Oral history interview with Jim Shaffer conducted by Gary L. Mynatt on June 20, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Shaffer discusses living in Las Vegas, Nevada and his career in banking. Shaffer describes the positions he has held in the banking industry, where he has lived in Las Vegas, his family life, and his affiliations with different social and professional organizations. He also discusses how nuclear weapons tests at the Nevada Test Site affected the city economically, how Las Vegas has changed and expanded, and credit ratings in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sachiko Young conducted by Mikaela Nettlow on December 5, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Sachiko shares her upbringing in Fukoka, Japan and how she and her family moved frequently as a child. She talks about meeting her husband, an American military man, while visiting family in Tokyo. Sachiko discusses their marriage and birth of their child, their move to San Jose, California, and their travels back and forth from Japan before settling in Las Vegas, Nevada. She shares stories of visiting casinos with friends, working in hotel coffee shops, and what life was like for her and her family. Sachiko also talks of how she and her husband both faced racial prejudice from their families and the difficulties of learning English as a second language.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lucile Bunker conducted by herself on March 10, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Bunker recalls her early experiences and various jobs in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also describes her experiences as the wife of former Senator Berkeley Bunker and living in Washington, D.C.. Bunker then discusses her missionary work, the early above-ground atomic testing, and the building of Hoover Dam.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mary McCoy conducted by Claytee D. White on February 26, 2009 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. McCoy discusses living in other states while following her husband's career and working in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries for a total of 28 years in acquisitions, government documents, and Special Collections.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Esther Marber conducted by Jane E. Olive on July 16, 1999 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Marber discusses her life in Las Vegas, Nevada since 1947. She remembers her employment at the Bonanza Casino, the Riviera Hotel and Casino, and the development of labor unions in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gerome Sapp conducted by Claytee D. White on September 9, 2015 for the Building a Las Vegas Tech Culture Oral History Project. In this interview, former NFL player Gerome Sapp recounts his personal, academic, and business experiences. He first came to Las Vegas, Nevada in September 2012 seeking investment opportunities for his company, Fluencr. A year later, he received the investment and moved to Las Vegas. Eventually, Sapp began working with the 2015 Life is Beautiful festival to document the artists of the Art Motel.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Thomas Kerestesi conducted by Wendy Starkweather on October 03, 2013 for the West Charleston Neighborhoods: An Oral History Project of Ward 1. In this interview, Thomas Kerestesi discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1956, growing up in the Mcneil Estates neighborhood of Las Vegas, graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno, and moving back to Las Vegas with his wife Buffie. He also talks about working at Cragin and Pike Insurance Agency alongside his father and the various organizations he associated with.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jon Cobain conducted by Claytee D. White on March 4, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Cobain describes his childhood growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada and living in a trailer while his father built the family's home. Cobain is the first graduate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), as he walked across the stage first, thus becoming the first to receive a degree from UNLV. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business, Cobain attended Northwestern for graduate school. He discusses time spent working in Venezuela, and the value of learning other cultures and building international relationships. At the time of the interview, Cobain is matching gifts to the Jon Cobain Lee Business School at UNLV up to $2.3 million to help first-generation scholars. Other subjects discussed include the Nevada Test Site, Frank Sinatra, and Hoover Dam.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jeffrey Coller conducted by Claytee D. White on July 25, 2017 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Coller discusses growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. He recalls attending Bishop Gorman High School, becoming an emancipated minor, and his employment at the El Cortez Hotel and Casino. Coller talks about joining the United States Marine Corps, relocating to Reno, Nevada, and his experience in the hospitality industry. Coller describes the various jobs he had at Harrah’s Reno, advancing up to assistant hotel manager, and his career shift to real estate development. Later, Coller discusses his work in production housing, building communities, and returning to Las Vegas in 1992. Lastly, Coller talks about the growth of his real estate business and getting involved in real estate syndication.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ralph E. Donerly conducted by Patricia van Betten on June 30, 2006 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Donerly, born in New Jersey, discusses his evolution as a musician. He spent his youth learning from prominent musicians in New Jersey and New York, until he moved to Los Angeles, California in his twenties. Eventually, Donerly moved to Blue Diamond, Nevada along with his mother and wife in order to pursue a musical career with big bands that performed at Las Vegas, Nevada hotels and casinos.
Archival Collection