Archival Component
Oral history interview with Norma de la Cerna Tolbert conducted by Claytee D. White on June 25, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Tolbert discusess her career as a professional dancer from the age of fifteen. She begins by describing her early childhood in Houston, Texas, moving to Chicago, Illinois where she began to study dance, and leaving home at fifteen years old to go to Atlantic City, New Jersey to dance in professional productions. Tolbert then discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955, performing at the Moulin Rouge, and living in the Berkley Square community where they built new housing for the dancers. She also discusses performing at the Dunes Hotel and Casino, the African American community of Las Vegas, and the closing of the Moulin Rouge.
Archival Collection
Archival Component
Oral history interview with Sonja Niekerk Walther and Wilma Vandenberg conducted by Barbara Tabach on November 20, 2017 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Walther and Vandenberg discuss surviving the Holocaust, being raised in the Netherlands, and their families’ journey to the United States and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Kathleen Becker and Ernest A. Becker IV conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on January 30, 2017 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Kathleen and Ernest IV discusses their upbringing in Southern California. Kathleen talks about her father’s career as a landscape architect, and his involvement with the design of the El Rancho Hotel and Casino. Ernest IV discusses his family’s involvement in Las Vegas, Nevada development, building shopping centers, and building homes during the 1960s. Lastly, Kathleen and Ernest IV discuss their building development business.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jolie Brislin conducted by Barbara Tabach on April 21, 2017 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In this interview, Brislin discusses her family background and upbringing in Redwood City, California. She remembers moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1991, her involvement in the Jewish community, and going on a trip to Israel. Brislin talks about joining the Anti-Defamation League, becoming the Regional Director of the organization in 2015, and her mentors at the time. Lastly, Brislin discusses the rise of hate acts towards minority groups across the country, and the issue of cyber-bullying.
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Oral history interviews with Michael Green conducted by Barbara Tabach on February 26, 2018 and April 04, 2018 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In the first interview, Green discusses his family background and growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. He talks about his Jewish ancestry and the significance of religious communities in Las Vegas. In the second interview, Green discusses the growth of the Jewish community in Las Vegas, and the history of the Jewish heritage in Southern Nevada.
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Oral history interview with Anne Davis Mulford and Strutt Hurley conducted by Dennis McBride on June 7, 2002 and July 22, 2002 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. Mulford discusses her early life in the Northeast, including her experiences with a lesbian mother and how that affected her early life. She discusses her coming out and her move to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1990s. Anne recalls her involvement in the LGBTQIA+ community in Las Vegas, including her work on the Las Vegas Pride parade and the beginnings of the LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada. Finally, she talks about her work building AFAN, the Aid for AIDS of Nevada.
Archival Collection
Carol Terry's "Germans in Las Vegas" Oral History Project (2007) contain the oral histories conducted by Terry while researching for a chapter on Germans in Las Vegas, Nevada for The Peoples of Las Vegas book. Terry interviewed over 60 individuals and the collection contains the printed transcripts and audiocassettes from each interview.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Kaku Makino and Masako "Julie" Ishitsuka conducted by Kristel Peralta, Vanessa Concepcion, Ayrton Yamaguchi, and Stefani Evans on March 22, 2021 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Makino discusses his early life in Tokyo, Japan and becoming a chef. He recalls arriving to the United States in 1989, establishing the Todai (now Makino Sushi & Seafood Buffet) restaurant chain, and opening nineteen locations in California, Florida, and in Hawaii. Kano talks about her upbringing in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan and describes Japan during the Meiji era. She remembers arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2000 and the cultural change she experienced. Lastly, Makino and Kano discuss the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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