Oral history interview with Pearl Hughes conducted by Katherine D. Beal on February 11, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Hughes discusses her family's early arrival to Las Vegas, Nevada after moving from Salinas, California. Her family then bought and operated a motel in North Las Vegas, Nevada between the late 1940s to 1950. Hughes also discusses the growth of the hotel and casino industry, city urban development, community interactions, Las Vegas, Nevada celebrities, atomic testing, and President John F. Kennedy's assassination.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Barry Gunderson conducted by Scott Fiszer on October 18, 2002 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Gunderson reflects upon his 28-year career as a teacher and administrator with Nevada’s Clark County School District (CCSD). He discusses his approach to school administration, his regular responsibilities, and some of his biggest challenges. He offers suggestions for individuals interested in pursuing school administration, and uses his own experiences to give examples of having to make difficult decisions as an administrator.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lucille Matyas conducted by Michael Bernstein on February 23, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Matyas discusses moving from Ohio to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1935. Matyas also discusses her work with the Southern Nevada Telephone Company, the Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Co., Inc. (REECo) in association with the Nevada Test Site, her life as a housewife, and her work with the Central Telephone (Centel) Corporation.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with George Wallace conducted by Claytee D. White on April 10, 2009 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. Wallace begins the interview by discussing his upbringing in Atlanta, Georgia, his extensive family, and attending college at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio to study transportation. He describes having a career in advertising in New York City, New York before moving to Los Angeles, California, where he made the career transition into stand-up comedy. Wallace details his career as a successful comedian, writing for The Redd Foxx Show, going on tour with musicians such as Diana Ross and Tom Jones, and having his own running show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Other topics of discussion also include Wallace's friendship with fellow comedian Jerry Seinfeld, being awarded "Best Male Comedian" by the American Comedy Awards in 1995, and the changes Wallace has noticed in comedy and African American culture.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Fred Gibson conducted by Maisie Gibson on March 9, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Gibson discusses his Las Vegas, Nevada experiences, his college education, and his various careers in the United States Army and engineering. Gibson then talks about his membership in clubs and organizations, and his memories of early Fremont Street and the Helldorado Parade. He also covers the topics of mining, the atomic testing, economic and environmental changes, and social changes.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Fran Wallace conducted by Connie Hansen on September 26, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Wallace discusses arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada with her family in 1940 for work opportunities available in Las Vegas. Wallace then recalls the development of Fremont Street and its transition to gambling. Later, Wallace describes environmental changes she has noticed throughout Las Vegas, specifically changes at Lake Mead.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jacob Snow conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee White on August 29, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Snow discusses the ways that infrastructure accommodated Southern Nevada's growth. He discusses McCarran's Terminal Three, the Las Vegas Monorail, University of Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV) football stadium, the Bruce Woodbury Beltway, and the Fremont Street Experience. Snow discusses his career as general manager of the Regional Transportation Commission, where he worked with Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, and his three years as city manager for the City of Henderson.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lois Sagel by Jeff Van Ee on April 4, 2009 for the Voices for Nevada's Environment Oral History Project. In this interview, Sagel describes how her upbringing in Montana and Big Bear, California gave her a deep appreciation for nature and wilderness. She talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada as a young wife and mother in 1958, how families would take their children to watch the above-ground nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site, and how the rapid growth and enroaching development in the city was not matched by planned infrastructure improvements. She explains how her desire to protect Nevada's environment increased as she saw developers moving toward the mountains surrounding Las Vegas, how this pushed her into the environmental justice movement, and her long association with the Soroptimists organization.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Justin Beltram conducted by David G. Schwartz on July 07, 2016 for the Slot Operations Oral History Project. Beltram describes how he transitioned from a property role to a corporate role and some of his mentors throughout his career. Beltram also discusses his different approaches to local and transient customers, the major changes in general to slot machines since he started in the industry, and his thoughts on the future of slot operations.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ralph Daly conducted by Charles Malkowshi on Febuary 25, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Ralph Daly (born in Texas in 1903) discusses his experience of moving to Las Vegas, Nevada during its early growth. Daly talks specifically about Block 16 and the Arizona Club and the extent of gambling and prostitution that took place there in the early 1900s. Daly also talks about moving to Las Vegas to make his living on gambling, how the construction of Hoover (Boulder) Dam attracted many migrant workers, and how, after World War II, Las Vegas attracted tourists and became more of a gambling town as more casinos were built.
Archival Collection