Oral history interview with Mary M. Gafford conducted by Claytee D. White on September 24, 2021 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
Mary Gafford discusses her 30 year teaching career for the Clark County School District (CCSD) and her community service projects working with organizations such as the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the Mayflower Society, the Nevada Statehood Sesquicentennial, and the Nevada Women's History Project.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ruby Duncan conducted by Claytee D. White on February 13, 2007 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Duncan discusses growing up and working in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also discusses how she became the leader of the Las Vegas Welfare Rights Movement by protesting the way Nevada cared for its poor families. Duncan then discusses instituting the first library on the Westside, lobbying the legislature, and traveling the world on behalf of women's rights.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Elmer Hilsinger conducted by Irene Rostine on October 02, 1991 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN). In his interview, Hilsinger discusses working conditions at Basic Magnesium Incorporated plant in Henderson, Nevada during World War II. Hilsinger describes the contributions of women employees, safety rules at the plant, and labor unions. He also discusses daily life in the township of Henderson at the time.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Helen M. Clark conducted by Danny Winegar on March 05, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Helen Clark speaks about her family's move to Las Vegas, Nevada and working as a secretary. She then discusses the beginning of tract home building, gambling, and the building of the Hoover Dam. She also mentions life during the Great Depression, prostitution in Block 16, and the Helldorado celebration. Clark then talks about the first hotels and casinos that were built on the Las Vegas Strip and the mob's influence over those hotels.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Francisco V. Aguilar conducted by Monserrath Hernández on April 19, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Aguilar discusses his early life in Tucson, Arizona. He recalls his educational experience, attending the University of Arizona, and his initial interests in law. Aguilar talks about lobbying the Arizona legislature for a second student regent on the Board of Regents, attending law school, and serving on the Catholic Charities Board, Opportunity 180 Board, and the Nevada Athletic Commission. He describes being nominated for the Bosch Fellowship, and being a founding chairman of the Cristo Rey St. Viator College Preparatory High School in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Later, Aguilar talks about the importance of prioritizing education in local communities, and his vision for Cristo Rey. Lastly, he shares his thoughts about the Latinx community in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Clarence McDonald conducted by Judy Gannoe on an unknown date in 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, McDonald discusses living throughout Clark County, Nevada including Overton, Nevada; Nelson, Nevada; and Las Vegas, Nevada since approximately 1909. He also discusses his work as a farmer and miner. A number of McDonald's family members are present in the interview to help clarify information.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Marjorie Barrick conducted by Mary Beth Nitzschke on March 13, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas.In this interview Barrick discusses the sociological view of Nevadans in the gaming industry. Barrick also discusses the beginnings of University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Las Vegas history, founding Child Haven, a center for abused and neglected children, owning the Flamingo Hotel and Casino and the Fremont Hotel, and the lack of cultural activities in the 1950s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Stavan Corbett conducted by Nathalie Martinez on November 5, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Barbara Tabach and Rodrigo Vazquez also participate in the questioning. Stavan Corbett is a member of the Latino community who has served as an educator and politician in Las Vegas. Growing up in Las Vegas, Stavan was exposed to various environments that all helped him shape his Latino identity. Stavan was able to appreciate the Catholic and Jewish cultures as well. During the 1970s and '80s his experiences with first and second generation Latinos played a large role in his identity formation, especially as a student. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school and college. Stavan worked in the hotel industry and moved on to work with troubled youth and eventually become a member of the Nevada State Board and the Clark County School Board. His continued work with the Latin Chamber of Commerce has also allowed him to be involved with the Latino Youth Leadership Conference. Subjects discussed include: Identity Struggle, Interracial Relationships, Working in the Hotel Industry, Clark County School District, and Cultural Assimilation.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Allycia B. Murphy conducted by Stefani Evans on June 30, 2023 for Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, attorney Allycia B. Murphy shares how she learned recently who her biological father was and how it has changed her life. She talks about connecting with half-siblings, her biological father, and learning about her father's Samoan, Japanese, and German family history. Murphy discusses growing up in southeast North Carolina, being enrolled with her mother's family as Lumbee Tribal Citizens, and learning to code switch. She talks about playing sports in middle and high school, majoring in African American studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and attending law school at North Carolina Central University. She recalls becoming a prosecutor with the North Carolina First Prosecutorial District, and meeting her husband. Murphy discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2017, getting married, and the loss of her first child, and subsequent children since her first pregnancy. She closes her interview discussing being hired by the City of Las Vegas as a Deputy City Attorney, Office of the City Attorney, Criminal Division, a position she continues to hold at the time of the interview.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Paul Velez conducted by Barbara Tabach on February 22, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Paul Velez, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) campus officer, discusses his experience at the Thomas & Mack Center during the night of the October 1, 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. He shares his goal of creating a safe atmosphere for the survivors and providing them with all of their needs, including helping separated survivors find their loved ones and friends. Velez also describes his move to Las Vegas in 2008 and his time with the New York City police force, talking about his experience as a first responder at Ground Zero during the 9/11 attacks. He discusses the effect these attacks have had on general and campus security measures and on him as an individual.
Archival Collection