Oral history interview with Willie Thompson conducted by Claytee D. White on November 25, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Thompson discusses his early life in Tulsa, Oklahoma and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1995. Thompson recalls the Doolittle Senior Center, the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino, and his involvement in the Martin Luther King Jr. parade. Lastly, Thompson talks about volunteering with the Mirage Reading Program.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Patsy Leavitt conducted by Elizabeth Neumann on March 17, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Leavitt discusses her maternal grandmother, who brought her mother and uncle to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1931, and explains how her grandmother opened a boardinghouse that she ran until her death in 1948. She then discusses her father's family, who arrived in Las Vegas in the late 1920s and established a sand and gravel business. She discusses her education and marriage, and reflects on Las Vegas in the 1950s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with George Kavanaugh conducted by Iolanthe Bruton on February 25, 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Kavanaugh discusses arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada and taking part in politics and gambling. Kavanaugh later talks about the Magnesium Plant in Henderson, Nevada as well as the atomic bomb testing.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ray Ruff conducted by Scott Benjamin on March 13, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Ruff discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada from Chicago, Illinois in 1954. Ruff also discusses his employment and the environment at the Desert Inn Hotel. Ruff later discusses golf and Las Vegas politicians.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Corrine Sidney conducted by Claytee D. White on June 05, 2007 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Corrine Sidney discusses her life as an actress, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to work as a showgirl at the Sands Hotel and Casino, moving back to Los Angeles, California, marrying George Sidney, and moving back to Las Vegas with George.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jerry Eppenger conducted by Claytee D. White on September 09, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Jerry Eppenger discusses working as a security guard at the Bonanza Hotel and the Nevada Test Site. He then talks about attending dealer school and starting a career in dealing. He then discusses segregation and racial relations in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1970s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Monroe Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on August 15, 2000 and August 22, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Monroe Williams discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1943, living in the historical Westside neighborhood, and being one of the first black fire fighters in Las Vegas. He also talks about being involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP), being in the Navy for two years, and his real estate and property management companies.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Clyde Perkins conducted by William G. White on October 03, 1989 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Perkins discusses his father’s half-interests in property containing portions of West Point and the Pickett Ranch in Moapa Valley, Nevada. He also describes the history of Moapa Valley and his experiences growing up in the area.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jack W. Zunino conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White on August 20, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Zunino tells of his employment with G.C. Wallace Engineering and JMA architects before founding his own landscape architecture firm in 1989. Additionally, Zunino discusses the evolution of landscape architecture in casino design.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ray Christian conducted by Russell Ellis on March 19, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Christian discusses race relations within schools, baseball teams, theatres, and Boy Scouts in Las Vegas, Nevada. He also talks about his custodial at the El Portal Theatre, the Las Vegas Westside neighborhood, and living through the Great Depression. Christian ends the interview discussing how white and black veterans helped improved race relations in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection