Search the Special Collections and Archives Portal
Search Results
Peg Crockett oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interview with Peg Crockett conducted by Claytee D. White on May 21, 2012 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Crockett begins by discussing her move to Las Vegas, Nevada as a child in 1937 with her family. Crockett then describes meeting her husband, George Crockett, the owner and operator of Alamo Field, known today as McCarran International Airport. Crockett chronicles earning her pilot's license at eighteen years old and operating the air field with her husband in the late 1940s. Crockett then recounts meeting Howard Hughes when he landed his plane at Alamo Field and his involvement both in Las Vegas and aviation. Lastly, Crockett talks about ongoing development and construction of new casinos in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Jane Heenan oral history interviews
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interviews with Jane Heenan conducted by Dennis McBride on June 21 and 28, and August 30, 2005 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In the interviews, Heenan begins by clarifying the vocabulary used within the transgender and queer communities for self-identification, comparing these terms with terms used in the medical and psychological fields. They then discusses the distinction between gender identity and sexual orientation. Next, Heenan recalls growing up and in Chicago, Illinois, coming out in the 1990s, and undergoing sex reassignment surgery. Lastly, they talk about arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1994, the Las Vegas transgender support and advocacy community, and Las Vegas transgender organizations.
Archival Collection
Ellen Knowlton oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interview with Ellen Knowlton conducted by Claytee D. White on August 13, 2018 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Knowlton discusses her family background and her career in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). She talks about criminal investigations she has been involved with, bank robberies, and the rise of white-collar crimes. Knowlton recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, her involvement with the opening of the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement (known as the Mob Museum), and ensuring accuracy on the role of law enforcement with the handling of organized crime. Lastly, Knowlton discusses the future of the museum.
Archival Collection
Betsy Rhodes oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interview with Betsy Rhodes conducted by Melinda McGeorge Thompson on February 24, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
Betsy Rhodes shares a brief personal history before discussing her move to Las Vegas with her husband Leonard in 1958. She talks about her husband's dental profession, her children, and life in the early 1960s in Las Vegas. Rhodes shares details of her volunteering work with the Junior League and Assistance League of Las Vegas, detailing the groups' evolving missions, member counts, and trials faced to raise funds.
Archival Collection
Eldon G. Cooper oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interview with Eldon G. Cooper conducted by Kamal Wilhelm on March 03, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Cooper first talks about his background and his eventual move to Las Vegas, Nevada before describing the recreational activities in which he and his family participated. He later describes the atomic testing, environmental changes, modes of transportation, social changes, and tourism in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Christian Chan oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interview with Christian Chan conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on May 06, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Chan begins by describing her childhood in Hong Kong and later moving to San Francisco, California with her family, then to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1965. She recalls attending Sunrise Acres and Roy Martin Middle School before graduating from Valley High School as valedictorian. In college, Chan attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and graduated with a degree in engineering. After college, she found work in the Las Vegas Valley Water District and became the first woman engineer. During her five years there, she excountered subtle sexism for the first time. Chan continues the interview by describing her work while she lived in California, as well as her years internationally living in the Philippines as well as Ecuador. Throughout the interview, Chan touches on topics ranging from identity, to her impressions of the different generations, discrimination, and the growth of Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Alice Brumage oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interview with Alice Brumage conducted by Claytee D. White on January 30, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Brumage discusses her upbringing in Boulder City, Nevada and the construction of the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam). She remembers her father’s involvement in the construction of the Dam, her parent’s membership in the Boulder City Rifle and Pistol Club, and the growth of Boulder City.
Archival Collection
Lubertha Johnson oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interview with Lubertha Johnson conducted by Perry Kaufman on April 17, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Johnson discusses segregation in businesses and throughout Las Vegas, Nevada. Johnson then recalls her involvement with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1940 and serving as president in the years 1953 and 1954.
Archival Collection
Judy Corbisiero oral history interviews
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interviews with Judy Corbisiero conducted by Dennis McBride on September 05, 2003; and April 21, July 02, and December 10, 2004 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In the interviews, Corbisiero recalls her early childhood in New York City, New York, coming out in the late 1970s, and meeting her then-partner, Janice Summers. She describes forming Summercor, Incorporated (a portmanteau of their last names) with Summers to produce women musicians, with a focus on lesbian artists, while living in New York. Corbisiero also talks about musicians she worked with, running political fundraisers during music events, and meeting her next partner, Gudrun Fonfa. She then explains moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with Fonfa in 1983 to promote women's music and culture in Las Vegas and throughout the West Coast.
Archival Collection
Barbara Davis oral history interviews
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interviews with Barbara Davis conducted by Joanne Goodwin on December 18, 1996 and March 25, 1997 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Davis opens her interviews by discussing her audition for the Folies Bergere as a dancer with limited experience. Davis describes working with the Folies Bergere as a touring showgirl in the 1940s. She discusses touring the United States in the Folies Bergere, touring South America for three years, and going to college at night while performing during the day. Davis then talks about the city of Reno, Nevada and working as a showgirl there. Davis addresses common rumors about showgirls, such as being involved in prostitution or being addicted to gambling. She then discusses her interest in education in her later years including earning various post graduate degrees. Davis ends her interview with a discussion on classic entertainment of the 1940s, including vaudeville and entertainment hotspots of the time.
Archival Collection