Oral history interview with Larry Cooper conducted by Claytee D. White on March 05, 2018 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Cooper discusses his early life in Las Vegas, Nevada and growing up in the Westside. He talks about his educational experiences in Las Vegas, attending the Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College (now University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff), and teaching mathematics. Cooper recalls his employment at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, becoming Vice President of Emerging Markets, and relocating around the United States for work. He remembers moving back to Las Vegas in the mid-2000s, his friendship with civil rights leader Jimmy Gay, and the contributions Gay made for the African American community. Cooper describes Westside businesses, and casinos on Jackson Street. Lastly, Cooper discusses the future of the Westside.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sylvester Collier conducted by Claytee D. White on May 17, 2017 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Collier discusses his early life in Dallas, Texas. He talks about his interest in art, joining the United States Air Force in 1951, and being sent to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. Collier recalls attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), earning a master’s degree in education, and teaching art classes in the Clark County School District (CCSD). Later, Collier discusses starting the Left of Center Art Gallery, and describes some of his art pieces. Lastly, Collier talks about his experience as an African American artist.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Walter Weiss conducted by Claytee D. White on November 02, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Walter Weiss discusses how Judaism and boxing kept him out of trouble in his youth. Weiss talks about his boxing training, becoming a runner for a bookmaker, and coming to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s to be a bookmaker for the Stardust Hotel, and working the slot machine floor. He also talks about having several different jobs in various casinos, and discusses different people involved in the gaming industry in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Allycia B. Murphy conducted by Stefani Evans on June 30, 2023 for Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, attorney Allycia B. Murphy shares how she learned recently who her biological father was and how it has changed her life. She talks about connecting with half-siblings, her biological father, and learning about her father's Samoan, Japanese, and German family history. Murphy discusses growing up in southeast North Carolina, being enrolled with her mother's family as Lumbee Tribal Citizens, and learning to code switch. She talks about playing sports in middle and high school, majoring in African American studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and attending law school at North Carolina Central University. She recalls becoming a prosecutor with the North Carolina First Prosecutorial District, and meeting her husband. Murphy discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2017, getting married, and the loss of her first child, and subsequent children since her first pregnancy. She closes her interview discussing being hired by the City of Las Vegas as a Deputy City Attorney, Office of the City Attorney, Criminal Division, a position she continues to hold at the time of the interview.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gregory Crawford conducted by Claytee D. White on August 18, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Gregory shares his background growing up in Los Angeles, California and the influence that music had on his young life. He talks about his employment history working nearly three decades for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' University Libraries and his role in acquiring academic materials. Gregory also discusses his "foodie" hobby, favorite eateries, and continued interest in music. Subjects discussed include: Seafood City; Farmer Brothers.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Leo Dunbar conducted by Jay Brewer on May 05, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Dunbar discusses the growth of Boulder City, Nevada, the construction of Boulder (Hoover) Dam, and World War I.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Woodrow Long conducted by Ana Humphrey on October 05, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Long discusses his early life in Panaca, Nevada, his mining job in Pioche, Nevada during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as his eventual move to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s. Long also discusses building Boulder (Hoover) Dam power lines and constructing Las Vegas housing. Long also briefly discusses his education at the University of Nevada, Reno, his family, and his experiences with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Charissa B. Fabian conducted by Kyle Gregory Baluyut on November 24, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Charissa B. Fabian discusses her upbringing in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines with her three siblings and memories shared with her grandparents and cousins. She talks about her nursing education from the University of the Philippines and her immigration via a recruitment agency to work in New York. Charissa Fabian reflects on her move to Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband in 1995, the growing Filipino population in the city, and her work as a nurse. She also shares her thoughts on the immigration process, the COVID-19 pandemic, and politics.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mary Carol Melton conducted by Kathy Ricks on March 05, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Melton discusses early life in Henderson, Nevada and recalls the development of the United Methodist Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. Melton speaks about moving to Las Vegas because of her husband’s health, her time working with attorney offices and in the Las Vegas Courthouse, and the different homes in which her family lived. Moreover, Melton talks extensively about starting the first Sunday school in North Las Vegas in a garage as well as the church she and her husband built. Melton discusses the programs and minstrels performed in the church, the crafts sold to make money for the church and the organ they purchased. Lastly, Melton talks about going to the Hoover Dam nearly every week to see new developments, her participation in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and watching the above ground atomic tests.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Matt Gregory conducted by Joyce Marshall on May 07, 1996 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Gregory discusses his early life and arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1953. He remembers working in public relations for the Showboat Hotel and Casino and becoming a personal manager, agent and producer. Gregory talks about representing lounge acts, recruiting young artists, and producing large shows in smaller venues. Lastly, Gregory discusses producing a fashion show for the Lion's Club Convention held in Las Vegas and producing the network television game show,
Archival Collection