Oral history interview with Paulette Canty conducted by Claytee White on July 02, 1998 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Canty opens her interview by discussing her life in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1960s. Canty talks about being one of the first students to be integrated in the Las Vegas school system. She discusses how the Clark County School District prepared African American and white students for integration. She describes how integration was positive for herself, but that it was a negative experience for her sister and other African American students. Canty also talks about how African American children were raised at the time, discussing the values instilled in boys versus girls. She also talks about her experience working in the gaming industry including as a manager at Bally's Hotel and Casino. She discusses the treatment of African American employees by the gaming industry and labor unions.
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Oral history interview with Stuart Mason conducted by Claytee White on November 09, 2006 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Mason discusses his company, Taylor Construction, and gives an overview of the hotels the company has built and background information about them. He then describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to build Caesars Palace in 1964 and how the Civil Rights Movement impacted the construction scene. He then talks about old and new building projects, and the differences between being his own boss and working for someone else.
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Oral history interviews with Diana Bennett conducted by Claytee D. White on February 4, 2022 and April 16, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In these interviews, Bennett discusses growing up as the daughter of William "Bill" Bennett, the visionary behind Circus Circus, Excalibur, Luxor, and the Sahara hotels. She recalls no one hiring her after dropping out of Arizona State University to pursue her passion of entering the gaming industry. Finally, Dick Thomas hired Bennett to work at the Flamingo. Today, Diana Bennett is the CEO and co-founder of Paragon Gaming, a developer and operator of gaming-based properties, second generation casino operator, and one of the most effective and respected executives in the gaming industry. Bennett discusses her role in developing, constructing, and managing the River Cree Reserve outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the first ever First Nations gaming property in Alberta.
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Oral history interview with Louis Conner conducted by John Grygo on March 22, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Conner discusses his personal history and growing up in Tallulah, Louisiana. He talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with his family for job opportunities in the late 1950s. Conner describes his employment at the Stardust Hotel, segregation, and living in West Las Vegas. He then talks about integration in the mid-1960s, Jackson Street entertainment, and the changing demographic of the Westside. Lastly, Conner discusses the development of Las Vegas, families moving out of the Westside, and new businesses in the area.
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Oral history interview with Erica Mosca conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Stefani Evans, and Jerwin Tiu on February 3, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Mosca reflects on her life journey from a low-income Asian American to a current serving Nevada State Assemblywoman. She recalls that most of her childhood was in Palm Springs, California where she enjoyed a diverse community of students within her education system. It was not until she moved to Navato, California where she first experienced the economic and resource gap between economically diverse areas. Mosca went on to be involved in a college readiness program and received a scholarship to Boston University. After college, Mosca went on to work for Teach for America where she was stationed on the east side of Las Vegas at Goldfarb Elementary School where she grew a passion for leadership. She eventually returned to school and graduated from Harvard University, returning to Las Vegas to start her nonprofit "Leaders in Training." Mosca hopes to inspire change in her communities by enacting legislation and initiatives targeted towards the communities she was and continutes to be a part of.
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Oral history interview with Glenn Richardson conducted by Chuck Williams on June 01, 2013 for the Friends of Red Rock Canyon in Nevada Oral History Project. Richardson begins the interview by talking about his family life and his time at Oliver Ranch near Blue Diamond, Nevada. He discusses the history and the structures that were built on the property. Richardson also briefly speaks about Blue Diamond. He explains what amenities Oliver Ranch and Bar Nothing Ranch had and how they worked. Lastly, he talks about other employees that had worked at Bar Nothing Ranch.
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Oral history interview with Joseph Digles conducted by Kathleen Wilcox on March 01, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Digles discusses his career as an editor of the
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Oral history interview with Maxine Butler conducted by Frank Johnson on April 22, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Butler discusses her early life in Jonesboro, Louisiana. She talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1965, the Westside, and businesses on Jackson Street. Butler recalls working at The Cove as a cocktail waitress, the reopening of Moulin Rouge Hotel, and the African American community on the Westside. Later, Butler discusses her involvement at Greater Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church, the importance of church to the African American community, and compares church life in Jonesboro and Las Vegas. Lastly, Butler talks about changes in the Westside.
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Oral history interviews with Harriet Trudell conducted by Caryll Batt Dziedziak on May 03, 2006 and July 25, 2006 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Trudell begins by discussing her early life, her parents, and attending boarding school. Trudell goes on to discuss her father's political activism and her grandparents' impact on her life. Trudell then describes her adult life in St. Petersburg, Florida with her husband and young children and their move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1962. Next Trudell talks about marching in civil rights demonstrations, including at Selma, Alabama. Trudell continues to discuss her activism in a variety of social movements including labor unions, school integration, women's rights, and welfare rights.
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Oral history interview with Debbie Conway conducted by Claytee White on March 03, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview Debbie Conway speaks about how in 2007 she was the first African American to be elected as the County Recorder in Clark County and in the State of Nevada. She also talked about how she has held various other roles such as Clark County’s Business Development Manager, co-founder of the Summer Business Institute, and producer/host of an economics talk show on KCEP radio.
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