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Sylvester Collier oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03183

Abstract

Oral history interview with Sylvester Collier conducted by Claytee D. White on May 17, 2017 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Collier discusses his early life in Dallas, Texas. He talks about his interest in art, joining the United States Air Force in 1951, and being sent to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. Collier recalls attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), earning a master’s degree in education, and teaching art classes in the Clark County School District (CCSD). Later, Collier discusses starting the Left of Center Art Gallery, and describes some of his art pieces. Lastly, Collier talks about his experience as an African American artist.

Archival Collection

Michael Bryant oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03164

Abstract

Oral history interview with Michael Bryant conducted by Claytee D. White on August 05, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Bryant details life in the Westside community of Las Vegas, Nevada, his personal history, and life as an African American in Las Vegas. He describes his upbringing in Las Vegas, his father's high-end clothing store, and race relations between the African American and white communities of the city. Bryant also discusses casinos and other Las Vegas attractions, such as the presence of famous celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Muhammad Ali, as well as discussing the development of the Westside community. Julia Walton was also present for this interview.

Archival Collection

Woodrow Smith oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-01718

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Woodrow Smith conducted by Claytee D. White on February 10, 2014 and February 12, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In these interviews, Smith discusses his upbringing in Chattanooga, Tennessee and describes moving to another part of Chattanooga due to the violence his family experienced. He talks about attending Tuskegee University, studying engineering, and being taught by Tuskegee Airmen professors. Later, Smith discusses his work at the Nevada Test Site, the aerospace industry, and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the mid-1980s. Lastly, Woodrow recalls his experiences in Las Vegas and describes investing into a McDonald's franchise.

Archival Collection

Jerry Tao oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03753

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jerry Tao conducted by Kristel Peralta, Ayrton Yamaguchi, and Stefani Evans on March 26, 2021 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Tao discusses his family’s background in China and Taiwan, and his upbringing in Virginia. He talks about his parents’ decision to assimilate their children to the American culture, not participating in Chinese traditions during his youth, and racial discrimination he experienced as an Asian American. Tao remembers attending law school at George Washington University, becoming a speechwriter for United States Senator Harry Reid, and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1998. Later, Tao talks about being appointed to the Eighth Judicial District Court in 2011 and to the Nevada Court of Appeals in 2014 by Governor Brian Sandoval. Lastly, Tao compares Chinese family culture and American family culture.

Archival Collection

Gerri Schroder oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03877

Abstract

Oral history interview with Gerri Schroder conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on September 2, 2022 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Schroder discusses her childhood in both California and Michigan. She discusses attending Orange Coast College, and later moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband for a job opportunity. Schroder first began her community invovlement by participating in the Henderson Beautification Planning Commission. She gradually became more involved in several community activities including campaigns, commissions, and committees. Amongst them was Bill Clinton's presidential campaign and the National League of Cities. Schroder carried out three terms as Councilwoman and continues to work with the local and national community on issues that she finds most valuable, including the Las Vegas water crisis, women's rights, and public safety.

Archival Collection

Lily Teo oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03828

Abstract

Oral history interview with Lily Teo conducted by Stefani Evans on February 7, 2022 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.

Lily Teo discusses her upbringing in Singapore, her education, her religious beliefs, and converting from Buddhism to Catholicism. She talks about her husband, her early married years, and what life was like as a young mother of three children. Teo shares how she started a catering business to feed construction workers and was responsible for shopping for ingredients, preparing all meals and tea, and cooking the food on site in her temporary kitchen. She talks about her children, the faiths they practice and languages they speak including English, Malay, and Mandarin, and the customs and traditions they practice, such as celebrating Lunar New Year and other holidays. Lily's daughter, Stella, sits in on the interview and expands on her mother's recollections.

Archival Collection

Lucille Matyas oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01225

Abstract

Oral history interview with Lucille Matyas conducted by Michael Bernstein on February 23, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Matyas discusses moving from Ohio to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1935. Matyas also discusses her work with the Southern Nevada Telephone Company, the Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Co., Inc. (REECo) in association with the Nevada Test Site, her life as a housewife, and her work with the Central Telephone (Centel) Corporation.

Archival Collection

Edwina Danzinger oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00330

Abstract

Oral history interview with Edwina Danzinger conducted by Leanne Terry on February 26, 1980 and February 29, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Danzinger first talks about her family’s early upbringing in Nevada, her involvement in Boy Scouts and her various positions of employment at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Danzinger also discusses the changes in the crime rate, air pollution, and the changes made to the university by the Buckley Amendment.

Archival Collection

Lance Burton oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03700

Abstract

Oral history interview with Lance Burton conducted by Barbara Tabach on September 17, 2020 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Lance discusses his personal and professional histories and how he came to be a headliner at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas. He also discusses his recent affairs after retiring from performing on the Strip in 2010. Subjects discussed include: Lance Burton Theater; International Brotherhood of Magicians

Archival Collection

Clarence Ray oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02432

Abstract

Oral history interview with Clarence Ray conducted by Eleanor L. Walker in 1991 for the African American in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Ray provides details of his ancestry and upbringing, his education, and race relations in the western United States before 1930. He then moves on to his first visit to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1922, and his movements before settling permanently in the 1940s. He explains that the main source of employment for the relatively small Black population during the 1920s and early 1930s was the railroad, but a number were also in business. Mr. Ray provides thumbnail sketches of many of the early residents, and is particularly informative about "Mammy" Pinkston, Mary Nettles, the Stevens family, and the Ensley family. Systemic racial discrimination against Blacks developed in southern Nevada during the 1930s, and Mr. Ray provides some useful details on this along with his discussion of his career in gaming and his social and political activities.

Archival Collection