Oral history interview with Gordon Reno conducted by Brian Galvin on March 01, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Reno describes his early life living in Henderson, Nevada and watching the city of Las Vegas, Nevada expand over time. Reno discusses the Boulder (Hoover) Dam and how it was once heavily guarded, as well as Mormonism in Las Vegas. Reno also talks about being stationed at a U.S. Marine base at Lake Mead, his career as a police officer in North Las Vegas, and the Basque people and their influence in Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dayvid Figler conducted by Claytee White on July 28, 2010 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood Oral History Project. In this interview, Figler discusses moving with his family to Las Vegas, Nevada as a toddler and growing up in an apartment near the Las Vegas Convention Center. After graduating law school in Arizona, Figler returned to Las Vegas and, in 2000, purchased a home in the John S. Park neighborhood. Figler talks about the ownership history of the house, neighbors including casino owner Bob Stupak and Nevada senator Bob Coffin, and the growth and development of the John S. Park Historic District.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jack W. Cornell conducted by Richard Fesler on February 18, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Jack Cornell discusses historical buildings in Nevada, his experiences as an airplane mechanic for the Army Air Corps during World War II, the effects of the Great Depression, when he assisted an air escort for President Franklin Roosevelt, when he witnessed one of the atomic tests, and how the rural area in Manhattan, Nevada has changed over time.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Clay Lynch conducted by Linda M. Trust on June 28, 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Lynch discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada from Illinois in July 1955, his education at the University of Pittsburgh, Nevada social welfare programs, and Las Vegas, Nevada casino showrooms. Lynch also briefly discusses his work as a United States Army engineer training officer, as well as a transportation engineering consultant and contractor for his company, Lynch Brothers.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Betty (Elizabeth) Krolak conducted by Irene Rostine on November 25, 1995 and September 23, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. In this interview Krolak discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in April of 1962 with her husband and six children. Krolak then discusses her unexpected entry into the real estate business and her experiences in the industry. Krolak talks about the scope of the Las Vegas real estate scene, some of its regulations at the time, and the organizations that had influence over real estate brokers. Finally, Krolak describes opening her own real estate business in 1964.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Bruce Layne conducted by Claytee D. White on 2004 June 18, June 29, July 13, and July 20 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Bruce Layne discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955 at ten years old, his two childhood friends Governor Bob Miller and Tito Tiberti, and becoming president of Layne and Associates, the largest insurance agency in Nevada. He then discusses the growth of Las Vegas, life in Las Vegas, having Parkinson's disease, running for lieutenant governor, and his insurance business.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Steve Johnson conducted by Fred Reagan on March 20, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Johnson discusses his exposure to African American racial discrimination and segregation in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1950s to the 1970s. He discusses these experiences in markets, theaters, casinos, employment, and in common social interactions. Johnson also discusses the slow progression of social acceptance to racial integration and African Americans entering professional fields.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ellis Rice conducted by Claytee D. White on April 09, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Rice discusses his personal history and growing up in St. Louis, Missouri during the 1960s. He describes his experiences attending Webster College in 1975 and talks about the increase of African American students at the time. Rice recalls starting his first company, African People Art Continuum (APAC) to help connect the arts and with the community. Later, he discusses the theater companies he was involved with, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1991, and working with the West Las Vegas community to hold theater performances. Lastly, Rice talks about the music he writes and how it connects to his life story.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Norman Christiansen conducted by James Courtney on November 28, 1986 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Christiansen describes his family, and background before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1956 from Montana. Christiansen then talks about working at the Nevada Test Site and about his career as a teacher. He speaks about the various changes he has noticed over the years in Las Vegas, including those in climate, pollution, economy, occupation, and standard of living.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dean Pulsipher conducted by Dennis McBride on August 19, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. In this interview, Pulsipher discusses his early life in St. Thomas, Nevada and Bunkerville, Nevada. He remembers traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada as early as 1905, moving to Las Vegas in the early 1920s, and the significance of the railroad at the time. Pulsipher describes living through the prohibition era, paving the road from Las Vegas to Searchlight, Nevada, and the construction of the Hoover Dam.
Archival Collection