Oral history interview with Tom Ehlen conducted by Lisa Gioia-Acres on January 10, 2008 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. Ehlen recalls his career as a professional trumpet player including playing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Frank Sinatra, Burt Bacharach, and others. He also discusses playing in the bands of various casinos on the Las Vegas, Nevada Strip.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Michael Maxwell conducted by Claytee D. White on February 25, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Maxwell discusses his personal history and his role as Director of Early Childhood Connection with the Las Vegas, Nevada Urban League. He describes the work he does with childcare, and how the Urban League receives funding. Maxwell also recalls his career as a teacher and administrator for the Clark County School District (CCSD). Later, Maxwell talks about the issue of school zoning in West Las Vegas, how people qualify for childcare subsidies, and the school-to-prison pipeline that many African American youth face. Lastly, Maxwell discusses the importance of having educated children in the African American community and the development of the Westside.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Bernadine Brunson conducted by Aaron Louis Koshan on March 02, 2006 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Dr. Brunson reflects upon her 33-year career within the Michigan public school system as a teacher and administrator. She describes how following retirement in Michigan, she decided to move to Las Vegas, Nevada. Upon moving to Las Vegas, she became a principal with the Clark County School District, and also taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She discusses the differences between public school systems in Michigan and Nevada, and what she believes are the strengths and weaknesses of both.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Darrin Bush conducted by Claytee D. White on June 30, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Bush discusses photographing Las Vegas, Nevada over a 25-year period for the Las Vegas News Bureau. He also talks about the importance of implosions, cruising Fremont Street, and growing up in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Quincella Rivers conducted by Claytee D. White on November 20, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Quincella Rivers began by talking about where she grew up, her family life and history with the arts, and her childhood. She recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1979 to finish college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and talks about different jobs and organizations she has participated in. Rivers serves as co-chair of the Youth in Arts for Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority, President of the Las Vegas Society, Inc., Advisory Board of Forgotten Song Foundation, and sings with Sweet Adeline International. She talks about the histories of some of the organizations, how she helped out in each of them, what their goals were, and what they did for the community. Lastly, she talks about racism in Las Vegas in the past and her personal experience with racism and segregation.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ernie Lomprey conducted by Chris Tonemah on July 11, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lomprey moved from Wisconsin to Henderson, Nevada in 1949 because his father was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base towards the end of World War II. He discusses his childhood, education, and eventual work as a cement mason and firefighter.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John Warfel conducted by Dennis McBride on March 11, 1998 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Warfel discusses his personal history and his experiences as a gay priest within the Episcopal Church. He recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada and interviewing for a ministry job at Christ Church. Warfel describes same-sex blessings and marriages in the Episcopal Church and the pressures of vestry approval that he dealt with during his career.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gaelan Felt conducted by Perry Kaufman in approximately 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Felt describes working at the Nevada Test Site and the effect the site had on Las Vegas, Nevada. Felt explains why Nevada was chosen as the location for the site, how they tested nuclear weapons, and how the local residents responded to the tests with varying levels of concern. He also talks about other aspects of the test site's history, such as workers' housing, and how Las Vegas has developed and changed.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sonny V. Mallari conducted by Chanele Mallari on November 26, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Sonny Mallari talks about his childhood in Masantol, Pampanga province, Philippines with his five siblings. He discusses his family's immigration to Salinas, California and details of his life and parents' lives in the United States. Sonny shares stories of being bullied in school and what the immigration process was like from his point of view at the age of seven. He also talks about his professional work as a cook, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada for work, and becoming a Culinary Workers Union member.
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Oral history interview with Fred O. Wharton conducted by William B. Stabler on March 10, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Wharton describes the United States Air Force base in Tonopah, Nevada that was used to train B-29 bomber pilots during World War II. He also describes mining in Tonopah and in the greater Nye County, Nevada area, including what kinds of metals they mined and the processes used to extract them. Lastly, Wharton discusses the history of the railroads in Nye County, living in rural Nevada, and how Tonopah has changed.
Archival Collection