Oral history interview with Jean McColl conducted by Sam C. Melchiome Jr. on March 01, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, McColl discusses her childhood and family in Searchlight, Nevada and her eventual move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1944. McColl also discusses her education, Boulder (Hoover) Dam, Mount Charleston, Lee Canyon, atomic testing, Las Vegas entertainment, and juvenile delinquency.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sandra F. Mack conducted by Claytee D. White on March 29, 2018 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Mack discusses her early life in Seattle, Washington. She talks about her education in home economics, becoming a teacher, and her experience teaching during segregation. Mack recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2001, and her involvement with community organizations 100 Black Women, the Las Vegas Branch of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Urban League Guild, and the local Delta Sigma Theta chapter. Lastly, Mack talks about the 1 October shooting, gun violence, the increase of security at churches.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Charles Seals conducted by Claytee D. White on July 14, 2017 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Seals discusses his upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada and growing up on the Westside. He recalls attending Madison Elementary School, being involved in church activities, and his initial interests in religious ministry. Seals talks about working in the funeral industry, and starting a church in the mid-1980s. Seals recalls the African American church leaders in the Westside and other community leaders at the time. He describes businesses on Jackson Street and recreational activities he participated in. Later, Seals discusses his mother, Rosie Seals, and her involvement in the Welfare Rights movement, being a founding member of the Clark County Welfare Rights Organization (CCWRO), and starting Operation Life. Lastly, Seals talks about the issue of substance abuse, organized crime, and the lack of financial investment into the Westside.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Jimmy Wilkins conducted by Lisa Gioia-Acres on May 30, 2008 and September 15, 2008 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. In these interviews, Wilkins discusses his career as a jazz trombonist. He begins by talking about his upbringing in St. Louis, Missouri, his early interest in being a musician, learning to play the trombone in high school, and later enlisting in the United States Navy to play in Navy bands. Wilkins describes leaving the Navy after World War II ended and continuing his musical career by joining jazz bands in the St. Louis area, playing across the United States with traveling bands, and eventually moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1994. He talks about playing jazz in casinos such as the Four Queens and the Riviera, the current jazz culture in Las Vegas, and his retirement.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Pearl Busch (born 1936 in Winona, Minnesota) conducted by Laura Busch on March 20, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Pearl first describes her original move to Southern Nevada and a wide range of topics including the first hotels on the Strip, the growth and expansion of the city, recreational activities such as skiing, and her family. She also discusses gambling and its impact on the city, the clubs and organizations to which she belonged, and her appreciation for the mild Las Vegas climate. The interview finalizes with her thoughts on the biggest excitement Las Vegas offers, her input on the high crime rate in Las Vegas, and her thoughts on the energy crisis and the future of solar energy in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with José Eliqué conducted by Barbara Tabach on January 17, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, José Eliqué discusses his responsibilities as the Associate Vice President and Chief of Police for the Department of Police Services at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He talks about the Police Services Department and its mission to maintain a safe environment on campus. Eliqué discusses the night of the October 1, 2017 shooting and the procedures in place that helped the police officers and detectives support the survivors who made their way to the UNLV campus. He also provides details about using the Thomas & Mack Center as a place of refuge for survivors. In addition to his work in Las Vegas, which started when he moved to the city in 2000, Eliqué discusses his service in the US Navy and his career history in New York City and Chicago, Illinois.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Gilbert Yarchever conducted by Claytee White on April 03, 2006 and April 07, 2006 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Yarchever opens his interview by discussing his childhood in Pennsylvania and what growing up during the Depression was like. He then describes looking for employment and the discrimination he experienced for being Jewish. Yarchever then recalls his move to Washington, D.C. in December of 1939 and the atmosphere of the city at the brink of World War II. He describes his arrival in North Africa and how he helped smuggle Jews out of Eastern Europe and into Jerusalem for safety during the war. Yarchever talks about his Army service and his rescue from a sinking boat in the Suez Canal. Yarchever ends his interview with a discussion on why he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and his involvement in the local community.
Archival Collection