Oral history interview with Micheal Miller conducted by Broderick T. Ackerman on April 05, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Miller discusses arriving to Ely, Nevada in the 1920s and later moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the late 1920s. Miller then discusses the businesses that he invested in and other properties that he purchased throughout his lifetime. Miller speaks about his time working on ranches and as a trapper in Northern Nevada. He also speaks about his time running nightclubs in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as seeing much growth throughout his time living in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with William McGarry conducted by Shannon Beesley on February 12, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, McGarry discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955 from Reno, Nevada. McGarry also discusses politics in Nevada including the state senators and the process of becoming a senator.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lambert VanDerMeer conducted by Eric H. Newton on February 28, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, VanDerMeer discusses his birth in Holland, living in Chicago, Illinois and Southern California, and finally settling in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1926. VanDerMeer also talks about his marriage in Las Vegas and running a dairy and ice house. Other subjects VanDerMeer discuss include the the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, the growth of Las Vegas over time, and the history of Las Vegas from 1926 to 1955.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Howard E. Hollingsworth conducted by Joseph Concannen on February 23, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Hollingsworth discusses the Mormon Fort, ranches, and the railroad.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Robert Kneoki conducted by Dave Harelik on March 14, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Kneoki discusses growth, crime, and religion in Nevada. He also talks about the silver mines, MX missiles, and transient people.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Melissa Warren conducted by Claytee D. White on November 02, 2015 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Warren begins by discussing her early history in Utah and how she started her career in advertising and public relations. She describes the work she has done for the Howard Hughes Corporation in coordinating the advertising for the Summerlin community in Las Vegas, Nevada before and after its construction. Warren also details how the Howard Hughes Corporation made its decisions on how to plan and structure the Summerlin community, how it handled education in the community, and various promotional events that were held for Summerlin.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Fred Keeton conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on October 20, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Keeton discusses his early life in Mississippi. He talks about the complexity of corporate diversity and the importance of inclusion for business ecosystems. Lastly, Keeton describes how Caesars Palace has developed their business performance, the idea of Complexity Science, and complex adaptive systems.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gene Hotchkiss conducted by Barbara Clark on June 27, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Hotchkiss discusses her experiences living in Las Vegas, Nevada since 1946. Hotchkiss discusses the hotel industry, explaining that most casinos had a Western theme before the Flamingo was built, which started a luxury resort trend. Hotchkiss goes on to describe the development of Las Vegas Strip hotels.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with James Dean Leavitt conducted by Claytee D. White on September 27 and October 4, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Leavitt recalls his role in establishing a medical school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), now known as Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. Leavitt was elected to the Board of Regents in 2004 while Jim Rogers was interim Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), and he suggested the creation of an ad hoc committee Health Science Center Committee. In 2009, Leavitt became Chairman of the Board of Regents, Dan Klaich became Chancellor, and in the following year, Dr. Mark Doubrava joined the board. In May 2014, the planning dean was hired, Dr. Barbara Atkinson, and the UNLV School of Medicine was officially established on August 22, 2014.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Muriel Parks conducted by Richard Lloyd Pipkins on May 18, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Parks discusses the history of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and her career working for the university as Director of Admissions and Records. Parks discusses the expansion of the campus and the growing number of students and degrees available currently compared to what was available when UNLV was first established.
Archival Collection