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Herb Jeffries oral history interview
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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.
Archival Collection
Richard E. Schroeder oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Richard E. Schroeder conducted by Richard Harrah on February 26, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Schroeder discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1951 to work as a carpenter for the Desert Inn. Schroeder then describes changes in Las Vegas, gambling, and the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Lastly, he discusses the history of some of the hotels and casinos on Fremont Street.
Archival Collection
Ivan Jackson oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Ivan Jackson conducted by Sandy Steel on February 20, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview covers Jackson’s life in Southern Nevada. Jackson talks about his work on the Union Pacific Railroad as well as working with the Hampton Construction Company. Jackson also discusses environmental changes due to a growing population in Southern Nevada and its impact on hunting. The interview concludes with a discussion on the development of North Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Marguerite Segretti oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Marguerite Segretti conducted by Tommy Rendano on February 24, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Segretti discusses her personal history and life in Las Vegas, Nevada. Segretti discusses her career as the Clark County Democratic Central Committee Chairman, a position which she was serving in at the time of the interview, and politics on the local and national level. Segretti describes how Las Vegas has changed and expanded, life in Las Vegas, and the presence of religion in Las Vegas. Segretti also discusses sex work and prostitution in Las Vegas and the rest of Nevada, as well as misconceptions people have about the city.
Archival Collection
Charlotte M. Kelly oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Charlotte M. Kelly conducted by Terri Lynn Truesdell on April 4, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Kelly discusses local history that she experienced as well as her reasons for moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. She also talks about Las Vegas' population growth and Nellis Air Force Base.
Archival Collection
Brenda J. Williams oral history interviews
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Oral history interviews with Brenda J. Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on May 24, 2013 and June 10, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Williams discusses her personal history and life in Las Vegas, Nevada since she moved there as a child with her family during the 1940s. She describes the diversity of the Westside community she lived in, her family, and the recreational activities she participated in as a young woman. Williams talks about several careers that she has had over the course of her life, such as a telephone operator, hat shop owner, and board member for the Las Vegas Housing Authority before later transitioning to the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority.
Archival Collection
William Byrne oral history interview
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Oral history interview with William Byrne conducted by Perry Kaufman on April 18, 1972 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. Byrne discusses some of his experiences and responsibilities as the mayor for Henderson, Nevada, the introduction of bars in Henderson, prostitution, and gaming in southern Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Charles Roland oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Charles Roland conducted by Claytee D. White on August 16, 2012 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Roland begins by describing why his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1952 and attending Las Vegas High School. He discusses the African American community in Las Vegas, working in a restaurant called Sill's Drive-In, and his father, who opened the Hamburger Heaven restaurants. Roland also discusses race relations in Las Vegas prior to integration, the Binion family, and how Las Vegas has changed.
Archival Collection
James Hogan oral history interview
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Oral history interview with James Hogan conducted by Patty L. Baratti on March 11, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Hogan talks about his time working with the telephone company in Arizona and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. He discusses his time working on grazing rights and cattle ranching in Nevada and how planning went to ensure that farms were able to have land to graze their animals. He speaks about dealing with farmers, corporations, and the government and the frustrations he had to deal with before there were set laws about grazing. He also discusses the change from mainly family farms in Nevada to corporations owning much of the farmland.
Archival Collection
Merna Dennison oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Merna Dennison conducted by Ken Pyatt on March 01, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Merna Dennison discusses the importance of Cashman Field and the Helldorado Parade. She speaks about serving on the Clark County School Board and discusses the growth of Las Vegas, Nevada, especially the development and expansion of both McCarran International Airport and the Las Vegas Strip.
Archival Collection