Terry Miller-Newcomb was born at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her grandparents on both sides were Nevada residents, and her mother and father were born in Reno and McGill, respectively. Her younger sister Linda was born at Sunrise Hospital shortly after it opened. Terry vividly remembers the way Vegas was in the '50s, '60s, and '70s. Las Vegas was very small in the '50s, and one of the town's boundaries was Tropicana Avenue. Beyond that was dirt road and desert. Terry and her sister and friends rode horses out in that area. Terry's father, Chub Drakulich, taught drafting and Phys Ed and coached the basketball team at Rancho High School from 1955 to 1958. Her mother, Theresa Drakulich, was hired at the new Ruby S. Thomas Elementary School to teach kindergarten. Terry attended kindergarten through second grades at Tom Williams, and from third grade on went to Ruby Thomas E.S. Her junior high school years were spent at Orr Middle School, and she attended Valley High School through graduation. "Chub" Drakulich was hired at Southern Nevada University (now UNLV) in 1958 to start the Phys Ed program there. Terry remembers Frazier Hall and the old gym where she played on the gymnastics equipment while her father conducted basketball practice. Her parents would host a party every Christmas as part of the basketball Holiday Classic program. Terry chose to attend UNR after she graduated high school in 1974. She was hired at R&R Advertising in the summer of '78 and worked at the Reno office for two years. She then transferred to the Las Vegas office to work as account executive. She oversaw all advertising for Democrat and Republican campaigns, including road signs, radio and TV spots, and billboards. Between 1984 and 1987 Terry made several major changes in her life. She started a master's program in a totally new area, worked as a church administrator for an income, and was remarried. She finished her master's in 1987 and opened a private practice in marriage and family therapy in 1988, which she continues with today. Her oldest daughter is currently enrolled at UNLV on the Millennium Scholarship.

Martha Gould and Joan Kerschner have been instrumental in most phases of library development in Nevada - from the branch to the state library. Their stories are fascinating and cover the techniques of moving a physical library to installing massive computer systems. They became librarians as young women and worked their entire careers in the field. Their memories add depth and profound meaning to the work of librarians. Gould grew up in a small mill town on the Sugar River and attended the University of Michigan. A librarian at Dartmouth College gave her a job and then insisted that she return to school for a master's degree. She earned her MS in Library Science from Simmons College. Kerschner hails from the Midwest, growing up in Abe Lincoln country. As a young girl, she went into their little Carnegie Library to rest and to view photographs on the stereograph while in town shopping with her family. She attended college across the river at Kentucky Wesleyan College and then earned a master's in library science at Indiana University. Martha and Joan have lobbied and testified before assembly committees to help bring libraries in Nevada to their current standing. This interview is about serious work told by two women, one who became state librarian, who look back over their many accomplishments with laughter and great joy.

Part of the Nevada Test Site Oral History Project (MS-00818)

Part of the Nevada Test Site Oral History Project (MS-00818)

Part of the Nevada Test Site Oral History Project (MS-00818)