On March 18, 1978, collector Bill Hitchcock interviewed Della Coates (b. June 17th, 1919 in Birmingham, Alabama) at her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the interview, Della Coates discusses her time working for the telephone company. She also speaks about the changes in education and about changes throughout Las Vegas.
Oral history interview with Musiette McKinney conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White on July 2, 2024 for Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports project. In this interview, Musiette KcKinney recalls a childhood in Illinois and Pomona, California. She describes being recruited out of high school to play at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 1975, and then being drafted to the San Francisco Pioneers, an expansion team in the first women's professional basketball league, the Women's Basketball League. Returning to Pomona, McKinney coached basketball part time for Mount San Antonio Community College (Mt. SAC) and earned her A.A. in Criminal Justice. In 1992, McKinney arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada as UNLV's Assistant Women's Basketball Coach for four years under Head Coach Jim Bolla. After two years at the Andre Agassi Academy, McKinney returned to UNLV to work with the Center for Academic Enrichment & Outreach. McKinney was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame with her former team, the San Francisco Pioneers, and the entire Women's Professional Basketball League as "Trailblazers of the Game." Digital audio and photographs available.
Archival Collection
Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports Interviews
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Collection Number: OH-03922 Collection Name: Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports Interviews Box/Folder: Digital File 00
Dr. Fiona Kelley was born and raised in Connecticut. Her parents were both teachers (though her mother quit teaching to raise their two daughters), and Fiona recalls the European vacations the family took every summer, exploring castles and enjoying picnic lunches. Fiona was educated at Greenwich Academy in Connecticut and Bard College (dance major with art history minor) in New York. She mentions dancing in Acapulco and California and then auditioning and being hired as a cover dancer for Hallelujah Hollywood! at the MGM in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, she had also become licensed in massage and states that as she was making the transition from dancing to production of dance, she and her husband were invited to China. While in China, Dr. Kelley recalls visiting a hospital which specialized in the treatment of AIDS through acupuncture. This led to a decision to learn Oriental medicine, which she pursued once she returned to the United States. She shares many details of her studies