Oral history interview with Elmer Curley conducted by Claytee D. White on November 1, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Elmer Curley discusses working in public services at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Library for a number of years under a long list of library directors beginning in 1967.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Frances Ohman conducted by Claytee D. White on December 12, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Ohman begins the interview by discussing her family history and her father who escaped a Nazi concentration camp as a prisoner of war in World War II. She goes on to discuss her personal history, including her education and her experiences observing racial discrimination as a child in Kansas and during the 1960s in New Mexico. Ohman talks about visiting Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1960s and describes the casinos of the Las Vegas Strip and the entertainers she and her parents saw, including Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Elvis Presley. Lastly, Ohman describes how she came to work for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas libraries, her job duties there, and her history working in Albuquerque, New Mexico as a librarian.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Herbert Jones conducted by Janice Sorensen on April 03, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Jones discusses prostitution, his experience working on Boulder (Hoover) Dam, the lack of safety precautions, and the working conditions. He also talks about his experience in politics and his career in law.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Faye Todd conducted by Claytee D. White on October 15, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Todd discusses her life in Las Vegas, Nevada starting in 1964 when she moved there with her husband. Todd details the variety of discrimination and racism she experienced while living in Las Vegas from service refusals to discriminatory hiring practices in hotels. Todd also discusses her career path, from taking adult education classes at Rancho High School to gain clerk skills, to eventually becoming Entertainment Director and Corporate Executive Assistant at the Landmark Hotel and Casino in 1976. Todd also discusses the challenges her husband faced as an African American chef. Finally, Todd also discusses class relations within the black communities of both Las Vegas and San Antonio, Texas, where she was born.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Larry K. Lytle conducted by Kenneth V. Higbee on April 26, 2004 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Lytle reflects upon his 30-year career as a teacher and administrator with Nevada’s Lincoln County School District (LCSD) from the 1970s to the 2000s. He describes the process by which he became a principal, and describes his approach to fostering a safe learning environment for students and staff. He also describes how his religious beliefs shaped his approach to leadership, and how his responsibilities changed over time as he simultaneously oversaw the elementary, middle, and high school in Alamo, Nevada. He provides his opinion on schooling challenges such as standardized testing, and offers suggestions for individuals interested in pursuing school administration.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Maury Soss conducted by Nyla Petersen on February 20, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Soss discusses his personal history and the history of Las Vegas, Nevada. Soss describes the casinos, clubs, and life in Las Vegas during the early 1930s, and running Fanny's, a dress store, with his mother. He also describes women's fashion in the 1930s and how modern styles have changed since the early twentieth century. Soss goes on to discuss the Helldorado Parade, the development of Las Vegas through its casinos and public works, and the entertainers who have performed over the years in Las Vegas. Soss then talks about the arts community in Las Vegas and the need for a greater artistic culture in the city.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jerry Roth conducted by Claytee D. White on June 29, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Roth begins by describing his early life and education, then explains how he began his later career in commercial real estate. He details his work as a commercial realtor, preparing lots for shopping centers and grocery stores in California and later in Las Vegas, Nevada. Roth then discusses his work as a boxing judge, judging multiple title fights in Las Vegas and around the world. Roth describes some of the fights he has judged, such as Oscar De La Hoya versus Félix Trinidad and Mike Tyson versus Evander Holyfield.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Agnes Marshall conducted by Claytee D. White on September 12, 2011 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Marshall discusses her family being one of the first families to move into Berkley Square, the first middle-class black housing development designed by Paul Williams. She also recounts her experiences with the nightlife in Las Vegas, Nevada during the heydays of Jackson Street, including clubs such as Cotton Club and Town Tavern, and restaurants like Mom's Kitchen.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with William Verzani conducted by James Little on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Verzani discusses his personal history and being a rancher in Searchlight, Nevada. Verzani describes life in Searchlight during the 1930s, and later moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. Verzani goes on to describe living in Las Vegas, and how the city has changed and expanded. He also talks about the murder of Bugsy Siegel, hunting in Nevada, and his career as a truck driver.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Keny Stewart conducted by Claytee D. White on January 16, 2010 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park neighborhood Oral History Project. Stewart discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1984 to work as an entertainer, and later his other careers as an elementary school teacher and as a library specialist. He also talks about buying a house in the John S. Park Neighborhood that was built in the 1940s and being a neighborhood association president.
Archival Collection