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Oral history interview with James A. (Jimmy Gay) Gay III conducted by Joyce M. Wright in 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Gay recalls details about his education in Arkansas and his training in mortuary science in Chicago, Illinois and discusses the nine-year delay in obtaining his license to practice as a mortician in Nevada because of racial discrimination. He recounts his move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1946, his experiences as a recreation director and as a personnel and communications director for the hotel industry, work that he took while waiting for his licensure to practice. He also talks about his career as a mortician with Palm Mortuary in Las Vegas, the atomic testing of the 1950s and 1960s, and his long involvement with the NAACP and the Freedom Fund. He closes by reciting two poems that have inspired him and express his philosophy.
Archival Collection
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The Ron Lawrence Collection of 1980 Reno Gay Rodeo Photographs consists of 87 35mm color slides of the 1980 Gay Rodeo in Reno, Nevada, presumably taken by Lawrence. Images show different events such as saddle bronc and barrel racing. Also included are views of spectators sitting in the stands, dancing, and preparing for events.
Archival Collection
Gay Pride 1999 at Sunset Park; Photographer: Dennis McBride. (5-8-99)
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