Oral history interview with Herb Jeffries conducted by Cork Proctor on 2009 May 5 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. In the interview Jeffries discusses his life as a singer and actor, entertaining in Las Vegas, Nevada where Frank Sinatra offered support when Jeffries encountered racial discrimination. He also talks about his life after retirement, his family, being an America, his military service, and his relationship with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington as a young performer.
Oral history interview with Withania Neal conducted by Claytee D. White on July 09, 2006 for the Hurricane Katrina Survivors in Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Neal discusses her upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada. She remembers attending a sixth grade center, and going to Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Neal talks about her experience with hurricane season in Louisiana, evacuating, and the development of hurricane Katrina. She describes the broken levees, the flooding of New Orleans, and the chaos that followed. Lastly, Neal recalls the weeks after the hurricane, damaged homes, and the process of rebuilding the community.
Oral history interview with Debra McCracken conducted by Claytee D. White on April 13, 2017 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, McCracken discusses her early interests in library science and children's literature. She recalls being hired at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), working in the James R. Dickinson Library, and the transition into Lied Library. She talks about the switch to electronic cataloging, and working at the Teachers Development Resources Library (TDRL) at UNLV. Lastly, McCracken discusses the future of UNLV Libraries.
Oral history interview with Gloria Dixon conducted by Claytee D. White on May 2, 2022 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: A Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Dixon recalls her childhood growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dixon attended St. Christopher and Bishop Gorman High School, and recalls her parents' involvement in the New Jerusalem Church. Dixon discusses writing grants to help with community education programs, and using her experience as a hospice nurse for the last thirty years to help communicate information about public health crises. Throughout the interview, Dixon shares information about the businesses in the Las Vegas Black community on Jackson Street.
Oral history interview with Tyrone Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on August 25, 2006 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. Williams discusses arriving at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and his various jobs there. He recalls that blacks were not welcome on the Las Vegas, Nevada Strip unless they were going to work in one of the hotels or casinos. Williams then describes joining the Executive Housekeepers Association. The interview concludes with a short discourse on social life and positive aspects of life in Las Vegas.
Oral history interview with Thomas Barbarite conducted by Dennis Chamberland on March 03, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Barbarite discusses his time at the Four Queens Hotel and the Dunes Hotel as a dealer as well as his work as a pit boss at the Flamingo Hotel, the Aladdin Hotel, and Caesars Palace. Barbarite also discusses the involvement of the mob in Las Vegas, particularly the influence of Bugsy Siegel in the operation of various properties.
Oral history interview with Sonny Thomas conducted by Barbara Tabach on February 28, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Thomas discusses getting his first funeral home job at the age of 16, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, his series of hotel jobs, and being part of the opening staff of MGM Grand Hotel. Thomas later talks about getting into the funeral industry and the various corporate buyouts of local funeral homes. He later discusses the tradition of African American funerals and his thoughts about segregation in Las Vegas during the 1960s.
Oral history interview with Stan Irwin conducted by Cork Proctor on August 24, 2003 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. In this interview, Irwin talks about his early life performing comedy in nightclubs, hotels, and casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada, writing comedic material, his military service, starting a family, and racism in the Las vegas entertainment industry in the 1950s and 1960s. He also discusses his work as vice-president and executive producer for Sahara Nevada Corporation, bringing The Beatles to Las Vegas, Nevada when all other hotels refused to do so, and the band's appearance at the Las Vegas Convention Center. He continues talking about being a comedian, actor, and special materials writer and his life since retirement.
Oral history interview with Robert Cannon conducted by an unknown interviewer on April 7th, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Cannon recalls his contribution to the Pacific Northwest promotional campaign, being on the Board of Directors at the Chamber of Commerce, and being a member of the Convention Authority. He also mentions working with Bobby Calhoun, Maxwell Kelch and the Earl Brothers. He describes Las Vegas, Nevada as the “Entertainment Capital of the World.”
Oral history interview with Myrtle Banks conducted by George Williams on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Banks discusses African American history in Nevada, specifically in the context of job opportunities, relationships with whites, and the social and political changes that took place over time. Banks also discusses the riots of the 1960s, changes in crime rates and their effect on the perception of safety. Lastly she discusses growth in the construction industry and population, inflation, and how gambling and entertainment define Las Vegas, Nevada.