Archival Component
Archival Component
Oral history interview with Olenda Purdy conducted by Mark Miller on March 12, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Purdy discusses her experiences living in Las Vegas, Nevada. She specifically talks about her family history, gambling in Las Vegas, and the changes in the Las Vegas economy and environment since the 1960s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Retta Decker conducted by Andrea Edwards on November 01, 1985 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Decker discusses her personal history including working as a nurse, and her historical perspective on nursing.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ann Lynch conducted by Sandra Klimik on October 17, 1985 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Lynch briefly explains how she started working in hospitals as a volunteer in 1959 and then gives an overview of the development of hospitals in Las Vegas, Nevada. Most of the interview is directed at the development and history of Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas. Lynch discusses the developers, Irwin Molasky, Moe Dalitz, Allard Roen and Merv Adelson, and their the original goal to build a physician medical building to attract doctors to their planned community, which included the Las Vegas Country Club and gold course, the Boulevard Mall, and the Boulevard Apartments. She describes the opening of the hospital in 1958, and then moves into a more detailed discussion of nurses and how their roles have shifted since the 1960s. Finally, she talks about the city's growth and the economic burden insurance companies and federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid have on hospital profitability.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Claytee D. White conducted by Jessica Avila Pifferrer on December 01, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, White discusses her career as the Director of the Oral History Research Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Libraries. She describes why she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1992, enrolling in the American History master's program at UNLV, and participating in the Women in Gaming and Entertainment project. She talks about memorable interviews she has conducted, including interviews with the African American community of Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sanje Sedera conducted by Kristel Peralta, Cecilia Winchell, Ayrton Yamaguchi, and Stefani Evans on April 16, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Sanje Sedera discusses growing up in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, with his family. He shares his educational history, moving from Sri Lanka to Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia as a high schooler to learn English before immigrating to the United States to attend Idaho State University. Sedera discusses the political unrest and civil war that took place in Sri Lanka between the Tamil and Sinhalese people, and how he grew to appreciate political activism instilled in him by his paternal grandparents. Sedera shares his employment history working as a manager for K-Mart, an opportunity that brought him to Las Vegas, as well as his entrepreneurial pursuits of owning a mortgage business and becoming a realtor. He talks about the financial crisis of 2008 that led to losing his business, his attempts to run for public office, and how he helped to form Nevada's Asian American Democratic Caucus. Sedera concludes with a discussion of his Buddhist practice and how these philosophies have shaped his life.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Louise McGuire conducted by Heidi Nickum on February 26, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, McGuire talks about the history of the Las Vegas police department and hotels since the 1950s in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Leroy Burt conducted by an unidentified interviewer on July 01, 1986 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Burt’s wife is present during the interview.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Derrick Fronckowiak conducted by Patricia van Betten October 26, 2010 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Fronckowiak discusses living in Blue Diamond, Nevada and describes the house he grew up in at the village. He talks about the fire department in the community and other public buildings around the area. Lastly, Fronckowiak discusses the development of Blue Diamond and the preservation of the rural areas in Blue Diamond.
Archival Collection