Oral history interview with Donald Aikin conducted by Patrick Carlton on April 9, 2007 for the Las Vegas Rotary Club Oral History Project. In this interview, Aikin reflects upon his experiences working with the Nevada Gaming Control Board, his accounting career with various casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada, and his involvement with the Las Vegas Rotary Club from the 1970s through the 1990s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Von Eisinger conducted by Marilyn Eisinger on February 13, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Von Eisinger discusses weather conditions of Las Vegas, Nevada, the Hoover Dam, political representation of the different regions within Nevada, hunting, fishing, and labor unions in Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lambert VanDerMeer conducted by Eric H. Newton on February 28, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, VanDerMeer discusses his birth in Holland, living in Chicago, Illinois and Southern California, and finally settling in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1926. VanDerMeer also talks about his marriage in Las Vegas and running a dairy and ice house. Other subjects VanDerMeer discuss include the the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, the growth of Las Vegas over time, and the history of Las Vegas from 1926 to 1955.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Melvin Green conducted by Robin Fults on November 28 and December 1, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Green talks about growing up in Bonita, Louisiana and his education through college. He then talks about working for an architectural firm in Connecticut before being recruited to join a firm in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1986. He relates numerous stories about his childhood, discusses problems with discrimination and segregation in the South, and an example of discrimination from a Las Vegas furniture store in the late 1980s. He expands on his views of religion, spirituality, and politics, the importance of travel, of hard work, and commitment. He also gives examples of architectural projects that he has created.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mark Coleman conducted by Margaret Grosbeck on April 24, 2007 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Coleman reflects on his career as a teacher and administrator with the Clark County School District from the 1980s to the early 2000s. He discusses his upbringing and entry into education, and his motivations to move from being a teacher to becoming an administrator. He then describes challenges that he faced as a dean, assistant principal, and principal at various high schools. He emphasizes his concerns for school safety and his responsibility as an administrator to keep students safe, in addition to pressures that he faced to foster meaningful relationships with staff, students, and their families.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ina Porter conducted by Claytee White on January 05, 2010 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park neighborhood oral history project. Porter recalls moving to the John S. Park Neighborhood in the 1940s. She describes how they helped build the Mormon Church and the importance of the Latter Day Saints Church to the John S. Park Neighborhood. Lastly, Porter discusses the changes in the John S. Park Neighborhood over fifty years.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Peter Bernhard conducted by Claytee D. White on August 05, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Bernhard discusses his personal history growing up in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Las Vegas, Nevada. He describes recreational activities in downtown Las Vegas, attending Western High School and raising money to construct their football stadium in th 1960s. Bernhard then talks about the gaming industry in Las Vegas and explains how one is put in the “Black Book” of persons banned from casinos. Lastly, he recalls his experiences in casino business in the 1980s, and his role as a board member for the Nevada Gaming Commission.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lovey McCurdy conducted by Greg McCurdy on March 19, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lovey recalls arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1951, meeting white people in Las Vegas, Nevada, the atomic bomb testing, and other aspects of being part of the African American community during the 1950s and 1960s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Cleophis Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on April 27, 2010 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview Cleophis Williams discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, marrying her husband Tom Williams, having nine children, and family life in the historic Las Vegas neighborhood the Westside.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Fred Thompson conducted by Henry A. LeClaire Jr. on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Thompson discusses his personal history and upbringing in Nevada. Thompson describes moving around the state due to his father's work as a miner and the types of ores his father would mine, including tungsten and uranium. Thompson also describes life in the rural desert, desert wildlife, the miners' lifestyle, and the interactions he had with Native Americans. Thompson goes on to discuss moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1965 after his father was hired as an operating engineer for the Nevada Test Site. He talks about the differences between living in the city compared to the country and how Las Vegas has evolved.
Archival Collection