Oral history interview with Marilyn Martin conducted by Irene Rostine on October 09, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN). Martin opens her interview by discussing moving to Nevada in 1963 with her husband and two small children. Martin describes her career with the Southern Nevada Telephone company as a customer service representative. Martin compares the requirements to work for the phone company in New York state with the lesser requirements of Nevada. Martin goes on to discuss her training, salary, and her overall experiences at the telephone company.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Shirley Helmick conducted by Lyle Helmick on May 12, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Helmick discusses her personal history, occupational history, and reasons for moving to Nevada. She also explains events that the United Methodist Church hosts.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Betty Garren conducted by Joyce Marshall on May 02, 1997 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Garren opens her interview by discussing her young adult life in California. She then talks about her first night out in Las Vegas, Nevada. Garren discusses her experiences as an executive secretary at the Last Frontier and the types of jobs available to women in casinos. Garren also describes the amenities available at the Last Frontier and the El Rancho Vegas. Garren goes on to talk about her experiences and memories of the Last Frontier Hotel in detail.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Thomas Cooper conducted by Irene Rostine on August 04, 2011 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN). Cooper begins his interview by describing his journey from Dublin, Ireland to Ohio, California, and eventually Las Vegas, Nevada to work for the Centel Telephone Company and Centel Business Systems. Cooper explains his job responsibilities and talks about what phone companies and telecom systems were like in the 1950s. Cooper goes into detail about the tools and equipment needed to install telecom systems in hotels and businesses. He also talks about the technology that made manual operators obsolete.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Maynard Sloate conducted by Joyce Moore on June 12, 2007 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. In this interview, Sloate discusses his early life in Los Angeles, California and his career as a jazz drummer. He remembers performing at the Tropicana, the Union Plaza, and becoming an entertainment director for production shows. Sloate describes the increases in price to attend a show in Las Vegas, and the use of taped music instead of live musicians. Lastly, Sloate talks about the challenges in making a career as a musician.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Modestina Rivera conducted by Elsa Lopez and Barbara Tabach on February 05, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Modestina Rivera starts her interview by describing her childhood in the Dominican Republic. She shares memories of her large family and their family history. Rivera recalls the political climate of the Dominican Republic at the time and shares how it affected her family. While in university, Modestina began experimenting with the fine arts, which would later become an important part of her career. She moved to New York in 1984 and began her work as an interviewer and producer. She discusses her career and how it brought her to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2001. Rivera also shares her artistic career highlights and her passion for painting.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lawrence Hadland conducted by Lorraine Owens on February 02, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Hadland offers insights into local business, family life, jobs, and the overall community of Las Vegas, Nevada. He also discusses the military and the local airport.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Don Perry conducted by Karen Croteau on March 05, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Perry discusses his experiences with Southern Paiute Native Americans on their reservation in southern Nevada. Perry describes the traditions and lifestyle of the Paiutes, and the living conditions on their reservation. Perry shares several short anecdotes of his interactions with the Paiutes, as well as stories he heard on the reservation.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Erma O. Godbey conducted by Dennis McBride on November 07, 1986 and November 08, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. In these interviews, Godbey discusses her move from Oatman, Arizona to Needles, Nevada in 1931. She remembers the economic depression at the time, life in the desert before air conditioning or refrigerators, and her husband’s employment as a road paver. Godbey talks about living in the tent-city Ragtown (Williamsville) and moving to Boulder City, Nevada. Godbey describes early housing, the first school in Boulder City, and the money printed by Six Companies to use at their stores. Lastly, Godbey discusses the Boulder City 31ers and preserving the history of Boulder City.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Vernon Bostick conducted by Robert McCracken on January 19-20, 2000 and February 04, 2000 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Bostick opens his interviews by discussing his family history and upbringing in a company-owned town in Colorado. Bostick talks extensively about his life in Colorado, his interest in nature, and working on his family ranch. He then describes his forestry management job for the state of Washington. Bostick discusses how his work eventually took him out West, and why he opened a consulting firm to facilitate relations between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and ranchers. He then talks about how his son's success working at the Nevada Test Site convinced him to take a job there in the 1960s. Bostick then discusses a variety of environmental issues and law specific to Las Vegas, Nevada. Bostick ends his interview discussing his opinions about environmental legislation and management.
Archival Collection