Oral history interview with Burton Cohen conducted by Michael Geeser on November 14, 2005 for the I Remember When: Recollections from Las Vegas Jewish Leaders Oral History Project. He talks about his career as a casino executive, celebrities in Las Vegas, Nevada, the role of organized crime in the city, and about executives of other casinos. He also answers questions from the audience.
Archival Collection
On March 26, 1981, Matthew A. Carr interviewed Morgan Mills (b. July 27, 1914 in Grand Junction, Colorado) about his life in Boulder City, Nevada and his work at the Boulder (Hoover) Dam site. Mills speaks primarily about his time working on the dam as a mechanic with the United States Bureau of Reclamation, as a tourist guide with the Boulder City Tourist Bureau and as a musician in local bands. Moreover, Mills speaks about attending the University of Nevada, Reno and playing music there. Lastly, he talks about the Great Depression, how it affected Las Vegas and Boulder City, the development of different infrastructure and the speakeasies in Boulder City during the Prohibition era.
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Oral history interview with Mattie M. Wormwood conducted by Judy Williams on March 09, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Wormwood discusses growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also shares the changes Las Vegas went through during times of segregation and discrimination.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Michael Drakulich conducted by Christopher Zockoll on October 02, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Drakulich discusses his personal Las Vegas, Nevada history from 1955 to 1972, including his career as the Rancho High School basketball coach.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Nel Downing conducted by Scottie Rector in the 1970s for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Downing first talks about the first properties in the Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada area before talking about the forms of transportation available in Las Vegas. She also talks about her work with the Clark County Housing Authority, the development of Henderson, some of the early churches, and the beginnings of gambling in Henderson. She then discusses gambling, life in Nevada, the Helldorado parade, and inflation over time.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dennis Wilson conducted by Lisa Gioia-Acres on October 2, 2007 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. In this interview, Wilson discusses his early life in Arabi, Louisiana and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1971. He recalls playing a variety of woodwind instruments for Wayne Cochran, the C. C. Riders, and traveling across the United States during the 1970s. After traveling internationally for a brief period, Wilson returned to Las Vegas and began playing for bands in Las Vegas casinos. He recalls working on musicals such as Avenue Q, Spamalot, and Phantom of the Opera. Lastly, Wilson discusses teaching music as a paraprofessional at Johnson Junior High.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Andre "Brother Dre" King conducted by Claytee D. White on July 20, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, King recalls learning judo and wrestling at an early age. After spending ten years in prison for a burglary offense, he served an additional eleven years in facilities across the state. After twenty-one years in the system, King is now a nondenominational spiritual being and once he learned about the Healing Garden for 1 October victims, he went there daily, during and immediately after the construction. King has helped many survivors and has healed himself as well, through giving love, hugs, and spiritual inspiration.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Gilbert Yarchever conducted by Claytee White on April 03, 2006 and April 07, 2006 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Yarchever opens his interview by discussing his childhood in Pennsylvania and what growing up during the Depression was like. He then describes looking for employment and the discrimination he experienced for being Jewish. Yarchever then recalls his move to Washington, D.C. in December of 1939 and the atmosphere of the city at the brink of World War II. He describes his arrival in North Africa and how he helped smuggle Jews out of Eastern Europe and into Jerusalem for safety during the war. Yarchever talks about his Army service and his rescue from a sinking boat in the Suez Canal. Yarchever ends his interview with a discussion on why he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and his involvement in the local community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Allard Roen conducted by David G. Schwartz on October 31, 2003 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Roen talks about the history of the Desert Inn Hotel, the Desert Inn Country Club, and the Desert Inn Golf Course and Tournament of Champions. He shares numerous stories and anecdotes about Las Vegas, Nevada casino-hotel figures, including Cecil Simmons, Morris "Moe" Dalitz, Wilbur Clark, and Howard Hughes. He also talks about the formation of the Nevada Resort Association, property development, and negotiating with labor unions and construction companies, including his 1960 work with the NAACP's James McMillan to eliminate racial segregation at the Desert Inn and Stardust hotels.
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Oral history interviews with Melvin Green conducted by Robin Fults on November 28 and December 1, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Green talks about growing up in Bonita, Louisiana and his education through college. He then talks about working for an architectural firm in Connecticut before being recruited to join a firm in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1986. He relates numerous stories about his childhood, discusses problems with discrimination and segregation in the South, and an example of discrimination from a Las Vegas furniture store in the late 1980s. He expands on his views of religion, spirituality, and politics, the importance of travel, of hard work, and commitment. He also gives examples of architectural projects that he has created.
Archival Collection