Oral history interview with Oscar Schwartz conducted by Claytee D. White on January 25, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Schwartz discusses his personal history and life in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1980s. Schwartz describes being a casino dealer before becoming a comedy magician and the transition of ownership of casinos from organized crime to corporations. He talks about his career in property and real estate appraisal in Las Vegas and the methods he would use to determine the value of different possessions and estates. Schwartz also discusses his opinion on the spending of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on a new stadium, the development east of Fremont Street, and casinos wanting to build Ferris wheels.
Archival Collection
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.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gwen Weeks conducted by Perry Kaufman on November 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Weeks describes early Las Vegas, Nevada and the changes the city went through. Weeks also talks about segregation, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the different living conditions between communities.
Archival Collection
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.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Richard Hooker conducted by Claytee D. White on June 10, 2014 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Hooker discusses his work as an artist and cultural practitioner for the City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs. He recalls his background in political science and his employment with the Nevada Arts Council. Hooker then describes the projects he was involved with, including preserving neon signs and the formation of the Neon Museum.
Archival Collection
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.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Daniel A. Moore conducted by Norwood Germany Jr. on March 03, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Moore discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1952 for his father's career. Moore discusses his own career at McCarran Airport as well as his interest in bowling. Moore also discusses the African American community in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sidney Lowe conducted by Claytee D. White on January 22, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Lowe begins the interview by discussing her upbringing in Alabama and South Carolina and her experiences with racial segregation and discrimination. She continues, describing places she has lived, her relationship with the father of her children, and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1982. Lowe talks about life in Las Vegas during the 1980s, obtaining a position in the James R. Dickinson Library at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) as a library assistant, and her education. Lowe concludes by discussing her career working for the UNLV library system and the library's function on campus.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jerry Waldrop conducted by Harry Ward on February 23, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Waldrop discusses arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1944 as an instructor for the Las Vegas Army Air Corps Gunnery School (now Nellis Air Force Base). Waldrop also describes the increase of hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, social life, and environmental changes in the city.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with William Viera conducted by Ann Louise Pugh on an unknown day in October of 1971 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Viera discusses his work in real estate throughout Las Vegas, Nevada and describes the increase in value of homes, especially newer buildings. Viera later describes his thoughts on why the desert and other surrounding landscape areas would soon be developed.
Archival Collection