Oral history interview with Javier Barajas conducted by Laurents Banuelos-Benitez, Marcela Rodriguez, and Barbara Tabach on November 20, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Javier Barajas describes his cultural upbringing and his Mexican heritage. He explains how he helped his grandparents in their restaurant, La Flor Michoacan, and learned how to cook during his time in seminary. He eventually moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to pursue his career. Barajas mentions that his first opportunity to practice cooking was when he worked as an executive chef for the owner of the restaurant Viva Zapata. After the restaurant closed down, Barajas went on to open his own restaurant, El Lindo Michoacan, and it became a popular place to enjoy Mexican cuisine in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Barbara Mowry conducted by Jon Sedlacek on February 16, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Mowry describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada from California in 1949 to get a divorce, before remarrying and entering into the restaurant business with her new husband. Mowry discusses buying an established restaurant, the Villa Venice, with her husband, and the eventual fire that would destroy the restaurant in 1952. Mowry describes running the restaurant, the different kinds of recreation in Las Vegas during the 1950s, and how Las Vegas has changed since she moved there. Mowry also discusses the prejudice against African Americans in Las Vegas, and how her husband would have to let in African American performers such as Sammy Davis Jr. or Pearl Bailey through the back door of their restaurant.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Emilia Marquez conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón on July 5, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Claytee D. White and Emily Lucile are also present during the interview. Emilia Marquez was born in the United Stated and raised in Alexandria, Virginia, where her father worked as a bricklayer, until the age of twelve, when her father decided to move the family back to Uruguay. She describes acclimating to her new life in middle school and her shift from being perceived as an outsider in Uruguay to accepting Uruguay as home. She describes life in Uruguay and the positions that her family held while living there. After meeting and marrying her husband they trained to work in a casino. She trained as a slot machine operator, and her husband trained as a dealer. This eventually led them to leave Uruguay for the U.S. After the encouragement of her father and mother, she moved with her mother to Las Vegas to work in the casino industry. She describes working as a change person at the Luxor before moving to the newly opened Palms, where she worked until she left it to work at the Wynn. She ends the interview talking about various Uruguayan dishes and traditions, and a brief history of Uruguay. Subjects discussed in this interview: Uruguay, immigration, Las Vegas Strip, Latinx, Luxor.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Alma Whitney conducted by Claytee D. White on March 03, 1996 and May 28, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Whitney opens the interview by talking about her life in Tallulah, Louisiana. She discusses race relations in Tallulah and how she traveled from Tallulah to Las Vegas, Nevada. Whitney describes her first job as a maid at the Desert Moon Motel, and her move later to the Desert Inn Hotel. Whitney discusses her career of over 30 years at the Desert Inn along with her promotion from maid to supervisor. Whitney also describes a time when Desert Inn employees went on strike for three weeks.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Paul Warner conducted by James E. Guessman on October 27, 1971 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Warner discusses arriving to Southern Nevada in 1925 and recalls personal experiences in Las Vegas, Nevada. Warner then discusses city growth and changes, including the development of Fremont Street and the Las Vegas Strip. Lastly, Warner shares his opinions on the future of Las Vegas' economics and local government.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Audrey Wickman conducted by Joanne L. Goodwin on June 24, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Wickman opens her interview by discussing her upbringing in Kentucky, and her young adult life in Colorado. Wickman then talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband during the Depression to look for employment. She then describes the Mesquite Club in detail, including its members and the club's activities from the 1930s to 1950s. Audrey Swenson, Wickman's daughter, joins the interview at the end. She discusses what the Mesquite Club was like in the 1950s through 1970s, and being raised in Las Vegas as a child.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Burton Cohen conducted by Bill Willard on May 31, 1995 for the Arnold Shaw Oral History Project on Las Vegas Entertainers. In this interview, Cohen discusses his experiences working with the entertainment industry, booking entertainers for local shows, and lessons that he learned about successfully advertising shows to attract varieties of audiences.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ellen Cosgrove conducted by Claytee D. White on August 19, 2019 for the UNLV School of Medicine Oral History Project. Ellen Cosgrove discusses her early family life and education, continuing to her higher education, where she graduated with a master's in Russian history and later entered Hahnemann Medical College where she specialized in internal medicine. She then describes her family life and her husband, Jefferey Fahly. Cosgrove goes on to talk about different communities in New Mexico welcoming people with different ethnic backgrounds, and how she participated in various organizations that helped improve the health of the community and solve issues that prevented patients from receiving care. In 2014, she was hired by Barbara Atkinson to build a medical school at UNLV. Lastly, Cosgrove discusses the UNLV School of Medicine educational program, which is based in bioethics, community engagement, wellness, and problem-based learning.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lillian Morrison conducted by Dennis McBride on February 05 and 10, 1996 and July 29, 1996 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. Morrison opens her interview by discussing life in rural Iowa, her family, and their farm. She discusses how the farm operated in detail and what farming was like in the 1930s. Morrison describes moving to Boulder City, Nevada for employment opportunities. Morrison then describes the Six Companies, her husband's work there, and what living in Six Companies housing was like. Morrison then discusses working at Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam), race relations between African American and white workers, and discovering her own prejudices. She also talks about working for the National Park Service. Lastly, Morrison describes Boulder City, and important people living in the city.
Archival Collection