Oral history interview with Bernice Johnson conducted by Dan Buress on February 21, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Johnson discusses her personal history and her reasons for moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. Johnson describes moving between Southern California and Las Vegas while her husband worked for the railroad company. The interview concludes with Johnson recalling her memories of the Von Tobel family and the rapid population growth in Las Vegas after the construction of the Nevada Test Site.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jacqueline MacFarlane conducted by Claytee D. White on February 04, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Jacqueline MacFarlane discusses her early childhood in Las Vegas, Nevada, her move to rural Nevada because of the Great Depression, her move back to Las Vegas, and meeting her husband David MacFarlane, an Air Force Cadet, at the Nellis Air force Base. She then discusses family life, Las Vegas in the 1950s and 1960s, and the various jobs she held on the Las Vegas Strip.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lloyd Bell (born 1925 in Los Angeles) conducted by Joseph Butner on September 18, 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lloyd discusses the challenges of policing Las Vegas, Nevada where the population includes both permanent residents and tourists, and he mentions the issue of drug and narcotics addiction in the city as it relates to crime. Lloyd then talks about the development and growth of Las Vegas, as well as the environmental and social changes in the city. The interview then shifts to a discussion on the significance of legal gambling in Las Vegas, which then moves to a related discussion on the existence of organized crime in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John Cahlan conducted by Lester Wisbrod on February 18, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Cahlan discusses his experiences in journalism, including his work as an editor for the Review Journal. He provides details on some of the major events covered by the newspaper and his work in establishing Nellis Air Force Base. Cahlan also describes some of the social changes over time, including the growth of air travel for tourism and gambling.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Rosemary Witt conducted by Claytee D. White on November 7, 2006 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. Witt discusses the faculty and where classes were taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and type of research being done. Witt also discusses the human simulator and its relevance to hands-on nursing. She addresses nursing shortages at UNLV, effects of doubling student enrollment, changing class schedules, shortening semesters, and requiring summer classes in effort to graduate nurses faster.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Luther Pennington conducted by Greg Decker on February 27, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Pennington discusses working on the trains for the Union Pacific Railroad Company starting in 1927 and explains the various jobs he held on the train. Pennington then describes his position as locomotive engineer and recalls his experiences. Later, he discusses train routes, stations, and the dangers of working aboard a train.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ruth Fyfe, K. Oscar Knudson, and Fern Olive oral conducted by Susan Kendall on March 22, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. The three interviewees discuss their early experiences teaching in Las Vegas, Nevada elementary schools beginning between 1924 and 1926. Topics the interviewees discuss include interstate school sports events, physical education for girls, sports for girls, teacher shortages, and school overcrowding. They also discuss illegal gambling in Las Vegas, Nevada prior to 1931, as well as Fremont Street casino and bar development in relation to the Las Vegas Grammar School (currently known as the Historic Fifth Street School) and the Las Vegas High School (currently known as Las Vegas Academy of the Arts) after Nevada legalized gambling.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ida M. Harris conducted by Claytee D. White on March 25, 2004 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Harris discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada as a young women in 1920. She talks about parties she attended, her employment in retail and accounting, the Rose Bowl Parade, Helldorado, the construction of Hoover Dam and Boulder City, Nevada, and riding events she participated in as a member of the women's riding group The Lariettes. She also mentions local sights, the outdoor movie theatre, the early casinos, and the Las Vegas Jockey Club racetrack. She also identifies numerous individuals in photographs.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dorothy Grier conducted by Barbara Agonia on November 26, 2002 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Grier begins her interview discussing her family and life growing up in the small town of Bulter, Indiana in the 1930s and 1940s. She then discusses her life in chronological order pausing to highlight events including working for the Nevada Test Site.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mark Fine conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on September 28, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Fine discusses his upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio and initial interest in real estate. He recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1997, his role in the development of Green Valley and Summerlin communities, and his idea that the link between volume of home sales and economics would increase the pace of development. He describes methods of building a sense of quality of life into his planned communities, building libraries, and the importance of accessibility. Lastly, Fine discusses his next projects, and reflects on the growth of Green Valley and Summerlin.
Archival Collection