Series I. Personal Papers, photographs, and designs
Mixed Content
Oral history interview with Todd Jones conducted by Claytee White on January 07, 2010 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park neighborhood Oral History Project. Jones discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1991 to become a professor of philosophy at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and buying a home in the John S. Park Neighborhood.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Barbara Davis conducted by Joanne Goodwin on December 18, 1996 and March 25, 1997 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Davis opens her interviews by discussing her audition for the Folies Bergere as a dancer with limited experience. Davis describes working with the Folies Bergere as a touring showgirl in the 1940s. She discusses touring the United States in the Folies Bergere, touring South America for three years, and going to college at night while performing during the day. Davis then talks about the city of Reno, Nevada and working as a showgirl there. Davis addresses common rumors about showgirls, such as being involved in prostitution or being addicted to gambling. She then discusses her interest in education in her later years including earning various post graduate degrees. Davis ends her interview with a discussion on classic entertainment of the 1940s, including vaudeville and entertainment hotspots of the time.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Donald Edward Borsack conducted by Stephen Compan on March 02, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During this interview Borsack discusses the growth of Nevada, and sports and recreation in the early days, including Nevada’s first professional baseball team.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Hanford Searl conducted by Dennis McBride on November 02, 1996 for the Las Vegas Gay Archives Oral History Project. Searl discusses being gay and the struggles he faced in religion and university before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Donna Silva conducted by Claytee D. White on February 6, 2023 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Silva recalls her childhood living in Los Angeles, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Valdosta, Georgia; and Japan. When her family settled in Las Vegas, her family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but Silva later left the organization as a teenager. Throughout the interview, Silva recalls memories of the Rolling Stones, Steve Wynn, Elvis, and doing lighting work throughout the city as the first female to join the stagehand's union. Silva's work in the hotel/casino industry provides insight in work on the casino floor and behind the curtains of entertainment venues. She worked as a cocktail waitress, cigarette girl, and then backstage as a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Her passion later turned to working with the Rape Crisis Center, where Silva has acquired training that allows her to go to hospitals to assist patients.
Archival Collection
Image
Oral history interview with Joan Olson Griffith conducted by Sharee Schrader on April 12, 2005 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. Griffith begins by discussing why she moved to Blue Diamond, Nevada with her family due to job opportunities at the Blue Diamond Plant, where they manufactured wallboard, in 1956. She describes life in Blue Diamond and rural Nevada, the education available in the village, and Blue Diamond's proximity to Bonnie Springs Ranch and structures made for the filming of Western themed media. Griffith concludes by discussing how Blue Diamond has changed since the 1950s and being a Sunday school teacher for eighteen years.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Dennis McBride conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on various dates in March, April, and May 2023 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. McBride goes into detail in this 4-session interview and covers a wide variety of topics, including: the history of Boulder City, working at various cultural institutions in Las Vegas, the evolution of the LGBTQ+ community in Las Vegas, researching his own history and publishing a book, and local advocacy groups. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Katherine M. Joseph conducted by Claytee D. White on October 25, 2004 and September 05, 2007 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Joseph discusses dancing in Paris, France with Josephine Baker and working at the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino during its heyday. Joseph also discusses race segregation in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s and of the burgeoning and bustling African-American communities and neighborhoods.
Archival Collection