Oral history interview with Donald Beagle conducted by Michael Clibon in 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During this oral history interview, Beagle discusses his upbringing in Wyoming, being stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, and working for J.A Tiberti Construction Company. Mr. Beagle’s wife, Mrs. Beagle is also present during the interview, and adds her input on the topic of raising a family in Nevada.
Oral history interview with Raya Meron conducted by Claytee D. White on July 14, 2014 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Meron discusses her upbringing in Israel, moving to Istanbul with her husband, and immigrating to Canada after their divorce. Meron also talks about her career as a showgirl in Las Vegas, Nevada, including being in the Vive les Girls road show in 1965. She then discusses her involvement in helping Cambodian refugees.
Oral history interview with Frederic Apcar conducted by Nancy Hardy on July 19, 2003 for the Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Apcar describes his birth and early life in Paris, France, his parents' divorce, working from a young age, and, at the age of sixteen learning to dance ballet and tap. He talks about his first dancing job at the Folies Bergere in Paris, going on tour for several years with Josephine Baker, and on his return to Paris, dancing with the Lido before signing a contract for a three-month job at the Copacabana in New York City, New York. He then discusses his move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1959, where he produced the Las Vegas Les Folies Bergere, Vive les Girls with Ron Lewis, and Casino de Paris. He also talks about Donn Arden as the other major show producer on the Strip during this period.
Oral history interview with Gene Collins conducted by Claytee White on August 31, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Gene Collins speaks about how his family lived in West Las Vegas, Nevada, which at the time was a thriving community where African Americans owned their own businesses. Gene talked about how the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. led to a riot and how it inspired him to run for state assemblyman where he was instrumental in getting the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday bill to pass. He spoke about his time as the president of the Las Vegas National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) where he addressed the lack of African Americans in the gaming industry in addition to filing the largest equal employment opportunity commission suit filed in the state of Nevada against the Mirage Hotel and Casino.
Oral history interview with Dr. Jacob Paz conducted by Claytee D. White on September 15, 2014 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Paz discusses growing up in Israel and obtaining a green card to attend New York University in 1974. He then talks about his sense of community within the Jewish part of Las Vegas, Nevada and his affirmations on the Holocaust.
Oral history interview with Dorothy Kelsey conducted by James M. Greene on January 20, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview covers the early days of Nelson, Searchlight, and Las Vegas, Nevada, as Kelsey offers an in-depth personal narrative on the life of a local. The interview concludes with a discussion on hotels and casinos.
Oral history interview with Stanley Goldstein conducted by Carol A. Semendoff on October 25, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview covers Goldstein’s personal historical profile as a Las Vegas, Nevada resident. Also during this interview, Goldstein discusses the Strip, gambling, prostitution, and the history of the major casinos.
Michael E. Kulwin interviews co-worker Charles A. Bennett (b. 1914) at his home. Bennett discusses early gaming figures, real estate, Howard Hughes, and casino development. Bennett also weighs in on the Carol Lombard plane crash tragedy, and the early atomic bomb tests conducted in Nevada.