Oral history interview with Paris Oddo conducted by Claytee D. White on July 20, 2017 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Oddo discusses her early life in Detroit, Michigan. She recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1984, becoming an electrician, and being a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (I.B.E.W) Local Union 357. Oddo talks about completing a five-year apprenticeship program offered by the Union, and her experience as a female electrician. She remembers her employment at the Nevada Test Site, working closely with radioactive materials, and being diagnosed with illnesses due to radioactive exposure while at the Nevada Test Site. Lastly, Oddo expresses her concerns over nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lydia Berry conducted by Kathy Zeller on February 22, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During this interview Berry discusses her experiences as a worker for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Berry discusses her progression from being a teacher in Kansas City, Missouri to moving to Los Angeles, California and then to Las Vegas, Nevada where she worked at Nellis Air Force Base and then eventually to the Fish and Wildlife Service. She also mentions some of the operations of the Wildlife Service as well as her concerns over animal life and natural resources.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dean Ishman conducted by Claytee D. White on July 02, 2009 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Dean Ishman discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1995, becoming the President of the Las Vegas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 2003, and reorganizing the NAACP when he was president. He also discusses the numerous fundraisers he attended, Freedom Fund banquets, the Suave Lopez shooting, and efforts to recruit Hispanic people to the NAACP during his presidency.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gertrude Rudiak conducted by Claytee D. White on January 11, 2007 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Rudiak discusses her personal history and being a member of the Jewish community of Las Vegas, Nevada. She describes her husband being stationed in Las Vegas while serving in the United States military, their move to Las Vegas in the 1940s, and his law career after military service. Rudiak discusses race relations in Las Vegas during that time and her husband's efforts to pass a law to end segregation in Nevada as a state assemblyman. Rudiak's son, Richard Rudiak, also speaks, and talks about political history in Nevada during the late 20th century. They conclude by discussing the opening of a Jewish school in Las Vegas, the history of Jewish people in the city, and how Las Vegas and its casinos have changed.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with John Fudenberg conducted by Barbara Tabach and Claytee D. White on May 3, 2018 and May 23, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, John Fudenberg, the coroner for Clark County in Las Vegas, Nevada, gives an account of his experience during the October 1, 2017 mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip and what his role was during the tumultuous days after the shooting. He explains how he and the staff of the coroner's office prepared for the large number of casualties as well as their arrival at the Route 91 Harvest festival venue. Fudenberg speaks of setting up the Family Assistance Center at the convention center and how it supported the community but also aided the coroner's office in gathering information about the deceased and identifying them. Fudenberg discusses the main job of the Coroner's Office during the first week after the shooting, which was to autopsy the bodies and communicate with the families, as well as the Police Department. He also talks about the emotional impact the shooting and its aftermath had on him and his staff members and the wellness program they implemented, of which trauma yoga and meditation had a large impact.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Marian Wojciechowski conducted by Claytee D. White on June 16, 2009 for The Boyer Las Vegas Early History Project. Wojciechowski discusses being born in Poland at the beginning of World War I, participating in the Polish underground resistance movement at the beginning of World War II, and being sent to Auschwitz. He also talks about a woman who rescued 2,500 Jewish children during World War II.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Charles Hunsberger conducted by Ann Langevin in 2010 for StoryCorp. Hunsberger was a former director of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District. Also included with the interview are notes of support and encouragement to Hunsberger from former colleagues and friends in honor of his 90th birthday. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Elbert Edwards conducted by Ronald Johns in 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Edwards discusses his work in Las Vegas, Nevada public schools during the Great Depression. The two also discuss the Hoover (Boulder) Dam, Edwards’ involvement in politics, and mining in Nevada. He also talks about the development of Boulder City, Nevada, the early territorial boundaries of Nevada and Utah, the atomic testing at the Nevada Test Site, and early water sources in Southern Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Victor Wei conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on May 23, 2022 and June 06, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In the first interview, Wei recalls his early childhood, moving around China, and being part of a large family. Wei's life took a sudden turn when he moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, and then to California where he had a difficult time navigating life as a Chinese individual. Wei and his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he continued his business consulting work and partnered with UNLV President Marta Meana on the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. In the second interview, Wei discusses the importance of one's own narrative, and talks about how he perceives his race, community help, and the greater world. Wei also touches on how discrimination existed before the COVID-19 pandemic and how there must be a balance between retaining one's heritage and assimilation. Lastly, Wei discusses his spirituality, war, and human nature.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ron Donoho conducted by Craig Brenner on February 28, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Donoho discusses the history of sheriffs in the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Donoho mentions various sheriffs that were his colleagues and the political dynamics during their leaderships. He also recalls a list of Southern Nevada police officers killed in the line of duty.
Archival Collection