Oral history interview with Francis E. Hughes conducted by Mark E. French on February 23, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Hughes discusses the general lifestyle, culture, and family members that were amongst the first settlers of the Mesquite, Nevada area.
The Howard Hughes Public Relations Reference Files (1931-1997) were compiled by Richard "Dick" Hannah, vice-president of the Los Angeles public relations firm Carl Byoir & Associates, which was hired to direct public relations for Hughes’ companies. The collection is primarily composed of newspaper clippings organized into reference files. A significant number of the files contain articles about Howard Hughes’ personal life, the operations of his companies, and legal and political disputes involving Hughes and his companies. The files also document a range of other subjects related to his business ventures, including aviation, aerospace, defense industries, motion picture studios, film stars, communism in Hollywood, and the House on Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Later in life Hughes became obsessed with how he was being portrayed in the media. In addition to collecting magazine articles, newspaper clippings, transcripts, screenplays, and books that referenced him. He also collected newspaper clippings about the activities of print media outlets, columnists, radio-television stations, current and former employees, and competitors. The collection also contains newspaper clippings about Watergate, organized crime, gambling, and Las Vegas and contains press releases, correspondence and records generated by Carl Byoir & Associates as well as Rosemont Enterprise, Inc.
Howard Hughes (right) and Earl Martyn inside of the HK-1, Hughes Flying Boat, which was near completion on Terminal Island in the Los Angeles Harbor. The Hughes Flying Boat, also called the Spruce Goose, was the largest plane in the world.
Oral history interview with Allison and Hugh Wallace conducted by Claytee D. White on March 17, 2006 for the Hurricane Katrina Survivors in Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, the Wallaces relate their upbringing, families, and educational attainments. Later, they talk about their experiences with Hurricane Katrina, evacuating and then returning to find their neighborhood overrun with looters and their home severely damaged by the flooding. They discuss the extreme difficulty they faced finding money and resources as they faced loss of employment, housing, and access to their bank accounts. They also describe the emergency relief efforts of various state, national, and federal agencies. Finally, they relate that these difficulties led to their decision to move to Las Vegas, Nevada and comment on the difficulty of maintaining contact with friends and colleagues who also left Louisiana.
Oral history interview with Mark Hall-Patton conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White on August 25, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Hall-Patton discusses coming to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1993, creating the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum, and becoming a director for Clark County Museums in 2008, just when the economic downturn caused large layoffs and a drop in visitor numbers. He also talks about how joining the television show Pawn Stars in 2009 significantly raised visitor numbers and increased visibility of museums all over the Las Vegas Valley.