Oral history interview with D. D. (Ethel Dolores) Cotton conducted by Claytee White on February 14, 1997 and March 21, 1997 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. In this interview, Cotton discusses the beginnings of her dance career in New York City, New York. Later in the interview, Cotton discusses working in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Cotton Club and her interactions with other African American entertainers. Cotton also discusses race relations and her experiences as an African American dancer in Las Vegas. Cotton later goes on to discuss her career change in the service industry.
Oral history interview with Nancy Siegert Shepherd conducted by Claytee D. White on October 22, 2024 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Shepherd recalls growing up in Illinois with her family and attending Catholic mass services. Shepherd attended Northwestern University where she met her current husband during her freshman year and married after graduation. She recalls relocating several times with her husband to accommodate her husband John's beginning medical practice in ophthalmology. She remembers one city where they lived, Anniston, Alabama, where Shepherd faced segregation including separate drinking fountains, waiting rooms, and bathrooms. Las Vegas, Nevada was the family's last stop in 1968. Shepherd describes her various civic engagements and social organizations, including work related to Spring Mountain State Park, the Junior League of Las Vegas, Medical Wives, Great Basin National Park Foundation, St. Viator's School Board, and the Boys and Girls Club. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Large painting of Old West dancers and gamblers hanging at the Gay 90s Bar at the Hotel Last Frontier. Site Name: Hotel Last Frontier (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Oral history interview with Katherine L. Rankin conducted by Claytee D. White on June 16, 2014 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the interview, Rankin discusses her childhood, her move to Las Vegas, Nevada, and her career as a librarian. Rankin talks about how she began her library career on the Gila River Reservation in Arizona before accepting a position as an audio and visual materials cataloger at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in the 1970s. Rankin later describes her work with the American Library Association, getting tenure at UNLV, and her role as a map cataloger in UNLV Special Collections and Archives.