Oral history interview with Gerome Sapp conducted by Claytee D. White on September 9, 2015 for the Building a Las Vegas Tech Culture Oral History Project. In this interview, former NFL player Gerome Sapp recounts his personal, academic, and business experiences. He first came to Las Vegas, Nevada in September 2012 seeking investment opportunities for his company, Fluencr. A year later, he received the investment and moved to Las Vegas. Eventually, Sapp began working with the 2015 Life is Beautiful festival to document the artists of the Art Motel.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with David Welles conducted by Patrick Carlton on March 27, 2002 for the Las Vegas Rotary Club Oral History Project. In this interview, Welles first relates his family background and the circumstances that led to the family settling in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s. He relates numerous anecdotes about growing up and attending school, and then explains how a back problem ended his chances for a career in the Navy and led him to consider less physically demanding fields. He took jobs surveying and drafting, which led to his decision to study architectural engineering, taking his degree at the University of Oklahoma. Meeting and marrying while he was in Oklahoma, the couple returned to Las Vegas, where he took multiple jobs at different architectural and engineering firms, gaining experience toward licensure as an architect. By the early 1970s, he had established his own firm with a partner, gaining a state contract to build elementary schools. Welles then speaks at length about partnering with the Daly Group to design and build the UNLV Lied Library and ends the interview with another extended discussion of his long-time involvement in the Rotary Club.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Kenneth Bedrosian conducted by Ann Fredrickson on April 29, 2004 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Bedrosian discusses his upbringing in Rhode Island and educational background. He then discusses his move to Las Vegas, Nevada in the early 1970s and his first teaching position at Rancho High School in 1973. He then discusses his transition to administration with his move to a Dean’s position at Clark High School, before becoming principal at Cimarron-Memorial High School in the early 1990s. He also discusses his job duties as principal, training development, challenges that he faced as an administrator, and his views on contemporary trends within the Clark County School District and the United States educational system. He also discusses challenges that administrators face, such as school violence and overcrowding, and his suggestions for principals to be successful administrators in light of these challenges.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Michael Bryant conducted by Claytee D. White on August 05, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Bryant details life in the Westside community of Las Vegas, Nevada, his personal history, and life as an African American in Las Vegas. He describes his upbringing in Las Vegas, his father's high-end clothing store, and race relations between the African American and white communities of the city. Bryant also discusses casinos and other Las Vegas attractions, such as the presence of famous celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Muhammad Ali, as well as discussing the development of the Westside community. Julia Walton was also present for this interview.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mary Stafford conducted by Gale Robinson on March 05, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Stafford discusses her personal history and the history of Henderson, Nevada. Stafford describes living in Henderson during the 1950s and the importance of the Basic Magnesium Plant during World War II. She then talks about how Henderson has grown and the different chemical plants that opened in the town. Stafford goes on to discuss her career working for the local newspaper,
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Tim Albertson conducted by Suzanne Becker on June 15, 2007 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood Oral History Project. Tim Albertson discussed how he moved into the John S. Park Neighborhood in 2005. He also talked about when his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1978, including how his mother located her accounting business in the John S. Park area. He recalled when they would shop, go to doctor appointments, and paint houses in that neighborhood when he was in middle school.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Laura Sussman conducted by Barbara Tabach and Claytee D. White on March 15, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Laura Sussman, co-owner of Kraft-Sussman Funeral & Cremation Services, discusses the funeral home's role during the aftermath of the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas, Nevada mass shooting. She talks about the collaborated efforts of the funeral home and the coroner's office to care for the deceased, giving some details on the role of a coroner and the specific cases the funeral home was in charge of. Along with the victims, she discusses the potential cremation they were asked to do of the shooter. Throughout the interview, Sussman emphasizes the funeral home's goal of providing support to the families of the deceased.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Polly F. Lilly conducted by Connie L. Patterson on March 26, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project. In this interview, Lilly discusses a range of topics, from building a Catholic church in early Las Vegas, Nevada, to the nearby nuclear weapons tests. She also describes witnessing a confrontation between Senator Joseph McCarthy and Hank Greenspun on stage at the now demolished War Memorial Building in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Eva White conducted by Jan Hagan on August 02, 2001 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, White reflects upon her career as a teacher and administrator with Nevada’s Clark County School District (CCSD). She discusses her upbringing and the influence that her family had on her decision to become a teacher. She reflects upon her early experiences as a new teacher, working at a school near Nellis Air Force Base, and how she crafted her approach to education. She also discusses school integration, standardized testing, mentorships, and home-school learning gaps.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Byron Thornton conducted by Kay Harris on October 27, 1986 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Thornton discusses his personal history and arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1931. Thornton then recalls working for the Las Vegas Gas Company and starting his own concrete business. Lastly, Thornton describes installing petroleum gas tanks and pipes inside of homes used for testing atomic bombs at the Nevada Test Site and recalls the destruction caused by the explosions.
Archival Collection