Oral history interview with Kirk Kerkorian conducted by K.J. Evans on February 10, 1999 for the Las Vegas Review-Journal First 100 Oral History Project. In this interview Kirk Kerkorian discusses Howard Hughes and Jerry Williams and how they were two men who he respected and learned from. He also talks about how Jerry Williams introduced him to Las Vegas, Nevada. He then discusses how he was ecstatic when he saw Las Vegas for the first time and how he helped build Bally's, The International, and the MGM Grand Hotel.
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 Gerald Price conducted by Mike Labrum on October 23, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Price discusses his personal history and experiences living in Las Vegas, Nevada. He describes his career as a dealer in casinos, prominent celebrities visiting Las Vegas, and his recreational activities. Price also talks about nuclear weapons tests, how Las Vegas has changed, and gambling.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Byron Underhill conducted by Joyce Moore on March 20, 2002 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Underhill discusses his father who owned multiple businesses in Las Vegas, Nevada. Underhill also discusses taking over one of those businesses, the bottling plant, serving in the United States Army, being a private pilot who worked with Search and Rescue, and playing in various bands.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jack Cathcart conducted by Debbie Pfefferkorn on March 01, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Cathcart’s interview focuses on the transformations in the entertainment industry in Las Vegas, Nevada during World War II. He discusses the varying entertainment in hotel lounges, different dance styles, and the changes in customer service within these hotels.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with George Monahan conducted by Colleen F. Karnes on February 28, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Monahan, a county engineer, discusses the history of flood control management in Las Vegas, Nevada and throughout Clark County. Monahan explains the seriousness of flooding in the city, how flooding is managed, and the solutions for flood prevention. Monahan also discusses the evolution of the Clark County Department of Public Works.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lorraine Longhi conducted by Stefani Evans on March 31, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Longhi recalls growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada through eigth grade until she moved to Arizona. After graduating from high school and Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication, Longhi worked for the Arizona Republic newspaper, where she covered education and city government. Longhi identifes as mixed race and speaks of a Las Vegas childhood punctuated with annual visits to her father's family in Yonkers, New York, and her mother's Taiwanese family in Taipei. In this interview, she discusses favorite Taiwanese and Italian foods she remembers from her childhood, and memories of cultural festivals at Chinatown Plaza. She also recalls first experiencing questions about her personal identity in Arizona, remarking in retrospect on the diversity of her childhood in Las Vegas. Longhi returned to Las Vegas in March 2022 to begin work as assistant city editor at the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with William McCullough conducted by Pete Wahlquist on February 26, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, McCullough discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1931 for employment opportunities at the Boulder (Hoover) Dam. McCullough later goes into detail about the process of building the dam and what it was like to work there. Lastly, McCullough discusses the Las Vegas Strip, the hotels, and entertainers.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Martha Drohobyczar conducted by Lisa Gioia-Acres on March 24, 2009 for the Heart to Heart Oral History Project. Drohobyczar discusses her careers as a nurse midwife and a nursing professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dorothy O’Donnell George conducted by Claytee D. White on October 13, 2005 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. George discusses serving as a nurse during World War II in Hawaii, Okinawa, and Japan. She also discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada and working as a nurse. George then discusses Las Vegas, the Helldorado Parades, atomic bomb testing, and her family picnics at Mount Charleston.
Archival Collection