Oral history interview with Fred Anderson conducted by Cortez Corley on April 22, 1986 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Anderson discusses his history of living in Ely, Nevada. Anderson primarily discusses his experiences as a miner working for the Kennecott Copper Corporation. He also mentions his experiences with unions, atomic testing, and the growth of Nevada in general.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Kevin Orrock conducted by Claytee White on December 04, 2015 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Orrock focuses on Summerlin, Nevada, the 22,000-acre, award-winning, master-planned community on the west side of the Las Vegas, Nevada. He discusses Summerlin’s physical layout, its history, its development, and its future. He also talks about the development and future of Downtown Summerlin; its balance of private, charter, and public schools; and the ways the company selects its residential builders.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with William Wells conducted by David Emerson on May 22, 2006 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. In this interview, William Wells, the first dean of engineering at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1986 to join UNLV. He also describes building the engineering departments, obtaining accreditation, recruiting, salaries, and faculty turnover. He then talks about diversity in the department, the successes of UNLV engineering graduates, and attracting minority groups to engineering.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with J. K. Russ conducted by Claytee D. White on December 22, 2017 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Russ discusses her early life in New Zealand and growing up on a tobacco farm. She remembers arriving to the United States and establishing a career as an artist. Russ talks about the 1 October shooting, creating an art exhibit using cards and letters received from people all over the world, and Las Vegas’ response to the tragedy. Lastly, Russ describes the art community in Las Vegas and the Arts District.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Thalia Dondero conducted by Suzanne Becker on March 10, 2008 and August 22, 2008 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Dondero opens her interviews discussing why she became involved with the Las Vegas, Nevada Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and eventually the Nevada State PTA. Dondero then describes her work with the Girl Scouts and her election campaign for a seat on the Clark County Commission. Dondero also discusses Las Vegas city development and how the city has flooding issues. Later Dondero discusses her membership in the Las Vegas Junior League and her work throughout the state to supervise the living conditions of foster care children. Lastly, she describes her experience as a commissioner working to ensure various goods and services were available to the community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Joan Swift conducted by Sue Peterson on March 18, 2004, March 25, 2004, and June 22, 2004 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Swift discusses life in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1940s and 1950s. Swift begins the interview by describing her upbringing in the Basic townsite and Boulder City, Nevada, attending Basic High School, and life in Southern Nevada during World War II. She then discusses working in the Clark County Recorder's office, explaining her job duties and what function the office served for the county. Swift continues, talking about recreation activities at the time, including visiting the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip and the Helldorado Parades. Swift discusses nuclear weapons testing at the Nevada Test Site and her career as the Clark County recorder. Lastly, she describes her thoughts on the future of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Sherril and Samuel Coleman conducted by Claytee White on February 12 and 22, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In these interviews, Sherrill and Samuel Coleman discuss experiencing violence against African Americans in Durant, Mississippi, and discuss moving to Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1990s. The Colemans later describe their contributions with the African American community and recall the poor working conditions for African Americans in Las Vegas and throughout the United States. The two then discuss social class, American Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO), and their involvement with religious organizations.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Hamed Ahmady conducted by Stefani Evans on March 22, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Interviewed by Stefani Evans. Culinary Union Local 226 organizer Hamed Ahmady recalls his childhood as the oldest of six children in Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan. As an child, he remembers hearing about the September 11, 2001 attack in New York while living in a Taliban-controlled city on a television connected to a concealed antenna that received signals from Uzbekistan. He recalls how, one month after he graduated high school, he became an translator for the U.S. Army, which he did for more than four years. He talks about securing his Special Immigrant Visa (SIV); landing in Los Angeles, California in 2013 and moving his family to the United States; and supporting his siblings and parents in Afghanistan. He also discusses relocating his family from California to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2018, finding a mosque community, and working with Culinary Union Local 226.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Wendy Starkweather conducted by Claytee White on June 16, 2010 and June 22, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Starkweather discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1978 when her husband Peter L. Starkweather accepted a teaching position in the biology department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She also discusses working in several types of libraries in Las Vegas before being offered the head of reference position at the UNLV library in 1985. She talks about her experiences working under six deans and retiring in 2010.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Thomas Taney and his wife, Helen Taney, conducted by Anthony Foley on October 22, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Mr. Taney discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to work in the factories and Mrs. Taney discusses moving to Las Vegas for adventure. Mrs. Taney talks about her music career and Mr. Taney talks about the importance of the railroad and the mining industry in Nevada. Lastly, Mr. Taney describes the changing water levels in Las Vegas as well as the growth of the city.
Archival Collection