that her mother found work at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital. Agnes Marshall (nee Rasmussen) took her nurse's training in Buffalo, New York, and then worked at Buffalo General Hospital and Millard Fillmore Hospital. Later she joined the army and was stationed in Memphis, Tennessee, working at Kennedy General Hospital where she met Royce and married him. They moved to Chicago where she found work at Ravenswood Hospital. After their move to Las Vegas, Agnes was hired at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital. She became disenchanted with nurse-patient interactions at the county hospital and found employment at Las Vegas Hospital. She worked there until 1976 and then was hired at Las Vegas Convalescent Center. Agnes followed her dreams and traveled during this period as well. Agnes worked with Doctors Lund, Allen, Woodbury, Sulvane, and Hardy, among others. Joyce recalls that Dr. Hardy, a cousin and look-alike to Oliver Hardy, was one of her mother's favorites. She shares anecdotes and memories of these and other doctors. Joyce remembers many aspects of her mother's life, including the fact that she took care of neighbors as well as her family and patients. She often worked double shifts and the pay was nominal, but she loved her job because of the relationships with her patients. Agnes passed away in 2006 at the ripe old age of 91.
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Oral history interview with Richard Plaster conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on March 21, 2017 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Plaster discusses his early life in Santa Monica, California, and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1973. He recalls his early interests in real estate, forming his company Signature Homes, and the first home building projects he was involved in. Lastly, Plaster describes land acquisition during the late 1970s, building mass housing, and his role as President of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association (SNHBA).
Archival Collection