Oral history interview with Thalia Dondero conducted by Susan Scott on March 18, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Dondero first speaks about her background and the circumstances which led her to move to Las Vegas, Nevada. She also talks about her children, her work with the Parent-Teacher Association, and her service with the Nevada State Park Commission. She also describes the development of the Las Vegas Strip, her involvement in various organizations, her consideration in running for governor, and some of the topics she handled as a commissioner for the county.
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 interviews with Lucille Matyas conducted by Irene Rostine on November 18, 2010 and December 02, 2010 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Matyas opens her interview by discussing her family's move to Las Vegas, Nevada and her mother's turbulent marriage to a Las Vegas constable in 1935. She then describes working at the phone company after school to avoid the dangers of her home life. She discusses learning to repair switchboards, saving equipment parts during wartime rationing, and listening in to the private conversations of repairmen. Matyas then describes family gatherings in Ohio before her family's move to Nevada. She later returns to talking about working at the telephone company and describes the issues customers had with party lines and the lack of telephone lines to serve the growing population of Las Vegas. Matyas ends her interviews discussing other memorable experiences she had working at the telephone company.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Carolyn G. and Oscar B. Goodman conducted by Claytee D. White on October 18, 2014 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In this interview, Carolyn G. and Oscar B. Goodman discuss their early childhoods and education. They tell the story of their marriage, family life, and careers. The Goodmans go into further detail on the growth of Las Vegas, Nevada as a community as well as a tourist destination.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Christie Young conducted by Dennis McBride on October 18, 1998 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In the interview, Young talks about her early life in Reno, Nevada and her experiences with race and sexuality during this time. She then describes attending University of Nevada, Reno in 1974, getting pregnant, having an abortion, and the social implications of abortions. Young recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1979 to study anthropology at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, learning about gay culture, and attending the Metropolitan Community Church. She then explains joining gay rights organizations as a straight woman, gay rights activism in the 1980s and 1990s, and stories of individuals within the Las Vegas gay community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Joan Swift conducted by Sue Peterson on March 18, 2004, March 25, 2004, and June 22, 2004 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Swift discusses life in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1940s and 1950s. Swift begins the interview by describing her upbringing in the Basic townsite and Boulder City, Nevada, attending Basic High School, and life in Southern Nevada during World War II. She then discusses working in the Clark County Recorder's office, explaining her job duties and what function the office served for the county. Swift continues, talking about recreation activities at the time, including visiting the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip and the Helldorado Parades. Swift discusses nuclear weapons testing at the Nevada Test Site and her career as the Clark County recorder. Lastly, she describes her thoughts on the future of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Carmen Mahan conducted by Nathalie Martinez and Barbara Tabach on November 18, 2019 and August 19, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Carmen discusses her personal history growing up in Barranquilla, Colombia and her professional aspirations in her present work; she is the founder of the Colombian Association of Nevada, a former member of the Professional Latina Women organization in Las Vegas, and has worked with Senator Harry Reid as a representative of the Colombian community related to voting rights and access. Subjects discussed include: Colombian Association of Nevada; National Hispanic Leadership Summit
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gregory Crawford conducted by Claytee D. White on August 18, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Gregory shares his background growing up in Los Angeles, California and the influence that music had on his young life. He talks about his employment history working nearly three decades for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' University Libraries and his role in acquiring academic materials. Gregory also discusses his "foodie" hobby, favorite eateries, and continued interest in music. Subjects discussed include: Seafood City; Farmer Brothers.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lloyd Bell (born 1925 in Los Angeles) conducted by Joseph Butner on September 18, 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lloyd discusses the challenges of policing Las Vegas, Nevada where the population includes both permanent residents and tourists, and he mentions the issue of drug and narcotics addiction in the city as it relates to crime. Lloyd then talks about the development and growth of Las Vegas, as well as the environmental and social changes in the city. The interview then shifts to a discussion on the significance of legal gambling in Las Vegas, which then moves to a related discussion on the existence of organized crime in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sherrill L. Ware conducted by Lawrence R. Gross on March 18, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Ware begins by discussing his service in the United States Navy stationed at Lake Mead before working as a gun manufacturer in Henderson, Nevada. He describes his experience with firearms, including participating in shooting competitions and hunting. Ware talks about life in Las Vegas, Nevada, how the city changed over time, and his career as an operating engineer. Ware also talks about labor unions and the difficulties they face from the companies they worked within, as well as mining in Nevada.
Archival Collection
