Oral history interview with Raya Meron conducted by Claytee D. White on July 14, 2014 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Meron discusses her upbringing in Israel, moving to Istanbul with her husband, and immigrating to Canada after their divorce. Meron also talks about her career as a showgirl in Las Vegas, Nevada, including being in the Vive les Girls road show in 1965. She then discusses her involvement in helping Cambodian refugees.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Richard A. Leigon conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on January 12, 2017 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Leigon discusses John S. Park Elementary School, John C. Fremont Junior High School, and Boy Scout Troop 69 at Griffith Methodist Church. Leigon also discusses his father’s, Ralph A. Leigon, contributions to Las Vegas, Nevada, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), and his own lengthy career with IBEW that bridged labor management.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Guy Hamblin conducted by Barry Merrell on February 22, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Hamblin discusses moving from different towns in Nevada before settling down in Southern Nevada, viewing the above-ground atomic bomb tests, early Fremont Street, and his work on the railroad. Hamblin also discusses the demographic and economic changes that he has seen in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lawrence Weekly conducted by Claytee D. White on April 22, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Lawrence Weekly discusses growing up on the Westside during the 1970s and 1980s, becoming a City Councilman starting in 1999, and becoming a Clark County Commission.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Marjorie Barrick conducted by Mary Beth Nitzschke on March 13, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas.In this interview Barrick discusses the sociological view of Nevadans in the gaming industry. Barrick also discusses the beginnings of University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Las Vegas history, founding Child Haven, a center for abused and neglected children, owning the Flamingo Hotel and Casino and the Fremont Hotel, and the lack of cultural activities in the 1950s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Burton Cohen conducted by Bill Willard on May 31, 1995 for the Arnold Shaw Oral History Project on Las Vegas Entertainers. In this interview, Cohen discusses his experiences working with the entertainment industry, booking entertainers for local shows, and lessons that he learned about successfully advertising shows to attract varieties of audiences.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with George Marshall conducted by Dottie Adams on February 02, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Marshall discusses politics while he was the Justice of the Peace in 1938, and District Judge in 1940. Marshall later talks about the above ground atomic test, economic and environmental changes, and gambling in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sarann Knight Preddy conducted by Yvonne R. Hunter on July 16, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Knight discusses her bar (The Lincoln Bar) in Hawthorne, Nevada and how she built it for the African American community because of limited access to venues due to segregation. Knight then talks about working with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the influence that gambling had on the community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Agnes Marshall conducted by Claytee D. White on September 12, 2011 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Marshall discusses her family being one of the first families to move into Berkley Square, the first middle-class black housing development designed by Paul Williams. She also recounts her experiences with the nightlife in Las Vegas, Nevada during the heydays of Jackson Street, including clubs such as Cotton Club and Town Tavern, and restaurants like Mom's Kitchen.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Corinne Sidney conducted by Cynthia Cicero and Dedee Nave on December 13, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
Corinne Sidney shares the details of her early career, her move to Las Vegas, and her relationship with Jack Entratter. She talks about becoming a Copa Girl at the Sands Hotel and what life was like after Jack's death in 1971. Corinne shares stories of entertainers she knew, including Frank Sinatra and Antonio Morelli, but the focus of the discussion is about Jack, their "on-again-off-again" relationship, and his talent and influence in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection