Oral history interviews with Nancy Houssels conducted by Caryll Batt Dziedziak on November 18, 1998, December 07, 1998, and December 14, 1998 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Houssels begins her interviews discussing her childhood in California and the influence World War II had on her upbringing. Houssels then talks about her dance training and career including topics on her auditions, her dance partners, and touring Europe in the 1960s. Houssels describes coming to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1968 where she was booked as a dancer in Folies Bergere at the Tropicana Hotel. Houssels then discusses the influences Mormonism and adiago ballet had on her life. Houssels then describes how she co-founded the Nevada Ballet Theatre with Vassili Sulich, performances of the company, their dancers, and community outreach.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jimmy Lee conducted by Vanessa Concepcion, Kristel Peralta, and Stefani Evans on May 25, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Jimmy shares his family's history as entertainers and producers in Korea and their migration to the United States when Jimmy was six years old. He talks about their move to Durham, North Carolina and their relocation to Las Vegas, his education, and his current business, mentorship, and philanthropic pursuits.
Subjects discussed include: Arirang Sisters; Jo Mackey Sixth Grade Center; Nevada's tax structure; Commercial Center
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Oral history interview with Charles Seals conducted by Claytee D. White on July 14, 2017 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Seals discusses his upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada and growing up on the Westside. He recalls attending Madison Elementary School, being involved in church activities, and his initial interests in religious ministry. Seals talks about working in the funeral industry, and starting a church in the mid-1980s. Seals recalls the African American church leaders in the Westside and other community leaders at the time. He describes businesses on Jackson Street and recreational activities he participated in. Later, Seals discusses his mother, Rosie Seals, and her involvement in the Welfare Rights movement, being a founding member of the Clark County Welfare Rights Organization (CCWRO), and starting Operation Life. Lastly, Seals talks about the issue of substance abuse, organized crime, and the lack of financial investment into the Westside.
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 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 Raul Daniels conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderon on July 03, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Daniels discusses his childhood memories of Cuauhtémoc, Mexico and later moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with his family in 1989. He talks about his father’s employment in construction and joining the painters union. Daniels then recalls attending Las Vegas High School, receiving his citizenship, and his experiences attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Daniels describes learning about The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada, studying international business, his employment at Neiman Marcus, and eventually becoming the Vice President of Catering with Station Casinos. Later, Daniels discusses what The Center meant to him as a gay teen and being a member of the Student Organization of Latinos (SOL). Lastly, Daniels recalls going through the adoption process for his son and talks about Aids for Aids Nevada (AFAN).
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Stella Butterfield conducted by Joanne L. Goodwin on October 14, 2005 and October 25, 2005 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Butterfield opens her interviews discussing her family and childhood in the Bronx, New York, in the 1930s and 1940s. Butterfield then talks about her work for the U.S. Coast Guard as a typist during World War II and as a teletype operator for the U.S. Air Force. Butterfield then describes how her teletype operator job eventually moved her to Panama, and her experiences there. She then discusses her move with her husband Frank to Las Vegas, Nevada for his assignment at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB). Butterfield discusses becoming a court reporter at Nellis AFB and describes the city of Henderson, Nevada. Lastly, Butterfield talks about becoming a civilian court reporter for U.S. District Judge Roger T. Foley and her experiences as a freelance court reporter.
Archival Collection