Oral history interview with Marta Sorkin conducted by Claytee D. White on March 02, 2009 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. In this interview Marta Sorkin discusses her family and her experience moving to California, and then to Las Vegas, Nevada. Sorkin talks about working at the James R. Dickinson Library at University of Nevada, Las Vegas and later in Lied Library, and helping to implement and update various databases. She briefly discusses her involvement with Hillel and the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Glenn G. Massey conducted by David A. Schulman on March 26, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Massey discusses life in Las Vegas, Nevada between 1952 to 1981. He also discusses his work as a automobile body shop owner and manager, the owner of the Eldorado Canyon Resort between 1962 and 1970, a trailer park owner, and his employment with Las Vegas automobile dealers.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Tommy Nelson conducted by Art Rader on November 29, 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Nelson discusses the history of Boulder City, Nevada and his career as a musician. He describes moving to Boulder City in 1932 and working as a laborer on the construction of Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam). Nelson describes life in the city during the construction of the dam, how the dam was built, and how Boulder City has changed. Nelson continues, talking about being a trumpeter, performing in various orchestras in Las Vegas, Nevada casino shows, and for injured United States service members during World War II.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Otto Merida conducted by Claytee White on May 18, 2017 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Merida discusses his childhood in Havana, Cuba and his arrival to the United States. Merida then discusses Cubans in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1960s and 1970s. He also reflects on starting the Latin Chamber of Commerce with Arturo Cambeiro in the late 1970s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Marzette Lewis conducted by Claytee White on October 30, 2012 and November 14, 2012 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Lewis first discusses the murder of her father at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan in Quitman, Mississippi, then visiting and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s. Lewis also discusses the proponents of good neighborhood schools in lieu of bussing children all over the country.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joseph E. Sullivan conducted by Heather Comer on March 14, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Sullivan discusses his personal history growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada after moving there from Denver, Colorado in 1928. Sullivan describes the history of Las Vegas and some of its particular aspects, including the Helldorado Festival and how snakes were driven out of the Lake Mead area to create the lake. He also describes working in one of the first Las Vegas clubs and his latest career owning a slot machine company. Sullivan goes on to discuss the development of McCarran International Airport, how Las Vegas has changed, and the future of the city.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Bruce Eaton conducted by Jay Brewer on April 24, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Eaton discusses his employment as a laborer for Six Companies during the construction of the Hoover (Boulder) Dam and the racial conflicts that occurred. Eaton also talks about a federal investigation he was involved in that involved suspected espionage. Other topics that Eaton discusses include his enlistment in the United States Navy and his role as city manager of Boulder City.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Steven Ligouri conducted by Claytee White on January 20, 2010 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood Oral History Project. Ligouri discusses his career as a sculptor making jewelry in his father's business and making the statue High Scaler at Hoover Dam. He also discusses living in the John S. Park Neighborhood and on a family farm in North Las Vegas, Nevada and Boulder City, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Anna Bailey conducted by Claytee White on March 03, 1997 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Bailey opens her interview by describing her early life, family, and dance training. She discusses moving to Los Angeles, California at age fifteen, her first dancing gigs, and touring in London, England. She also talks about her experiences as an African American dancer including issues with segregation while touring in the southern United States. Bailey then discusses her life in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s, and working as a dancer at the Moulin Rouge. She describes the club, the other dancers that performed there, and how the African American community felt when the club closed. Bailey then discusses how her husband and the entertainers Josephine Baker and Frank Sinatra helped integrate Las Vegas. She ends her interview by describing the last hotel she danced at, the Flamingo, where she performed in an integrated dance line.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Eular Lunsford conducted by Mark J. Lestelle on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Lunsford describes his work experiences and life in Henderson, Nevada after moving there on September 09, 1951. Lunsford held various jobs, including serving as a magnesium plant firefighter, baker, and taxi cab driver.
Archival Collection