Oral history interview with Irwin Molasky conducted by A. D. Hopkins on June 08, 1999 for the Las Vegas Review-Journal First 100 Oral History Project. In the interview, Molasky discusses his early life in Ohio and moving around the United States before settling in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1951. He then talks about his company, the Molasky Group of Companies, and projects the company had been associated with. One project Molasky focuses on is the design and opening of Sunrise Hospital in 1958, located in Las Vegas. He recalls Nevada Senator Howard Cannon cutting the ribbon for the hospital's opening, as well as business partners for the hospital including Allard Rowan, Morris Barney "Moe" Dalitz, and Roy Cohn. Other Las Vegas projects Molasky discusses include the Boulevard Mall, Paradise Palms housing community, and the Bank of America Plaza near Fremont Street. Molasky also talks about a vocational outreach project he helped develop at the Irwin & Susan Molasky Junior High School. Lastly, Molasky talks about his personal hobbies and Las Vegas's urban growth.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Benjamin Buckles conducted by Irene Rostine on October 11 and 23, 1995 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN). In his interviews, Buckles discusses visiting Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s and eventually settling in Henderson, Nevada in 1950. He describes working for Rheem Manufacturing Company at the Basic Magnesium Incorporated (BMI) industrial complex. Buckles discusses the presence of a union at the manufacturing plant and describes working conditions and benefits. Buckles also talks about the security of the complex and the crime rates of the surrounding area. Lastly, he describes his recreational interests and his wife.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Virginia Mendoza conducted by Marcela Rodriguez-Campo on December 6, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada oral history project. In this interview, Mendoza recalls her childhood and early years in Michoacán, Mexico. She shares the story of her immigration to the United States, detailing the harsh conditions she and her daughter encountered crossing the board at Tijuana, Mexico. Mendoza shares what it was like to live in California before she traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada to reunite with her husband in 1989. In 1990, she joined the hospitality industry and began working for Fitzgerald's Hotel and Casino and recalls her experiences working in Las Vegas. She details why she joined the Culinary Workers Union Local #226 and the importance of her job as an organizer, particularly as a bilingual individual.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John Pocock conducted by Jeffrey J. Wild on March 08, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Pocock describes his history as an Irish immigrant, his move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1950, and life in the city during the 1950s. He discusses housing availability in Las Vegas and the development of the city, including the construction of casinos which he claims encouraged the growth of Las Vegas. He talks about working in a casino that eventually became the Sands Hotel and Casino, organized crime in Las Vegas, and the future of the city. Pocock concludes by discussing how Las Vegas and the quality of its customer service in casinos has changed, his recreational activities, and nuclear weapons testing.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Florence Murphy conducted by K. J. Evans on September 04, 1998 for the Las Vegas Review-Journal First 100 Oral History Project. In the interview, Murphy discusses working as a pilot and manager at Sky Haven Airfield (North Las Vegas Airport) in the early 1940s and Alamo Airfield (McCarran International Airport) between the late 1940s and the 1950s in Las Vegas, Nevada. She describes her first time piloting an airplane in approximately 1936 when a barnstormer, a stunt pilot in flying circuses, offered public flights for civilians. Murphy also discusses her first time in an airplane as a child with her father, the grand opening of Sky Haven, and her experiences working for Bonanza Airlines.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Pamela Sitton conducted by Claytee D. White on March 15, 2018 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Sitton discusses her early life in South Carolina, Ohio, California, Arizona, and finally settling in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1963. She recalls her father’s employment at the Nevada Test Site as a carpenter, graduating from Las Vegas High School, and the demolition of historic Las Vegas buildings. Sitton talks about the Huntridge movie theatre, Charleston Plaza Mall, and recreational activities she participated in during the 1970s. Lastly, Sitton discusses preserving historic buildings in Las Vegas, the importance of having a sense of history, and the October 1, 2017 shooting.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Richard W. Bunker conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White on July 18 2017, July 21, 2017, and September 28, 2017 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Bunker discusses the history behind a wide range of events that affected the daily lives of Southern Nevadans. He talks about his role in a consolidation attempt between the Clark County and Las Vegas, Nevada governmental structures that was halted by the courts in 1975. Bunker then recalls working as a member and Chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and his work with various casinos and hotels including Circus Circus, the Dunes, and the Aladdin. He discusses replacing key people at the Gaming Control Board, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Operation Yobo sting. He then speaks fondly of his longtime friends Jim Gibson, Judge Lloyd George, and Jim Joyce. Lastly, Bunker discusses water rights, supply, and management issues in Nevada as it relates to the Nevada Resort Association, Las Vegas Valley Water District, Southern Nevada Water Authority, and the Colorado River Commission.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Tia Stone conducted by Claytee D. White on September 25, 2020 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Tia Stone was the organizer of several Las Vegas protests, including marches for justice after the murder of George Floyd and for the Black Lives Matter movement. She discusses how she planned these rallies, the makeup of the attendees, and her thoughts on what local and national police reform should look like.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Cranford Crawford conducted by Claytee D. White on May 27, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview Crawford discusses his early life and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1964. He talks about his involvement with the Las Vegas branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), working with African American community leaders, and the consent decree of 1971 alleging a series of violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Crawford describes his career with the Clark County Department of Family Services (DFS), issues of segregation in Las Vegas, and being involved with Les Femmes Douze (The Ladies Twelve). Lastly, Crawford discusses Las Vegas government, school integration, and becoming a Freemason.
Archival Collection