Oral history interview with Patsy Leavitt conducted by Elizabeth Neumann on March 17, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Leavitt discusses her maternal grandmother, who brought her mother and uncle to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1931, and explains how her grandmother opened a boardinghouse that she ran until her death in 1948. She then discusses her father's family, who arrived in Las Vegas in the late 1920s and established a sand and gravel business. She discusses her education and marriage, and reflects on Las Vegas in the 1950s.
Oral history interview with Hubert Sampley conducted by Karen Franke on February 24, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Sampley discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1950. Sampley details his career at an oil refinery, farm, as well as his career in the U.S. Air Force. Sampley also describes the gaming industry.
Oral history interview with Frederica Lionel conducted by Gina Ballestrasse on February 27, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lionel moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in May 1954 to divorce her husband and marry her attorney. She discusses her local neighborhood, the social clubs she was associated with, and the cost of living in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Oral history interview with Daniel Romano conducted by Claytee D. White on December 10, 2018 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Romano discusses his early life Walnut, California. He talks about his father’s water ski business, moving to Boulder City, Nevada, and attending dinner shows in Las Vegas. Romano recalls his involvement with The Neon Museum, copyright issues with the signs, and the growth of the museum. Lastly, Romano discusses the history behind one of his homes.
Oral history interview with Donna Newsom conducted by Claytee D. White on June 11, 2009 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Donna Newsom discusses working as a nurse in the southern United States, at a Girl Scout camp in Colorado, and at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also discusses working in real estate in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Oral history interview with Georgia Adras (b. 1916) conducted by Robin L. Hayes on March 02, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Adras relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada from Farmington, Utah in 1936. This interview covers education, religion, ad raising a family in Nevada. During the interview Adras also discusses the building of the Boulder Dam, road conditions, grocery shopping in the early days, and the Strip.
Oral history interview with Thelma Aiken (formerly Thelma C. Liggitt b. 1899) conducted by Patrica Gaydosh on April 05, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Born in Osceola, Iowa, Aiken discusses moving to Henderson in 1942. Aiken also offers in-depth descriptions of housing, schools, early above ground atomic tests, gambling, and the closing down of the Basic Magnesium (BMI) Plant in Nevada.
Oral history interview with Joan Johnson conducted by Kim Geary on March 25, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Johnson discusses her personal history and her reasons for originally moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. Johnson recalls early Las Vegas entertainment, as well as the development of businesses and their unions.
Oral history interview with Carolyn Whaley conducted in 2005 by an unknown interviewer for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. Whaley discusses her early interest in music and her successful audition for the United States Air Force Women's Air Force (WAF) Band in 1959. She explains that the band was the only all-female band in the military between 1951 and 1961, and shared a number of stories about the function and activities of the band. Later, she discusses her civilian career as a music teacher in Barstow, California and decision to move to Las Vegas, Nevada after her retirement in 2000. She also remarks on the lack of interest that officials at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas showed in veterans.