Oral history interview with Cynthia "Cindy" Coletti conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee White on October 27, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Coletti talks about arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada as a single mother in 1989 and building more than 150 custom homes, mostly in the upscale communities, including Celine Dion’s Lake Las Vegas mansion. She also discusses the previous custom homes she built in Florida, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Coletti's husband, David Fordham, discusses his background, moving to Las Vegas, working in commercial real estate, and meeting Cindy.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Patricia Morse Jarman conducted by Claytee D. White on May 01, 2018 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Jarman discusses her early life and joining the United States Air Force. She remembers moving to North Las Vegas, Nevada in 1974, being stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, and her decision to stay in Las Vegas after her military service. Jarman talks about her interest in sports analytics, becoming a boxing judge, and being appointed to the Nevada Consumer Affairs Commission. Lastly, Jarman discusses working with local government to prevent the development of apartment buildings on golf courses, and the 1 October shooting.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Phyllis Web Clark conducted by Lorna Suzette Clark on April 07, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Phyllis Clark speaks about education, the early development of the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown areas, important people that visited Las Vegas, Nevada, transportation in the city, the effect of World War II on the economy, and the effects of the growing town on hospitality and courteousness. Phyllis also talks about the Helldorado Parade, her involvement in the Boy and Girl Scouts, atomic testing, the Stewart Ranch, and floods in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Elaine and Robert Gallagher conducted by Rod Leavitt on an unknown date in 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, the Gallaghers discuss moving to Southern Nevada with their families. Robert describes his father’s employment at Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam), and Elaine recalls the construction of the Basic Magnesium Plant in Henderson, Nevada. They describe above-ground atomic bomb testing, entertainment in Las Vegas, Nevada, and social life. Lastly, the two recall population growth in Las Vegas and the increase of casinos along the Strip.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jeannie Olsen Burgwardt conducted by Irene Rostine on February 07, 1997 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN). Burgwardt opens her interview by discussing moving to Henderson, Nevada just after World War II to sell insurance and real estate to the fledgling town. Burgwardt describes assisting her husband with the business and eventually taking over the office when her husband became ill. She discusses the methods to make land suitable for building in Henderson, women in real estate, and life as a working mother.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Tessa Marie Winkelmann conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on October 21, 2022 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Tessa Winkelmann recalls her transient childhood due to her father's job as a chef for Hyatt International which led to their family relocating to several places before they eventually landed in the Coachella Valley, California. Her mother, as a recent Filipino immigrant, stayed at home taking care of Winkelmann and her two siblings for a number of years before also beginning to work in sales at hotels. Winkelmann recalls her grandmother, who helped raise her and her siblings by cooking and taking care of them. She recalls living in a poorer part of Coachella Valley and having to attend school in a neighboring town without adequate transportation. Winkelmann attended the University of California, Irvine, where she majored in English and political science. She later attended San Francisco State University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for graduate school. Winkelmann discusses the themes of her research, touching on interracial relationships and their influence on colonial relations between the Philippines and the West. Throughout the interview, Winkelmann touches on topics regarding her identity, life in Las Vegas, and other aspects of her journey.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ruby Amie-Pilot conducted by Barbara Tabach on August 07, 2012 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Amie-Pilot discusses various topics including the importance of the Zion United Methodist Church, experiences of segregated schools in the lower grades, and change in racism over time, from Texas to Las Vegas, Nevada. Amie-Pilot also talks about leaders of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) members including Hank Greenspun and members of the local black community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Betty Joyce Clark conducted by Steven Knowles on February 16, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Betty Clark discusses her places of residence, the schools she attended, and some of the businesses she remembers from when she first moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. She also discusses bus transportation, the first hospitals in town, and the early development of the Las Vegas Strip. She then talks about the development of utility services for homes, the development of North Las Vegas, the first airport and airline services, department stores, tourism, and the racial makeup of the city.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Renée Marchant Rampton conducted by Caryll Batt Dziedziak on August 27, 2006, January 25, 2011, and March 03, 2011 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Rampton begins her interviews discussing her family's migration history. Rampton talks about the influences Mormonism and her mother's feminism had on her life. Rampton then describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1959 with her husband. Rampton discusses the musicians union, Musicians' Wives Club, and her work to keep music in the Clark County School District. Lastly, Rampton discusses becoming an elementary school teacher and her efforts to support the Equal Rights Amendment.
Archival Collection