Oral history interview with Gregory Crawford conducted by Claytee D. White on August 18, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Gregory shares his background growing up in Los Angeles, California and the influence that music had on his young life. He talks about his employment history working nearly three decades for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' University Libraries and his role in acquiring academic materials. Gregory also discusses his "foodie" hobby, favorite eateries, and continued interest in music. Subjects discussed include: Seafood City; Farmer Brothers.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Jimmy Wilkins conducted by Lisa Gioia-Acres on May 30, 2008 and September 15, 2008 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. In these interviews, Wilkins discusses his career as a jazz trombonist. He begins by talking about his upbringing in St. Louis, Missouri, his early interest in being a musician, learning to play the trombone in high school, and later enlisting in the United States Navy to play in Navy bands. Wilkins describes leaving the Navy after World War II ended and continuing his musical career by joining jazz bands in the St. Louis area, playing across the United States with traveling bands, and eventually moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1994. He talks about playing jazz in casinos such as the Four Queens and the Riviera, the current jazz culture in Las Vegas, and his retirement.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Billie Rayford conducted by Claytee D. White on May 01, 2018 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Rayford discusses her early life in Jefferson, Texas. She talks about school integration, living during the Jim Crow laws, and the discrimination she experienced at the time. Rayford remembers moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1979, obtaining a teaching position at Rancho High School, and teaching students with special needs. Rayford describes the implementation of empowerment schools in the Clark County School District (CCSD), and her involvement with the dual enrollment program at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) for CCSD high school students. Later, Rayford discusses her involvement with Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Les Femmes Douze (The Ladies Twelve), 20 Pearls Foundation, and providing civil services for the Westside community. Lastly, Rayford talks about being a charter member of 100 Black Women.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Pearl Busch (born 1936 in Winona, Minnesota) conducted by Laura Busch on March 20, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Pearl first describes her original move to Southern Nevada and a wide range of topics including the first hotels on the Strip, the growth and expansion of the city, recreational activities such as skiing, and her family. She also discusses gambling and its impact on the city, the clubs and organizations to which she belonged, and her appreciation for the mild Las Vegas climate. The interview finalizes with her thoughts on the biggest excitement Las Vegas offers, her input on the high crime rate in Las Vegas, and her thoughts on the energy crisis and the future of solar energy in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Kay Rodriguez conducted by Irene Rostine on November 14, 1997 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN). Rodriguez discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada from South Dakota to get a divorce in 1959. Rodriguez describes working as a waitress at the Dunes and the Riviera and making a new life in Las Vegas. She discusses her work in the real estate industry and the challenges of being a working mother. Rodriguez also talks about opening her own real estate office, and the demographics of the real estate industry during the 1960s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joshua Langdon conducted by Stefani Evans on June 23, 2023 for Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Langdon begins by speaking about his parents' history, and his family's frequent relocation due to his father's enlistment in the United States Air Force. Born in Colorado, Langdon moved to Germany as a young child, and then to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada where he spent the rest of his youth. He recalls living near El Dorado High School, exploring the desert, and attending Mike O'Callaghan Junior High and Advanced Technologies Academy. Langdon received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and began his career with NV Energy as an electrical engineering intern under the mentorship of Raymond C. Vogel. After fifteen years with the company, Langdon now serves as Vice President of Transmission. He volunteers with the NV Energy Foundation and serves as a board member for First Nevada, an international program promoting FIRST robotics and STEAM education in Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Nancy Craddock conducted by George Apfel on March 13, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Nancy Craddock discusses moving to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband in the 1950s from San Diego, California. She then talks about moving to and building her home in the Twin Lakes area in Las Vegas, her experiences working at Sunrise Hospital, and the Las Vegas Strip. She also discusses the early pioneers of Las Vegas, the formation of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas's library system, and the changing social conditions of Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jean McColl conducted by Sam C. Melchiome Jr. on March 01, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, McColl discusses her childhood and family in Searchlight, Nevada and her eventual move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1944. McColl also discusses her education, Boulder (Hoover) Dam, Mount Charleston, Lee Canyon, atomic testing, Las Vegas entertainment, and juvenile delinquency.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sandra F. Mack conducted by Claytee D. White on March 29, 2018 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Mack discusses her early life in Seattle, Washington. She talks about her education in home economics, becoming a teacher, and her experience teaching during segregation. Mack recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2001, and her involvement with community organizations 100 Black Women, the Las Vegas Branch of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Urban League Guild, and the local Delta Sigma Theta chapter. Lastly, Mack talks about the 1 October shooting, gun violence, the increase of security at churches.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lubertha Johnson conducted by Larry Buckner on February 10, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Lubertha Johnson discusses her family background, work experience, civic activity, and philosophy. She talks about discrimination in the workplace for Black people, segregation in Las Vegas, Nevada, and her forty year membership in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP). She also discusses the historic Westside neighborhood and its schools, the prejudice Black performers faced in the 1950s and 1960s, and how she feels disappointed in President Jimmy Carter.
Archival Collection