Oral history interview with Valma Alvarez von Holt conducted by Claytee D. White on February 06, 2018 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, von Holt discusses her early life and arriving to Pahrump, Nevada in 1994. She talks about her interest in amateur radio, raising horses, and purchasing forty acres of land. Von Holt recalls building a farm and her involvement in launching a local women’s group. Lastly, von Holt discusses the role women had during World War II and radio broadcasting during that time.
The David Donovan Collection on Hydrology and Geology (1911-2011) is comprised of the research collected by former Las Vegas Valley Water District employee, David Donovan, about groundwater, hydrology, minerals, and geology in Nevada, as well as the surrounding areas of California, Arizona, and Utah. Included are reports, professional papers, maps, and books.
The Paris, France Show Programs Collection (1950-2000) is comprised of publicity print materials of the following cabaret music halls and burlesque clubs in Paris, France: Alcazar de Paris, Casino de Paris, Folies-Bergère, Le Lido de Paris, and Moulin Rouge Paris. The collection includes programs, advertising posters, fliers, long playing record albums, photograph slides, and restaurant menus. This material was formerly known as the International Show Programs Collection.
Oral history interview with Ethel S. Hatch conducted by P. Kohlman on November 24, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview covers the history of Las Vegas from 1939 to 1975. Mrs. Hatch also talks about ranching in Nevada, Rex Bell, development on the Strip, the first hotels, and early local shopping culture. The interview concludes with discussion surrounding tree-lined streets, the Helldorado Club, and Fremont Street.
Oral history interview with Judith Lee Johnson Jones conducted by Claytee D. White on February 22, 2007 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Johnson Jones discusses winning a contest that allowed her to be a showgirl at the Sands Hotel and Casino when she was seventeen, receiving a college degree in Houston, Texas, and performing in the Elvis movie “Viva Las Vegas.” She also talks about her twenty-nine-year career in education.
Oral history interview with Lee H. Lisby conducted by Glen E. Davis on July 10, 1975; Rita O'Brien on April 10, 1978; and Elizabeth Patrick on May 10, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In 1942, Lisby moved from Tallulah, Louisiana to Las Vegas, Nevada. Lisby talks about living conditions and work opportunities for African-Americans in Las Vegas.
Oral history interview with Jacqueline MacFarlane conducted by Claytee D. White on February 04, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Jacqueline MacFarlane discusses her early childhood in Las Vegas, Nevada, her move to rural Nevada because of the Great Depression, her move back to Las Vegas, and meeting her husband David MacFarlane, an Air Force Cadet, at the Nellis Air force Base. She then discusses family life, Las Vegas in the 1950s and 1960s, and the various jobs she held on the Las Vegas Strip.
Oral history interview with Gloria Freeman Dell conducted by Claytee D. White on April 05, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Dell discusses her life as a Las Vegas, Nevada showgirl and her experiences in the entertainment industry. She describes working at the Flamingo Hotel and tells several anecdotes about prominent entertainers she met or performed with, including Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald. Dell also discusses living in a barracks specifically for showgirls, being pursued romantically by Howard Hughes, and concludes the interview by singing a song from one of her former acts.
Oral history interview with Harriet Barlow conducted by Elsha Harris-Tolanda on April 27, 2015 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Barlow discusses her personal history and growing up in Robbins, Illinois. She talks about her education, discrimination in schools, and the process of school integration. Barlow then recalls her first impressions of Las Vegas, Nevada and her employment at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Lastly, Barlow describes going through graduate school as an African American and explains why conversations about race relations can be difficult.
Oral history interview with Charles Roland conducted by Claytee D. White on August 16, 2012 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Roland begins by describing why his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1952 and attending Las Vegas High School. He discusses the African American community in Las Vegas, working in a restaurant called Sill's Drive-In, and his father, who opened the Hamburger Heaven restaurants. Roland also discusses race relations in Las Vegas prior to integration, the Binion family, and how Las Vegas has changed.