Oral history interview with David Becker conducted by Claytee D. White and Barbara Tabach on May 15, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Becker recalls being on a three-day assignment at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival across from the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thinking the gunfire was produced by malfunctioning equipment, he took photos of the scattering crowd. Moments later, in a now silent venue, he realized he captured a horrific massacre. Becker recalls photographing people leaving the venue as they performed acts of heroism, helping the fallen or the slow to reach safety. He discusses how difficult it is to comprehend the acts of that night, and how his photojournalist instincts allowed him to capture such devastating images.
I've known Christie Young for many years and was grateful she agreed to be interviewed for the Las Vegas Gay Archives Oral History Project. Not only is she frank in what she says, but her background as a researcher in sexual issues and as a straight woman involved in the gay community give her a unique perspective. Ancillary to her donation of this interview transcript to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Christie has generously donated her personal journals which detail more than a decade of her life including the years she worked with Las Vegas's gay community . Christie shares the project's concern that documentation of the gay community is ephemeral and vanishes rapidly; her determination that her contribution to that community be preserved greatly enriches our knowledge and will benefit future scholars.
On February 27, 1979, Cindy Gaylor interviewed engineering aid accountant, Laura Kelly (born December 31st, 1928 in Silverton, Colorado) in her home in Boulder City, Nevada. The two discuss Kelly’s reasons for moving, as well as her early life in Boulder City. They also discuss Nellis Air Force Base, as well as local politics. The interview concludes with a discussion of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Southern Nevada, during the Great Depression.
The Edythe and Lloyd Katz papers (1934-2002) provide a glimpse of the social, religious, and educational contributions they made to the community of Las Vegas, Nevada. Materials include photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and awards dating from 1934 to 2002.
Oral history interview with Lauren M. Brown conducted by Claytee D. White on February 21, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Lauren M. Brown discusses her history with Las Vegas, Nevada, starting from when she moved to the city in 1997. She describes her experience as one of the many who stood in line to donate blood on October 2, 2017, the day after the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting. Brown talks about what stood out on that day, including the overwhelming amount of people waiting to donate blood and the people who brought drinks and pastries for those waiting. She speaks about how that day showed her the heart of Las Vegas and changed her perspective of the city. Brown also discusses her correspondence with the Healing Garden to give ideas for the design of a permanent memorial for the tragedy.
Narrator affiliation: Western Shoshone Property Owner under Treaty Access note: Audio temporarily sealed. May not quote in any form without written permission from interviewee