Oral history interview with Joel Coombs conducted by Claytee White on February 22, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview Joel Coombs spoke about how his peers reacted to his interracial family. He recalls attending Valley High School amidst racial tensions, racism, and prejudice. He also spoke about the drug abuse happening at Valley High School and Bishop Gorman High School in Nevada. He recalled participating in protests as a child and landing on the front page of The Post.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Zoe Allison conducted by Debra Ruth on February 21, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Allison discusses her career with Central Telephone Company, working at the Sahara Hotel as a switchboard operator, and owning a dress shop on Fremont Street. She also talks about notable locations such as Craig Road Speedway, Silver Slipper Race Track, Nellis Air Base and Mount Charleston, and the politics of prostitution in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Estralita Williams conducted by B. Leon Green on February 13, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview Estralita Williams discusses being raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, her family, life in the historic neighborhood the Westside, segregation, and working at the Economic Opportunity Board.
Archival Collection
Oral history with Michael Ciccolo conducted by Claytee D. White on September 18, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Ciccolo, a doctor at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, discusses the early morning after the mass shooting on October 1, 2017. He participated in surgery for two victims in the early morning after the shooting. As a doctor trained in Iowa, Arizona, and California, Ciccolo and his family love the city of Las Vegas. He trained at the University of Iowa, University of Arizona, and University of Southern California. His thoughts after the October 1 tragedy include the belief that as a society, we are not grateful enough for everyday things. He also discusses anger, and his conflicting thoughts on gun ownership.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Daniel Leroy Lewis conducted by his son, Dan Lewis, on February 27, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Daniel Leroy Lewis discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in May of 1953. Daniel Leroy Lewis describes life in early Las Vegas, Nevada as well as its history.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Larry Corash conducted by David Schwartz on July 12, 2007 for the Remembering Jay Sarno Oral History Project. In this interview, Corash discusses his family background and involvement in the hospitality industry. He remembers his father’s hotel business, his investments in hotels with Jay Sarno, and the increase in popularity of themed hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada throughout the 1970s. Corash talks about the opening of the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino, the planning for the Grandissimo, and how significant Caesars Palace was to the future of Las Vegas hotels and casinos.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Thalia Dondero conducted by Susan Scott on March 18, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Dondero first speaks about her background and the circumstances which led her to move to Las Vegas, Nevada. She also talks about her children, her work with the Parent-Teacher Association, and her service with the Nevada State Park Commission. She also describes the development of the Las Vegas Strip, her involvement in various organizations, her consideration in running for governor, and some of the topics she handled as a commissioner for the county.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Linh Fee conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Stefani Evans, and Jerwin Tiu on February 4, 2022 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Linh Fee talks about her family life growing up in Oahu, Hawaii, how her parents met in Vietnam, and memories of her childhood with her six siblings. She shares how she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to find work after graduating from college at the University of Hawaii and her brief time working in the hospitality industry as a cocktail server. Fee discusses her career change to become a dental hygienist and life with her husband and three children.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Peter F. Perazzo conducted by Claytee D. White on July 22, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Perazzo discusses his personal history and moving from Reno, Nevada to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s. Perazzo talks about his Native American ancestry, his career in land surveying, and how construction and land surveying have changed over the years. He then describes designing public and residential buildings in Las Vegas, and at the Nevada Test Site. Later, Perazzo discusses his employment at the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1985 and in 1995 at the Nevada Department of Transportation, where he was involved in many state projects such as the Hoover Dam bypass, Red Rock state road, and freeway widening.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Christopher C. Hudgins conducted by Claytee D. White on May 18, 2016 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Hudgins open his interview by discussing his upbringing in Virginia, his education, and the manual labor jobs he worked as a teenager. Hudgins then describes his introduction to American folk music and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1976. Hudgins then recalls what the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) was like in 1976 and how he became familiar with the city. Hudgins then discusses his career and scholarship while at UNLV as a chairman in the English department, and his interest in broadcasting. He then explains conflicts between the Board of Regents and the UNLV faculty, the expansion of UNLV related construction on Maryland Parkway, and his interest in becoming a dean. Hudgins describes his goals as dean of the liberal arts college, the challenges of implementing grants for liberal arts projects, and his views on college athletics. Lastly, Hudgins recalls attending a Nobel Prize ceremony as an invited guest of Harold Pinter, and his association with the City of Asylum organization.
Archival Collection