Oral history interview with John West conducted by Claytee D. White on August 10, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, West discusses his family background and arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1954. West describes his educational experiences in Las Vegas and his career as a clinical psychologist. He recalls his father’s career in medicine and becoming the first African American licensed medical doctor in Las Vegas. West then talks about attending entertainment events before race integration was introduced, and the voting patterns in West Las Vegas. Lastly, West discusses his father’s decision to remain living in West Las Vegas and operating his medical office there after integration.
The Frank Gagliardi Music Manuscript Collection (approximately 1964-1974) contains musical arrangements of standard Frank Sinatra songs, printed or photocopied with annotations. Each part is in its own folder, and each song is numbered. Frank Gagliardi performed as percussionist in Antonio Morelli's orchestra for the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he played for Frank Sinatra and other notable entertainers during the 1960s and 1970s.
Oral history interview with Delon Potter conducted by Eleanor Christoffersen on February 3, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this brief interview, Potter, a Mesquite, Nevada native, talks about his birth in 1909 and his move to Las Vegas in 1933. He describes the early town and some of the more notable inhabitants including "Pop" Squires, working at the Winterwood Ranch at the base of Sunrise Mountain, as a sheep herder near Kaolin, Nevada, and later as a construction worker at the Hoover Dam. After the war, Potter explains that he tried running his own ranch in Utah before moving back to Henderson, Nevada, working for U. S. Lime and trading horses throughout Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.
Oral history interview with Donna and Gail Andress conducted by Karen Schank on April 13, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
Donna and Gail Andress talk about their early lives and how they each came to live in North Las Vegas (Donna moved with her family from Los Angeles and Gail with his family from Arizona). They discuss city life in the 1930s, places they spent their time as children, their education, and how they met in high school. Donna and Gail recall their marriage and early years as a married couple living apart while Gail served in the Navy as a turret gunner. The couple discuss businesses that operated in the area and shared stories of raising their children in Las Vegas.
Oral history interview with Leo Dunbar, Harry Hall, Harold Wadman, Carl Merrill, and Mary Ann Merrill conducted by Dennis McBride on June 24, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. The interviewees discuss their early lives and families, moving to Nevada, and starting work on the Hoover Dam. They recall memories of living in Boulder City, Nevada during the Great Depression and beyond, and share information about the construction of the dam and the city as well as personal stories about their lives in Southern Nevada.
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.
Oral history interview with Kaweeda Adams conducted by Kim Kershaw on March 05, 2004 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Adams reflects upon her career as a teacher in Louisiana from the 1980s to the 1990s, and as a teacher and administrator with Nevada’s Clark County School District (CCSD) from the 1990s to the early 2000s. She discusses her upbringing, and how her upbringing influenced her pursuit of education. She describes the process by which she became a teacher and eventually administrator, and compares her experiences working in Louisiana and Nevada. She discusses how these experiences shaped her philosophy of education, as well as changes that she has observed in the students over time. She describes her regular job duties, as well as challenges that she faced as a school administrator such as teacher dismissal and evaluations.
The Nevada Watercolor Society Records (1969-2009) contain watercolor paintings and organizational records pertaining to the Nevada Watercolor Society, a non-profit organization that aims to promote watermedia painting and art appreciation. Organizational records contain materials including by-laws, articles of incorporation, newsletters, exhibit information, tax and financial records, receipts, photographs, negatives, and newspaper clippings. The collection also includes paintings by society members and newspaper clippings about art exhibitions and artists in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Patricia Becker Scrapbooks reflect the professional activities of "Patty" Becker from 1976 to 2013. Materials include photographs, awards, correspondence, and newspaper articles documenting Patricia Becker's career. Included are articles related to her appointment as the Executive Director of the UNLV International Gaming Institute in 2005 as well as a Harrah's Senior Executive Organization Chart from 1984 to 1993.
Maggie Arias-Petrel is a successful businessperson and philanthropist. Born in Quito, Ecuador in 1966, Maggie grew up during the Space Age, meeting astronauts through her father’s work as a NASA engineer. Her mother worked as a teacher in an all-girls school. When she was a teenager, Maggie visited her aunt in California and decided to stay in the U.S. She eventually returned to Ecuador and helped her mother run her toy store business, helping her manage multiple locations. Her entrepreneurship flourished as she helped the family business grow into a successful enterprise. Despite the success in her home country, Maggie always dreamed of coming back and living in the U.S. When her family returned, they settled in Las Vegas in 1991. Through her entrepreneurship, Maggie helped many doctors set up their practices, and began her own consulting business, Global Professional Consulting. Today, her expertise includes over 20 years of medical practice management, marketing and advertising for medical and legal, business development and consulting experience. Maggie is also the Chairwoman of the Executive Board of Directors of the Latin Chamber of Commerce of Nevada. She is responsible for changing the direction of the Chamber and helping it become what it is today. She is also the director of the Señoras of Excellence, a philanthropic organization that focuses on raising funds to help Latino students attend college. They have awarded thousands of dollars in scholarship funds to students across the Las Vegas Valley. Because of her work in the medical field, Maggie understands the importance of affordable health care and accessibility. During the Obama Administration, she was part of Senator Harry Reid’s promotion team for the Affordable Health Care Act. She also worked with Governor Jim Gibbons doing international research work in Mexico, and was invited to the White House for the Cinco de Mayo celebration through the U.S. Hispanic Chamber and the Latino Coalition. Maggie is also responsible for the partnership between the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, one of the most prestigious and accomplished institutions of higher education in Mexico, St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, and the Nevada System of Higher Education to develop nursing programs with direct collaboration from UAG to increase the number of bilingual-bicultural medical professionals in Nevada. She is the director for the Workforce Connections of Nevada Board and the Dignity HealthCare - St. Rose Dominican Hospital Board of Directors. Maggie has also received numerous accolades and awards such as the Community Service Award from the Latin Chamber of Commerce, Señoras of Excellence Award given to woman who excel in their professions, the Excellence in Advocacy Award by The Colors of Lupus Foundation, and the “Woman in Business” Award by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. In 2011, she was named one of the ten most influential Hispanics in the city by the Las Vegas Business Press. She is also one of the community leaders featured in the Las Vegas Latino Leaders Inaugural Edition Book. Maggie attended Los Angeles Mission College and Central University of Ecuador. She lives in Green Valley with her two sons.