Oral history interview with Charis Robbins conducted by Steven J. Syzdek on March 17, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Robbins describes her early life living in various towns in California during the early 1900s, namely Silver Peak, California, before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1943.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Denzle Pease conducted by Sandra Johnson on October 11, 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Pease discusses his personal history and his experience in Boulder City, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Stephen Hawley conducted by Donna Mattson on June 24, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project On Early Las Vegas. This interview offers a historical overview of early Las Vegas, Nevada including gambling and an in-depth discussion on local economic, environmental, and social changes.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gwendolyn Woolley conducted by Jeffery M. Snell on March 09, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Woolley discusses early Nevada history along with her experiences with the development of Las Vegas, Nevada.
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 Gregory T. H. Lee conducted by Stefani Evans, Ayrton Yamaguchi, Cecilia Winchell, and Kristel Marie Peralta on December 1, 2020 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Gregory discusses his birth in Honolulu, Hawai'i, his upbringing in San Francisco, California, his education from Harvard University, and his moving to Las Vegas in 1988 with his family. He shares how his parents, Doris Shoong Lee and Ted Lee, purchased a casino on East Sahara Avenue and renamed it the Eureka before Gregory left Las Vegas to earn his Juris Doctorate degree from USC Gould School of Law. He talks about his employment history related to law and the joint venture with his parents to open Eureka's sister property in Mesquite, Nevada. Gregory also discusses his Chinese and Japanese heritage, the Hawaiian culture, and his current affairs as well as his take on current events and discrimination in the United States, with particular regard to Black Lives Matter and COVID-19. Subjects discussed include: Kyushu, Japan and "China virus."
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Oral history interview with Richard E. Buchanan conducted by Gary Gekakis on March 07, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During the interview, Buchanan discusses growing up in Southern Nevada and his occupational experience, including working as a construction worker, maintenance worker and warehouseman.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Zoe Allison conducted by Debra Ruth on February 21, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Allison discusses her career with Central Telephone Company, working at the Sahara Hotel as a switchboard operator, and owning a dress shop on Fremont Street. She also talks about notable locations such as Craig Road Speedway, Silver Slipper Race Track, Nellis Air Base and Mount Charleston, and the politics of prostitution in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lucela M. Wattin conducted by Stefani Evans on December 6, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Lucela shares memories of her life growing up in Cebu Province, Philippines and being raised by her mother and grandparents after her father's death. She talks about immigrating to the United States under her fiancée's visa, moving to Chinatown in Las Vegas, and her work as a busser at the Excalibur Hotel. Lucela discusses how joining the Culinary Workers Union improved her work conditions and benefits, and how she is working with the union and a legal attorney to help her daughter immigrate to America. She also shares her favorite Filipino dishes (sinagang, chicken adobo, and bugas mais), holiday traditions, and what life was like when casinos shut down during COVID-19.
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Oral history interview with Pam Hawkins conducted by Tarsha L. Hillmon on March 12, 2005 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In her interview Hawkins discusses her experiences as a middle school and high school principal in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection