Search Results
Gay, James A., III, 1916-1999
Alternate Names
James A. Gay III was born March 6th, 1916 in Fordyce, Arkansas. Arriving in 1946, Gay became the first African-American mortician in Las Vegas. He later worked as Assistant Manager of the Sands Hotel and Casino and Union Plaza while serving as an executive board member of the Culinary Union. Instrumental in the Las Vegas community, Gay worked to improved race relations, addressing social, economic, and civic issues. Gay was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1988.
Person
Transcript of interview with Jerry Eppenger by Claytee D. White, September 14, 2011
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Interview with Jerry Eppenger conducted by Claytee D. White on September 14, 2011. Eppenger's family moved from Arkansas to Las Vegas in 1953. Joining the Marine Corps in 1964, he was among the early combatants in the Vietnam War. After a brief time in Alaska, he returned to Las Vegas and found work as a security guard at Bonanza Hotel and Nevada Test Site before attending dealer school. Eppenger recalls local black leaders and describes episodes in segregation and racial relations of 1970s Las Vegas. He shares memories of his beloved Cadillac and the fast and lucrative lifestyle of a dealer.
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Transcript of interview with Lubertha Johnson by Larry V. Buckner, February 10, 1978
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Interview with Lubertha Johnson conducted by Larry V. Buckner on February 10, 1978. Johnson moved to Las Vegas in the late 1940s from Mississippi and worked as a recreation director, nurse, and director of an anti-poverty progam, serving as a civic leader.
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Transcript of interview with Lee Henry Lisby by Glen E. Davis, Rita O'Brian, and Elizabeth Patrick, July 10, 1975, April 10, 1978, and May 10, 1978
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Interview with Lee Henry Lisby conducted by Glen E. Davis, Rita O'Brian, and Elizabeth Patrick on July 10, 1975, April 10, 1978, and May 10, 1978. In 1942, Lisby moved from Louisiana to Nevada, where he found success in owning real estate.
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Transcript of interview with Cora Williams by Kathlyn E. Wilson, March 11, 1975
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Interview with Cora Williams conducted by Kathlyn E. Wilson on March 11, 1975. Born in Louisiana in 1930, Williams arrived in Las Vegas in 1952. She began working as a hotel maid and later owned a beauty shop. Williams discusses the NAACP and housing discrimination.
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Transcript of interview with Rev. Prentiss Walker by Bernard Timberg, January 27, 1974
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Interview with Rev. Prentiss Walker conducted by Bernard Timberg on January 27, 1974. Born on an Oklahoma Indian Reservation in 1910, Walker arrived in Las Vegas in 1933 in hopes of working on Hoover Dam construction. After working in various jobs, he became ordained as a Baptist minister. Walker discusses job discrimination and living "uptown."
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Transcript of interview with Arlone Scott by Glen Ette Davis, July 3, 1975
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Interview with Arlone Scott conducted by Glen Ette Davis on July 3, 1975. Born in Louisiana, Scott moved to Las Vegas in 1951, eventually becoming a hotel maid supervisor. She shares her early experiences of positive race relations among churches in Las Vegas and notes that the Culinary Union improved job opportunities for minorities. Scott concludes with comments on the effects of discrimination and segregation on entertainment and recreation for blacks.
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Transcript of interview with Ruth Eppenger D'Hondt by Claytee D. White, August 25, 2011, and July 9, 2012
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Interview with Ruth Eppenger D'Hondt conducted by Claytee D. White on August 25, 2011 and July 9, 2012. Born and raised in Las Vegas, D'Hondt was one of the early black cocktail servers on the Las Vegas Strip, working at Caesars Palace for twenty-six years. D'Hondt's family owned a restaurant, Mattie's Cafe, and her father also worked at the Nevada Test Site.
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