Oral history interview with Jerry LeFors conducted by an unknown interviewer between approximately 2000-2008 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, LeFors talks at length about his experiences as an Army Air Corps pilot during World War II. He describes his education, upbringing, music education, and early interest in aviation. He then discusses his military flight training and assignment as a co-pilot on a B-17 bomber crew headed for Europe. He also talks about his subsequent civilian career as a contractor in California and his efforts to break into the music business in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as his continued interest in recording music since his retirement to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1999.
Oral history interview with Helen Mortenson conducted by Claytee D. White on May 06, 2014 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Mortenson discusses Cygnus Scientific, a consultation firm specializing in nuclear, radiological, and environmental issues. She goes on to describe the Ice Age Park Foundation, managing her husband’s political campaign, and her archaeological pursuits. Later, Mortenson discusses her discovery of a Shasta ground sloth at Devils Peak, Nevada in 1990.
Oral history interview with Pete Berger conducted by David Schwartz on June 14, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Pete Berger discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955 after serving in the United States Air Force in California. He talks about his career working as a pit boss at over a dozen Las Vegas casinos , other positions he held, and the people he met throughout his career.
Oral history interview with Zoe Albright conducted by Barbara Tabach on October 16, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Albright describes her work as a volunteer for the Red Cross and helping comfort those who came into the Metro Police Station after the 1 October shooting, searching for family and friends who were present at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. In addition to being a Red Cross volunteer, Albright is also a personal trainer, nutrition consultant and resident of Las Vegas since 1988.
Oral history interview with Talia Levanon conducted by Barbara Tabach on January 21, 2019 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Levanon discusses her role as the Director of Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC), an organization that provides trauma care and counseling in Israel and around the world. She recalls that three weeks after the 1 October shooting, she and a team from ITC arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada to offer training and support and worked closely with Las Vegas Metro Police Department. Digital audio available.
Oral history interview with Dean Otteson conducted by Felicia McCabe on November 04, 2008 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Otteson reflects upon his experiences as a teacher and administrator in Alaska and with the Department of Defense Dependent Schools. He discusses his experiences working with vocational training, working with assistant principals, and challenges that he faced.
A special note: This interview was conducted in two parts before students of the UNLV College of Hotel Administration. Mr. Dazzio serves as a member of the college's International Advisory Board. During the interview he shares stories of his path from the son of an early dealer to being twenty-something working at the Stardust with Al Sachs and Frank Rosenthal to being a cofounder of R&R Global Hospitality. It was unlikely that Russ Dazzio's father had any idea of what he was bringing his young family into when he moved to Las Vegas from Pueblo, Colorado and became a dealer in the early 1950s. A few months afterwards, five-year-old Russ and his mother stepped off the Union Pacific train to join him. They walked down Fremont Street, "a tree lined horseshoe sidewalk", to the casino where his father dealt cards. No minors were allowed, so young Russ sipped an ice cold Coke and waited. From that point on, Russ's life became entwined with the growth and evolution of Las Vegas. After graduating from Western High School in 1968, Russ became one of the first students of the Hotel College at UNLV (then Southern Nevada). His studies were interrupted by enlisting in the Army during the Vietnam War, but he returned to his studies. During this interview he recalls his career path from a thirteen-year-old bus boy at the Thunderbird Hotel for $1.25 an hour to a finding himself working closely with Stardust executives Al Sachs and Frank Rosenthal while in his early 20s. He garnered a wealth of experiences in his jump from the Strip to an international chain of successful hotels The interview is sprinkled with humorous stories and sage advice from a successful hotel operator for the ITT Sheraton chain and founding partner of R&R Global Hospitality, a third party management firm (started in 1985). This is a business story filled with the ups and downs caused by two recessions in the 1980s. Today Russ is ever-busy with projects underway. He maintains a close relationship with UNLV's Hotel College, serving on the International Advisory Board and is proud of being an alumnus.
Oral history interview with Clifford Jones conducted by an unknown collector in the year 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Jones discusses his life in Southern Nevada, his educational background, and his involvement in Nevada politics. Jones also talks about the social and environmental changes that occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada since the 1930s.
Oral history interviews with Leona Hinton conducted by Irene Rostine on September 27, 1995, October 31, 1995, and November 18, 1995 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN). In her interviews Hinton discusses working for Rheem Manufacturing Company in Henderson, Nevada during World War II. She describes the challenges of being a working mother, the housing issues in Henderson, and attending Mormon church services. Hinton also discusses her husband's military and firefighter career. Finally, she describes wages, working conditions, and specifics about her work at the Rheem Manufacturing plant.
Oral history interview with Charles A. Baumert conducted by James M. Greene on October 31, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Bauret discusses the Hoover Dam construction, Boulder City, Nevada history, and the closing of Six Companies Inc. operations at Hoover Dam.