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Displaying results 1881 - 1890 of 11840

Patricia Becker oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02082

Abstract

Oral history interview with Patricia Becker conducted by Claytee D. White on April 15, 2014 for the West Charleston Neighborhoods: An Oral History Project of Ward 5. In this interview Patricia Becker discusses her extensive law career serving as deputy attorney general and as the first woman selected to serve on Nevada's Gaming Control Board. She then discusses moving on to become general counsel for Hararh's Entertainment International and to becoming the senior Vice President of corporate affairs and legal adviser for Aladdin Gaming. She finally discusses the opening of her law firm, Patricia Becker and Associates, and her work with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Hildred Meidell oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01278

Abstract

Oral history interview with Hildred Meidell conducted by Greg Abbott on February 27, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Meidell covers a range of topics about living in Las Vegas, Nevada, from her and her husband’s time as tourists in the city and their subsequent retirement to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, California. Meidell describes the Las Vegas Strip, the interstate and highway conditions between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, as well as their numerous visits to Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam). Moreover, she speaks about the changing layout of the city, the increase in shopping centers and department stores, and the clothing stores inside of hotels. Lastly, Meidell talks about the prominence of churches in local communities, the atomic testing program and the structural damages these tests caused in her neighborhood, and the influence of the railroad and passenger train on the town.

Archival Collection

Judith Boyer oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00236

Abstract

Oral history interview with Judith Boyer conducted by Claytee D. White on November 8, 2005 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Judith Boyer discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1948 and her careers working at Ronzoni's Department Store and as a stewardess for Bonanza Airlines. She also discusses Las Vegas as it was in the 1950s.

Archival Collection

Ruth Poirier oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03593

Abstract

Oral history interview with Ruth Poirier conducted by Joanne Goodwin on February 05, 2003 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Poirier opens her interview by discussing her partner Doris Pressler, who had passed away before the interview. She describes Doris' upbringing, her role in the first band at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, and explains how an all-women band in the 1930s and 1940s was a phenomenon. Poirier then discusses her own history, including how she became involved in music and all-women bands, and how she met Doris. Poirier describes in detail the importance of music to her family, the types of music she played, and what it was like to be a musician during the Depression. She talks about her relationship with Doris and recalls early interactions with other gay youths. Poirer ends her interview explaining why she and Doris decided to settle in Las Vegas, Nevada, and describes their impressions and involvement with the local LGBTQ+ community.

Archival Collection

Kelly Benavidez oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03551

Abstract

Oral history interview with Kelly Benavidez conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón on January 29, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez also participates in the questioning. Kelly Benavidez is originally from San Francisco, California. Benavidez arrived in Las Vegas after her family spent two years in Mexico so her and her brother could learn Spanish. Benavidez and her family have remained in Las Vegas ever since. Kelly attended Area Technical Trade School for hotel management, and was then recruited by Mesa State College in Colorado. She currently works for Commissioner Lawrence Weekly. Her list of community involvement is extensive: Las Vegas-Clark County Library District Board, the Fernando Vargas Foundation, Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, Hispanics in Politics, Latina Network, among others. Subjects discussed include: Las Vegas, Commissioner Weekly, New York New York construction accident, and Spanish Language.

Archival Collection

Margaret Duncan oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00500

Abstract

Oral history interview with Margaret Duncan conducted by Mustafa Adamu on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Duncan discusses discrimination on the Las Vegas, Nevada Strip and the first black entertainers on the Strip like Sammy Davis Jr. She also talks about the opening of the Sands Hotel, the Hoover (Boulder) Dam, Howard Hughes, atomic testing, and gambling.

Archival Collection

Juliana Chen oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03849

Abstract

Oral history interview with Juliana Chen conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on March 21, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.

In this interview, Juliana Chen shares her upbringing in Hunan, China and her experiences as a teenager training to become a professional ballet dancer. She discusses her rigorous training and troupe career that ended when Chen sustained a knee injury. With a desire to try something new while still being able to perform, Chen immigrated to Vancouver, Canada and began practicing magic. Chen shares that although she didn't know anyone or speak English, she practiced her craft and broadened her knowledge by joining professional organizations including the International Brotherhood of Magicians. After winning several magic competitions, Chen performed on the Las Vegas Strip at Caesar's Palace and the Riviera Hotel and Casino. She shares her current professional pursuits, her connection to the Las Vegas magician community, and her thoughts on Chinese culture and cuisine.

Archival Collection

Don Burse oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00141

Abstract

Oral history interview with Don Burse conducted by John Grygo on March 01, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Burse discusses his personal history and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with his family in 1971. He talks about his mother's employment as a maid at the Thunderbird Hotel, describes recreational activities he participated in, and the close-knit community in West Las Vegas. Burse discusses the increase of gangs and drugs in West Las Vegas and how it negatively affected the community. Later, Burse recalls starting his own personal security business, receiving his business license in 1995, and the growth of his company. Lastly, Burse talks about the Culinary Workers Union strike at the Frontier Hotel and Casino and the importance of union jobs to Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Nery Martinez oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03531

Abstract

Oral history interview with Nery Martinez conducted by Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez on December 06, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Martinez discusses his upbringing in Zacatecoluca, La Paz, El Salvador. He describes growing up around organized crime, the Salvadoran Civil War, and the hardship that came with earning an education. Martinez talks about his immigration story to the United States, and his first impressions of Las Vegas, Nevada. He recalls training to be a bartender, becoming a member of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, and the aid that the Union provides for the immigrant community. Later, Martinez discusses his experience applying for a Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and the Salvadoran community in Las Vegas. Lastly, Martinez talks about starting a family in Las Vegas, and sharing his Salvadoran culture with his children.

Archival Collection

Ellen Cosgrove oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03641

Abstract

Oral history interview with Ellen Cosgrove conducted by Claytee D. White on August 19, 2019 for the UNLV School of Medicine Oral History Project. Ellen Cosgrove discusses her early family life and education, continuing to her higher education, where she graduated with a master's in Russian history and later entered Hahnemann Medical College where she specialized in internal medicine. She then describes her family life and her husband, Jefferey Fahly. Cosgrove goes on to talk about different communities in New Mexico welcoming people with different ethnic backgrounds, and how she participated in various organizations that helped improve the health of the community and solve issues that prevented patients from receiving care. In 2014, she was hired by Barbara Atkinson to build a medical school at UNLV. Lastly, Cosgrove discusses the UNLV School of Medicine educational program, which is based in bioethics, community engagement, wellness, and problem-based learning.

Archival Collection