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Displaying results 2081 - 2090 of 11934

Fluff LeCoque oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02269

Abstract

Oral history interview with Fluff LeCoque conducted by Joyce Marshall on May 05, 1997 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. LeCoque discusses the history of Las Vegas, Nevada’s entertainment industry. LeCoque recalls her dance experience in Las Vegas including work at the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino, and performing as a principal dancer for Arden-Fletcher Productions at the Desert Inn. LeCoque retired from dancing in 1970 but recalls being lured out of retirement by Donn Arden to become company manager of Jubilee at the new MGM Grand Hotel (later renamed Bally's). Finally, she talks about the economic, social, and political changes that occurred in Las Vegas after World War II.

Archival Collection

Marian Wojciechowski oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02007

Abstract

Oral history interview with Marian Wojciechowski conducted by Claytee D. White on June 16, 2009 for The Boyer Las Vegas Early History Project. Wojciechowski discusses being born in Poland at the beginning of World War I, participating in the Polish underground resistance movement at the beginning of World War II, and being sent to Auschwitz. He also talks about a woman who rescued 2,500 Jewish children during World War II.

Archival Collection

Janis Walker oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01900

Abstract

Oral history interview with Janis Walker conducted by Claytee D. White on July 03, 2006 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Walker discusses her career as an African American showgirl in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1970s and 1980s. Walker describes dancing in the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino productions of Hallelujah Hollywood and Jubilee!, and what the life of a showgirl was like. She also talks about the company manager at the MGM, "Fluff" LeCoque, her own children, her work at the time of the interview, and how entertainment in Las Vegas has changed.

Archival Collection

Jon Cobain oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03863

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jon Cobain conducted by Claytee D. White on March 4, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Cobain describes his childhood growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada and living in a trailer while his father built the family's home. Cobain is the first graduate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), as he walked across the stage first, thus becoming the first to receive a degree from UNLV. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business, Cobain attended Northwestern for graduate school. He discusses time spent working in Venezuela, and the value of learning other cultures and building international relationships. At the time of the interview, Cobain is matching gifts to the Jon Cobain Lee Business School at UNLV up to $2.3 million to help first-generation scholars. Other subjects discussed include the Nevada Test Site, Frank Sinatra, and Hoover Dam.

Archival Collection

Jeffrey Coller oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03210

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jeffrey Coller conducted by Claytee D. White on July 25, 2017 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Coller discusses growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. He recalls attending Bishop Gorman High School, becoming an emancipated minor, and his employment at the El Cortez Hotel and Casino. Coller talks about joining the United States Marine Corps, relocating to Reno, Nevada, and his experience in the hospitality industry. Coller describes the various jobs he had at Harrah’s Reno, advancing up to assistant hotel manager, and his career shift to real estate development. Later, Coller discusses his work in production housing, building communities, and returning to Las Vegas in 1992. Lastly, Coller talks about the growth of his real estate business and getting involved in real estate syndication.

Archival Collection

Victor Wei oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-03855

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Victor Wei conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on May 23, 2022 and June 06, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In the first interview, Wei recalls his early childhood, moving around China, and being part of a large family. Wei's life took a sudden turn when he moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, and then to California where he had a difficult time navigating life as a Chinese individual. Wei and his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he continued his business consulting work and partnered with UNLV President Marta Meana on the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. In the second interview, Wei discusses the importance of one's own narrative, and talks about how he perceives his race, community help, and the greater world. Wei also touches on how discrimination existed before the COVID-19 pandemic and how there must be a balance between retaining one's heritage and assimilation. Lastly, Wei discusses his spirituality, war, and human nature.

Archival Collection

Gordon Christie oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00378

Abstract

Oral history interview with Gordon Christie conducted by Larry DuRussel on June 30, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Christie discusses working on the building of the MGM Grand Hotel, Fremont Hotel, Sahara Hotel, Desert Inn Hotel, and the Frontier Hotel. He also discusses religion, politics, family life in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the growth of Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Lorraine Longhi oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03892

Abstract

Oral history interview with Lorraine Longhi conducted by Stefani Evans on March 31, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Longhi recalls growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada through eigth grade until she moved to Arizona. After graduating from high school and Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication, Longhi worked for the Arizona Republic newspaper, where she covered education and city government. Longhi identifes as mixed race and speaks of a Las Vegas childhood punctuated with annual visits to her father's family in Yonkers, New York, and her mother's Taiwanese family in Taipei. In this interview, she discusses favorite Taiwanese and Italian foods she remembers from her childhood, and memories of cultural festivals at Chinatown Plaza. She also recalls first experiencing questions about her personal identity in Arizona, remarking in retrospect on the diversity of her childhood in Las Vegas. Longhi returned to Las Vegas in March 2022 to begin work as assistant city editor at the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Archival Collection

Ron Donoho oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00480

Abstract

Oral history interview with Ron Donoho conducted by Craig Brenner on February 28, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Donoho discusses the history of sheriffs in the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Donoho mentions various sheriffs that were his colleagues and the political dynamics during their leaderships. He also recalls a list of Southern Nevada police officers killed in the line of duty.

Archival Collection

Nathaniel Whaley oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01961

Abstract

Oral history interview with Nathaniel Whaley conducted by John Grygo on March 06, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Whaley talks about growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada and his adult life on the Westside, the historic Las Vegas neighborhood. Whaley discusses having a successful high school career as an accomplished athlete and being an Eagle Scout in the first black Boy Scout troop in the area. Whaley talks about going on to have a fruitful career as a mason and contractor that helped build the city of Las Vegas.

Archival Collection