Oral history interview with Virginia T. Lanier conducted by Heidi G. Hughes on March 16, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Lanier discusses living on the Las Vegas, Nevada Strip from the 1950s through the 1960s. Lanier then describes riding the public bus, and working in food service.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Kathleen Fuson conducted by Lance Goss on March 04, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Fuson discusses her life in Las Vegas, Nevada including her employment history, her knowledge about the Boulder (Hoover) Dam, the desert’s flora and fauna, and the education system.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Flo Mlynarczyk conducted by Claytee White on July 07, 2005 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Mlynarczyk discusses living in Tonopah, Nevada in the 1940s, working in propane sales in Las Vegas, Nevada in the early 1960s, and working for the Las Vegas Convention Center. She also talks about her involvement with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas University Library Society, Mesquite Club, and water coloring as a hobby.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lambert VanDerMeer conducted by Eric H. Newton on February 28, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, VanDerMeer discusses his birth in Holland, living in Chicago, Illinois and Southern California, and finally settling in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1926. VanDerMeer also talks about his marriage in Las Vegas and running a dairy and ice house. Other subjects VanDerMeer discuss include the the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, the growth of Las Vegas over time, and the history of Las Vegas from 1926 to 1955.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Patricia Merl conducted by Claytee D. White on October 09, 2008 October 28, 2008 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Patricia Merl discusses her career as a professional dancer, working at the famous Radio City Music Hall, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada for opportunities in dancing, and moving to Florida for new possibilities. She also discusses teaching at the Hotel School at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and working as the Director of Gaming Outreach for the International Gaming Institute.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joan Massagli conducted by Claytee D. White on August 19, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Massagli discusses being part of a singing act with her sisters called the Sawyer Sisters that often played Las Vegas, Nevada. She then discusses meeting her husband, Mark Tully Massagli, who was a musician, and making their home in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Christina Frausto conducted by Claytee D. White on November 16, 2015 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Frausto discusses her personal history, her career as an artist, and owning an art gallery in Boulder City, Nevada and Las Vegas, Nevada. She describes her involvement with Desert Sculptures, the Boulder City Preservation Committee, and the Historic Boulder City Foundation.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jesse Scott conducted by Claytee D. White on June 29, 2009 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Scott describes growing up in Louisiana and his initial involvement with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as vice president of the youth council. He recalls positions he held beginning in the 1970s with the Las Vegas NAACP branch as an executive director, executive director of the Equal Rights Commission, and later, president of the Las Vegas NAACP.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with George Gilbert conducted by Ruth Guidi on February 10, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Gilbert first talks about his education in Las Vegas, Nevada, life during World War II, the shopping facilities, casinos, churches in Las Vegas, and the Helldorado parades.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Shannon Rabb conducted by Claytee D. White on December 20, 2022 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Rabb describes her experience living in the Herbert Gerson Housing Development on the Westwide of Las Vegas. She describes it as safe, as community, and as protection from the police. In this interview, Rabb discusses a wide variety of topics including gangs, drugs, Westside businesses, and family with an expanded definition.
Archival Collection