Oral history interview with Mary B. Cooke conducted by Gigi Arino on March 18, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During this interview Mary B. Cooke discusses previous jobs, personal family history, education, and the growth and development of the city. She also expresses her opinions on the topic of welfare, healthcare and the condition of the hospitals in Las Vegas. Digital audio and transcript available.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with George Simmons conducted by Claytee D. White on December 13, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview George Simmons discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife Eva in 1963. He talks about racial discrimination, especially with buying a house. He then discusses his long career as an engineer with the Holmes and Naver engineering firm.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Rejoyce Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on June 12, 1996 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Williams discusses coming to Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband and six children in 1960, working in several positions at hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, and participating in the Culinary Union strike in 1970.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Harold Bradford conducted by Claytee D. White, Camille Morris, Anna Frederick, and Remy Chwae on April 24, 2017 and June 10, 2017 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In the first interview, Bradford discusses his early life in New Orleans, Louisiana. He recalls going through a segregated school system, and his experience with integration. Bradford remembers moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1985, his employment for the Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO), and becoming an art director for YESCO. In the second interview, Bradford discusses his initial interest in neon signs, and his work ethic as a visual artist.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Keith Boman conducted by Claytee D. White on June 24, 2019 and July 23, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the first interview, Bowman discusses his upbringing Boulder City, Nevada and Las Vegas, Nevada. Boman remembers his career in medicine, and his early interest in the arts. In the second interview, Boman talks about his involvement with the founding of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, working with Don Snyder and with Fred Smith, and serving on the board of the Reynolds Foundation. Lastly, Boman discusses his role with the Super Summer Theatre and the Animal Foundation.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joseph Kine conducted by Debbie Nesbit on March 02, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Mr. Kine discusses working at Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam) as a high scaler. He also speaks about living in Boulder City in its very beginnings as a town.
Archival Collection
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Oral history interview with Ava Carino conducted by Isabelle Rice on November 20, 2021 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Carino recalls their experience as a Filipino American growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. They discuss working in the gaming industry, past traumatic experiences, and their family's immigration story. Please note the following disclaimer: This interview contains language or content that some may find offensive or triggering. Please contact special.collections@unlv.edu for further information.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Cranford Crawford conducted by Claytee D. White on May 27, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview Crawford discusses his early life and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1964. He talks about his involvement with the Las Vegas branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), working with African American community leaders, and the consent decree of 1971 alleging a series of violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Crawford describes his career with the Clark County Department of Family Services (DFS), issues of segregation in Las Vegas, and being involved with Les Femmes Douze (The Ladies Twelve). Lastly, Crawford discusses Las Vegas government, school integration, and becoming a Freemason.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joe Carlson conducted by Allen Carlson on October 11, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Joe Carlson talks about how his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1921 so that his father could work on the railroad. Joe discusses education, occupations, family life, and the social, economic and environmental changes of early Las Vegas. Joe also mentions presidential visits, the crash of Carole Lombard’s plane, early atomic tests, the old Mesquite forests, Fremont Street and the building of Boulder (Hoover) Dam.
Archival Collection