Oral history interview with Lovell Gaines conducted by Claytee D. White on July 01, 2009 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview Lovell Gaines discusses his involvement with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), becoming president for the Las Vegas, Nevada chapter in 1980, segregation, Freedom Fund banquets, national conventions, police brutality, and housing issues in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John M. Belville conducted by George Braver on March 11, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Braver discusses his move to Nevada in 1926, his personal history, and early banking in Nevada leading up to modernized banking. Belville also discusses his personal experience in the banking business, working in Hollywood as a singer, and key moments of his life in Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Louis Richardson conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White on July 29, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Richardson discusses his personal history growing up in South Carolina and his education in construction and engineering. Richardson describes being deployed to Vietnam after graduating college and his career as a design engineer for Mead Corporation. He then talks about teaching youth and young adults in Sierra Leone, West Africa in the mid to late 1960s. Later, Richardson recalls starting his construction business, Richardson Construction, and the first projects he was involved with throughout Las Vegas, Nevada. Lastly, Richardson discusses working on buildings at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Goldie Spicer conducted by Elmer Herren on February 12, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Spicer discusses working as a cocktail waitress. She also talks about the boom that Las Vegas, Nevada went through when the first casinos were being built, and when the construction of the Boulder (Hoover) Dam occurred. She discusses El Rancho, Twin Lakes, and the Taylor Ranch.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Corinne Sidney conducted by Cynthia Cicero and Dedee Nave on December 13, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
Corinne Sidney shares the details of her early career, her move to Las Vegas, and her relationship with Jack Entratter. She talks about becoming a Copa Girl at the Sands Hotel and what life was like after Jack's death in 1971. Corinne shares stories of entertainers she knew, including Frank Sinatra and Antonio Morelli, but the focus of the discussion is about Jack, their "on-again-off-again" relationship, and his talent and influence in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Manley Sorensen conducted by Michael Kelser on March 02, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Sorensen discusses the history of Las Vegas, Nevada. Sorensen discusses how Las Vegas has changed since 1936, including how the casinos in the city have changed and the disappearance of water springs around Las Vegas. Sorensen also discusses the El Rancho Hotel fire, prospecting for recreation, environmental changes, nuclear weapons tests, and flooding in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Leonard R. Fayle conducted by Jennifer Sealey on February 21, 1980 and March 06, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Fayle discusses his family history and life in Gene, Goodspring, and Sandy Valley, Nevada. He also discusses his involvement in organizations, early mining, religion, and prostitution.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Evelyn Conerly conducted by Claytee D. White on March 11, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Conerly discusses her early life in Tallulah, Louisiana and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1970. She remembers the Helldorado parade, participating in a letter exchange program, and school integration. Lastly, Conerly talks about her involvement with Les Femmes Douze, and her career in banking.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lee Martin conducted by Dennis McBride on May 01, 2013 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Martin discusses his involvement with the Nevada Gay Action League and the Pacifica Hotel, an effort to open a gay resort in Las Vegas, Nevada during the mid 1980s. He describes managing Paradise Bookstore, a bookstore for gay literature, in downtown Las Vegas. Lastly, Martin discusses other gay businesses that he was involved with in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Rick Tilman conducted by Nicholas Christie on February 28, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Tilman discusses his personal history and his educational background. Tilman then describes changes in Las Vegas, Nevada and how gambling helped the Las Vegas economy grow. He later recalls atomic bomb testing, local politics, and the rise of crime throughout Las Vegas.
Archival Collection