Oral history interview with Rosemary Vassiliadis conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee White on April 12, 2017 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Vassiliadis discusses her career as a budget analyst in Las Vegas, Nevada and as the first female Director of Aviation at the McCarran Airport. She also discusses managing the airport in the days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Bob Coffin conducted by Claytee D. White on January 29, 2010 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood Oral History Project. Bob Coffin discusses arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1951 and moving his family to the John S. Park Neighborhood in 1960. He discusses working as a janitor at the Nevada Test Site and as a journalist for Las Vegas Review Journal. He also discusses being elected to the Nevada State Assembly in 1982 and to the State Senate in 1986.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dr. Michael S. Robison conducted by Harmony Ayala on November 24, 2003 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Robison reflects upon his career as a teacher and administrator with Nevada’s Douglas County School District. He discusses his experience as a principal, and also as Area and Region Superintendent. He discusses student cultural diversity within the school district and the state of Nevada, and his interactions with the Washoe tribe. He describes his personal approach to education, how his experiences shaped that approach over time, and how he interacted with students on a regular basis. He also shares his opinion on contemporary topics within schools such as overcrowding, vouchers, and violence, and offers suggestions for individuals interested in pursuing school administration.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ron Donoho conducted by Craig Brenner on February 28, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Donoho discusses the history of sheriffs in the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Donoho mentions various sheriffs that were his colleagues and the political dynamics during their leaderships. He also recalls a list of Southern Nevada police officers killed in the line of duty.
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 Magdalena Martinez conducted by Monserrath Hernandez and Barbara Tabach on April 4, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Magdalena Martinez recalls her childhood and growing up in Los Angeles, California. Martinez's parents are from Durango, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States in the 1970s. Martinez describes the generational differences that the women in her family faced and how the feminist movement of the 1970s did not resonate with women of color. Her family moved to Las Vegas in 1986 where she attended Bishop Gorman High School. After transferring to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) from community college and joining a student organization that would later become Student Organization of Latinxs, she became an early member of the Latino Youth Leadership Conference (LYLC) sponsored by the Latin Chamber of Commerce. Martinez describes how the LYLC has evolved over the years, and talks about her role in those changes. She discusses past work for CSN, NSHE, and currently is the Director of Education Programs with the Lincy Institute.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Eva G. Simmons conducted by Khary D. Black on May 04, 2004 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Simmons reflects upon her 27 years as an administrator with Nevada’s Clark County School District (CCSD). She describes the process by which she became a teacher and eventually an administrator, and discusses the significance of the Teacher Advisory Committee in the development of her philosophy of school administration. She discusses student ethics, corporal punishment, cultural diversity, and bilingual programs within the school district, in addition to challenges that she faced from public entities and parents.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Alice Wisdom conducted by Elizabeth Goodman on October 13, 2003 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Wisdom reflects upon her career as a teacher and administrator in Texas and Nevada. She describes the process by which she first became a teacher in Texas, and then the Bahamas in the 1970s. She then discusses how she was hired to teach in Nevada’s Clark County School District in 1979 before eventually being appointed as principal of various elementary and middle schools. She describes her approach to school administration and working relationships, and discusses colleagues who impacted her throughout her career.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ken Frejlach conducted by Chuck Williams on January 21, 2015 for the Friends of Red Rock Canyon in Nevada Oral History Project. Frejlach begins the interview by talking about his family life and how they started working on Oliver Ranch near Blue Diamond, Nevada. He describes their duties while working and the Carole Lombard plane crash site. Frejlach also talks about his mother's medical illness. He talks about his move the town of Blue Diamond, and describes his time there attending school. Lastly, he speaks more about the Oliver Ranch property.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Nick Perrone conducted by Claytee D. White on March 08, 2018 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Perrone discusses his family background and growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts. Perrone talks about working in a country club as a golf caddy, joining the United Stated Navy, and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1961. He recalls his employment for the Sands Hotel, becoming a bellman, and the influence of organized crime within the casino industry. Perrone describes transferring to Caesars Palace, working closely with celebrities, and changes in the casino industry. Lastly, Perrone discusses the October 1 shooting.
Archival Collection