Oral history interview with Robert Bunker conducted by Kent Harmon on October 11, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview covers Mr. Bunker’s family life from Bunkerville to Las Vegas, Nevada. During the interview Robert discusses farming, religious life, and raising a family in Las Vegas. He also discusses the crash of Carole Lombard’s plane on Mount Potosi and describes McCarran Airport and Nellis Airport in the early days.
Oral history interview with Timothy Harney conducted by Sherrae Chesmore on February 26, 2006 for the Public School Principalship Oral History project. In his interview Harney discusses his experiences as public school teacher and principal in Southern Nevada. He also talks about what a typical day for a principal is like and what the expectation of teachers and principals are.
LaVerne Ligon was born in 1942 in Washington D.C. Around the age of nine, she started dancing at the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet, which started her career in dance. She took her first job as a professional dancer when she was eighteen with the Capitol Ballet Company. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1973. In 1974, she successfully auditioned for a touring cast of Hello, Dolly! After completing that show, Ligon performed in a number of productions in Las Vegas, including Hallelujah Hollywood and Jubilee. She retired from dancing in the early 1980s after sustaining an injury and she opened the Simba Talent Agency, a dance school for at-risk youth. She also worked for Family Services, but is now retired. She continues to work on projects with the Simba Talent Agency. BJ Thomas was born in 1935 in Plain Dealing, Louisiana. He moved to Las Vegas in 1968 after working for the Post Office in San Francisco. He worked a number of jobs for two years before beginning to pursue work as a stage hand. Thomas worked for shows at the Tropicana and Caesars Palace. He is currently retired. Leonard Polk Jr. was born in 1948 in Monroe, Louisiana. He and his mother moved to Las Vegas in 1949 when he was just two months old. His father worked on the Hoover Dam. Polk grew up in West Las Vegas and remembers the movement to integrate the schools in the city. As a young adult, he joined the Marines and served a tour of duty in Vietnam. Polk began to work for shows in Las Vegas after he finished his military career. He worked for the Aladdin Baghdad Theater and for the MGM Grand Hotel. He is currently retired, but remains active with the First African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Oral history interview with Priscilla Alexander conducted by Norman Vallata on 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Alexander was born in Southern California, and in approximately 1952 Alexander relocated to Nevada with her aunt and her uncle who worked in the gambling industry. During the interview Alexander discusses gambling ships in Southern California, early above-ground atomic testing, Nevada’s gambling industry, buffets in the early days on the Las Vegas Strip, and working for Howard Hughes.
Oral history interview with Olivia Meneses conducted by Elsa Lopez and Barbara Tabach on September 18, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Olivia Meneses describes growing up in Mexico City and attending la Universidad Iberoamericana during the 1968 student movement that culminated in the Tlatelolco massacre. She discusses migrating to the United States in 1983 and moving to Las Vegas in 1985, where she began teaching Spanish to kindergarten students.
Oral history interview with Lois Cox conducted by Mitch Cox on March 18, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lois Cox discusses her experiences growing up in and living in Nevada. Cox first discusses her family background, growing up Basque, and her educational and employment backgrounds. She then describes her career in the Clark County School District and the changes in school and student activities over time.
Katherine D. Beal interviews truck driver and fireman Wesley Troy Adams (b. 1930) at his home in Henderson, Nevada. Born in Modena, Utah, Adams relocated to Nevada in 1959. Adams discusses LDS church organization and affiliation, celebrations in Caliente, Pioche, and Panaca. Also during the interview, Adams offers insight into raising a family in Southern Nevada, Bottle House in Pittman, atomic testing, and shares his philosophical views on life. Adams wife is also present during the interview.
Oral history interview with Bob Campagna conducted by Kathleen Neumann on March 17, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Bob (Bobby) Campagna (b. September 18, 1950 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania) talks about the history of Nevada. During the interview, Bobby discusses hotels, schools, city recreation, and Lorenzi Park. He also describes relocating to Las Vegas, his goals in life, and his life in Nevada.