Oral history interview with Mary Wesley conducted by Claytee D. White on October 22, 2007 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Wesley discusses her early life in Quitman, Mississippi. She recalls the racism she experienced during her youth, the church community in Quitman, and traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada by train. She talks about the welfare rights movement in Las Vegas, Operation Life, and businesses on Jackson Street. Lastly, Wesley describes the entertainment on the Westside, and integration on the Las Vegas Strip.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ronnie Bank conducted by Lael Byrd on November 30, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Bank discusses his personal history and growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. He talks about his employment at the Las Vegas Hilton (currently Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino) and Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. Bank then describes nightlife and entertainment on the Strip in the 1980s, discrimination at night clubs, and West Las Vegas entertainment. He goes on to describe the riots following Rodney King’s death, the challenges with interracial relationships, and why families began moving away from the Westside. Lastly, Bank discusses working as a disc jockey (DJ) in Las Vegas, African American radio stations, and the development of the Westside.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ralph Denton conducted by K.J. Evans on January 10, 2000 for the Las Vegas Review-Journal First 100 Oral History Project. Denton first talks about his personal friendship with Governor Grant Sawyer, their education in law school, and his eventual work on campaigning for Sawyer after he became governor. Denton then speaks about working as Sawyer’s adviser. Toward the end of the interview, Denton describes his work on improving civil rights and some of the challenges that came with that.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Rick Peppers conducted by Claytee D. White on July 06, 2016 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the interview, Peppers describes his childhood in Exira, Iowa and moving to Blue Diamond, Nevada in 1962. He explains working in various positions at the Blue Diamond Mine to ensure employment stability. Peppers shares stories about how the mine company's ownership of Blue Diamond affected the town. After transitioning into security jobs, he explains working through the Teamsters Union at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino, and then working forty-six years at Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Clark Crocker conducted by Monica Lehman on March 3, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Crocker discusses his family and educational background as well as his experiences attending school in California and Massachusetts. Crocker then describes the building of the Hoover Dam and his career as a teacher and school principal, as well as his thoughts and philosophies on how curriculum should be structured in schools. Crocker also discusses his work for the fire department in Pahrump, Nevada and his career as a frogman and navigator for the United States Navy during World War II.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Nellie Bunch conducted by Robin Ducharme on November 20, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Bunch first talks about her settlement into the Whitney Ranch area of Henderson, Nevada, and her knowledge about the building of Hoover (Boulder) Dam. She also talks about the early utilization of water resources from Lake Mead, early sources of power, and the early use of evaporative coolers. Bunch also speaks about her experience as a postmaster and later discusses telephone technology and the early churches of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Celesta Lowe conducted by Patrick W. Canlton on February 06, 2002 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Lowe begins by discussing her early life in Baker, California and her father’s role as a station agent for the Tonopah Tidewater Railroad during the 1920s and 1930s. Lowe then describes her family moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s. Lowe chronicles the process state legislatures took to open Nevada Southern University in 1957 and her role as an administrative assistant in the main office of the school. Lowe recounts her career at Nevada Southern University, the expansion of the campus, and renaming it University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Lastly, Lowe talks about her switch from an administrative assistant to a librarian at UNLV.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with June Eshelman conducted by Elizabeth Goodman on March 14, 2003 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Eshelman reflects upon her nearly 30-year career as a junior high school music teacher and administrator with the Clark County School District (CCSD) from the 1970s to the early 2000s. She discusses her early experiences as a music teacher and band director, and describes the challenges of transitioning from a teacher to a dean, and eventually principal. She also discusses her experience as a principal working at Gilbert Magnet School, and the different expectations that principals face when working with magnet programs.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Emmy Kasten conducted by Kristel Peralta, Ayrton Yamaguchi, and Stefani Evans on March 17, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Emmy Kasten discusses her Filipino heritage, her family, and her previous employment working in various industries including acting and broadcasting, marketing, philanthropy, writing, and event production. Emmy shares how she and her husband and children moved to Las Vegas in 2016 after her parents moved to the city a decade earlier, and she discusses her current professional pursuits as a board member of the Miss Asian North America Organization (MANAO) and the Las Vegas Fashion Council. Subjects discussed include: University of California, Irvine (UCI); KTLA Morning News; Red Bull Music Academy; Rock Star Gaming; Filipino foods; Vegas Magazine; and anti-Asian discrimination.
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