Oral history interview with Chet Buchanan conducted by Barbara Tabach on November 28, 2017 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. Chet Buchanan begins this interview with a discussion of his move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1999 after he was offered a job as a radio show host for 98.5 KLUC. He talks about the specifics of his job, including his career background as well as the Chet Buchanan Toy Drive. For this interview, he specifically goes into detail on his coverage of the Las Vegas October 2017 mass shooting and discusses being in San Diego, California at the time, yet still striving to reach people through his broadcast with the help of CBS San Diego. Throughout the interview, Buchanan examines his desire to make a difference in the community with his show and his interactions with the public.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dayle K. Rust conducted by Michelle Muniz on May 01, 2004 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Rust reflects upon his career as a teacher and administrator in Nevada’s White Pine County School District and Clark County School District. He describes the process by which he first became a teacher in the White Pine County School District, his experience as a coach, and legal challenges that he experienced with teacher dismissal. He then describes how he began working with the Clark County School District at J. D. Smith Middle School, and then was sent to work at various middle schools throughout the School District. He describes his experience as assistant principal of Gilbert Magnet School for Communications & Creative Arts, and discusses political challenges that led to his retirement.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview of Fateen Seifullah conducted by Claytee D. White on October 28, 2020 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Fateen Seifullah was born in Compton, California and was surrounded by gang culture from a very early age. As a teenager when he and his family moved to Las Vegas in the early 1980s, he began participating in gang activity. Fateen describes his knowledge about gang operations, drug "rules," and prison time. He also discusses his participation as a Muslim mosque leader in the Historic Westside Las Vegas, his "Iman" (faith and beliefs), and his work in the past decade to push gang activity and drug use out of the community.
Subjects discussed include: Compton, California; drug culture; Muslim philosophy; Iman; and Code of Justice.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Chet Carrigan conducted by Robert Kahre on February 17, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Carrigan first talks about his background in construction as well as some of his experiences in the Sheriff’s Posse before describing the major events and changes of Las Vegas, Nevada that he witnessed. Carrigan also talks about his family, the effects of the Great Depression on the city, the flooding problem, and the building of Hoover Dam. He also describes the first schools in Las Vegas, means of transportation, his laundry business, his experience on the volunteer fire department, the first movie theaters, and Cashman Field.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John H. Pappas conducted by James Greene on October 04, 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Pappas describes coming to the United States during the early twentieth century, eventually making his way to Nevada in 1904. Pappas discusses working for the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad Company helping to build the railroad from Caliente, Nevada to Las Vegas, Nevada. Pappas later discusses leaving Nevada, then returning to help build the Hoover (Boulder) Dam, before leaving due to the extreme heat. Pappas describes his personal history in Las Vegas, the city's changes, and opening his own restaurant.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jill DeStefano conducted by Stefani Evans on January 19, 2024 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, DeStefano describes growing up in Long Beach, California and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2006 with her husband. DeStefano became interested in helping protect the 13,000 acres of land near her home of Aliente, and became a member of the founding board of "Protectors of Tule Springs." In this interview, she talks about the role the recession had on their work; engaging the public in the project; the stakeholders with whom they negotiated; the tours they conducted; and the legislation passed through Title 30 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in December of 2014 creating the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Albert Purdue conducted by Claytee D. White on August 16, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Purdue begins by explaining the importance of the railroad industry and specifically the Union Pacific Railroad Company to early Las Vegas, Nevada. He discusses his family's military history and the presence of the military in Nevada during the 1940s for desert training for the North African front during World War II. He gives an overview of life in Las Vegas from the 1940s to the 1960s, and discusses how the city has changed and what the future of the city may look like. Purdue talks about when the casinos of Las Vegas were controlled by organized crime and when Howard Hughes arrived and began buying properties. Purdue also discusses racial segregation in Las Vegas and the diverse peoples who live in the city.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Caryl Suzuki conducted by Linda Haido on June 3, 1999. In this interview, Suzuki discusses her background and family history from the 1920s, growing up in California, and the differences between her mother's and father's families. She talks about her grandparent's internment during World War II and the impact that had on the family's fortunes, socially and economically. She explains that after the war many Japanese-American families distanced themselves from their Japanese roots with a subsequent loss of traditional culture in the younger generations. This cultural loss did not begin to see a reversal until the 1960s, when teenagers expressed a greater interest in their cultural traditions.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Nora Mirabal conducted by Elsa López on August 30, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Mirabal discusses her upbringing in Coralillo, Cuba. She describes her family's life in Cuba and shares her family's reasons for leaving the country. Mirabal talks about the immigration process, which involved Cuban migrants temporarily living in Spain, and moving from Spain to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1973. She recalls schooling, taking English as Secondary Language (ESL) classes, and being involved with the 28th street gang for protection. Later, Mirabal discusses attending the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) and the University of Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV). She describes the Jumpstart Concurrent Enrollment Program, education funding in Clark County, and CSN’s collaboration with Jumpstart Concurrent Enrollment Program. Lastly, Mirabal talks about Cuban traditions, Cuban community in Las Vegas, and her involvement with the Latin Chamber of Commerce.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Tona Siefert conducted by Lisa Becker on February 25, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Siefert discusses her personal history and a comprehensive history of the evolution of Las Vegas, Nevada. Siefert discusses how her father, James Cashman Sr., and her mother met and founded Las Vegas' oldest automobile dealership, education in Las Vegas, and prominent politicians that have represented or visited Nevada, such as Senator Key Pittman and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Siefert also discusses the establishment of the Helldorado Festival by the Elks Lodge, the construction of Cashman Stadium, development of the Strip in Las Vegas, and other changes that have occurred in the city. Siefert goes on to discuss the founding of the Women of Service League, union protests, and issues with water management in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection