Oral history interview with Lena Brass conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on January 17, 2017 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Brass discusses her upbringing in Winsboro, Louisiana and describes living during segregation. She recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1975 with her husband, her employment at Nevada State Bank, and participating in the Martin Luther King parade. Brass then talks about the advancement of banking technology, the utilization of computers, and her experience as an African American bank manager. Later, Brass talks of her mentors, her faith, and the economic downturn of Jackson Street businesses in the Westside. Lastly, Brass discusses the future of the African American community in Las Vegas, the Westside, and business networking with the church community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Terry Wood conducted by Gretchen Schraeder on November 14, 2006 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the interview, Wood describes her childhood in Dearborn, Michigan and the racial discrimination there. She describes meeting her husband and moving to Dallas, Texas for his job with General Dynamics. Wood describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada and her life working and living in the downtown area. She details the restaurants, shopping, and gaming in the area. She also provides accounts of attending shows and meeting famous entertainers primarily at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Floyd Jenne conducted by Ping Lee on March 10, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Jenne discusses his life as a police officer in Boulder City, Nevada. Jenne also recalls going to school in McGill, Nevada and Ely, Nevada and working in Boulder City, Nevada and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Rory Reid conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee White on July 13, 2017 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Reid recalls growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada as a Mormon, and his legal and political careers in the Nevada Democratic Party.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Karen Carmichael conducted by Stefani Evans on December 9, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
In this oral history Carmichael discusses the world of professional dancing in the 1970s through the 1990s. She discusses her start in the industry and a variety of Las Vegas shows she participated in including: the Union Plaza Can Can, the American Dream Festival, Dasin’ Dirdy, and Babes Ahoy. She also goes into great detail behind her vision for Skyline, her adagio act, and the many celebrities she encountered throughout her career.
Carmichael also discusses her second career in jewelry design, and her experiences working with art galleries on the Las Vegas strip. She details the experiences of starting off at traveling art festivals, working her way up to award winning designs, and the art of jewelry photography. She also discusses the process of researching and publishing history for her book. She ends the interview with a discussion of what it means to be an artist and role of creativity in her life and those around her. She also discusses the ways in which others such as Betty Francisco, Hedy Jo Star, Debbie Reynolds and Sammy Davis Jr. had shaped her life.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Al Lermusiaux conducted by Shirley Dianne Long on March 09, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lermusiaux begins by talking about his move to Las Vegas, his family and what brought him to the city. He shares many anecdotes about the construction of different iconic buildings in Las Vegas, the inner workings of the business, payments to employees and the changes in technology. Lermusiaux, in particular, talks of the telephone system in the fifties and the changes in structures and their regulations. During his interview, Lermusiaux lays out an image of old Las Vegas and Henderson, giving detailed descriptions of the layout of the city, the projects he worked on and the effects of the weather on building structures in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Frances Moore conducted by Len Trout on March 01, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Moore begins by discussing her family's history in Nevada and the people she met in Las Vegas, Nevada. She talks about visits by prominent politicians to Las Vegas, the crash of Carole Lombard's plane, and life in Las Vegas during the 1930s and 1940s. Moore also describes how Las Vegas has changed, nuclear weapons tests, and the Stewart Ranch.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lynn Smith conducted by Aylwin Tai on March 04, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Smith begins by discussing why he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1968, his religious affiliations, and musical entertainment in Las Vegas. He talks about his family, his affiliations with different social organizations, and the expansion of Las Vegas. Smith describes the insurance industry in Las Vegas from his perspective as an insurance adjuster. He concludes by discussing how Las Vegas has changed economically and elaborates on his job responsibilities.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Kitty Wright conducted by Dennis McBride on January 25, 2004 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Wright discusses the life of her friend Suzanne Daly and the court cases that Daly faced. Wright recalls her memories with Daly, the court case regarding the custody of Daly's child, and her life after having a sex reassignment surgery.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lorraine Longhi conducted by Stefani Evans on March 31, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Longhi recalls growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada through eigth grade until she moved to Arizona. After graduating from high school and Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication, Longhi worked for the Arizona Republic newspaper, where she covered education and city government. Longhi identifes as mixed race and speaks of a Las Vegas childhood punctuated with annual visits to her father's family in Yonkers, New York, and her mother's Taiwanese family in Taipei. In this interview, she discusses favorite Taiwanese and Italian foods she remembers from her childhood, and memories of cultural festivals at Chinatown Plaza. She also recalls first experiencing questions about her personal identity in Arizona, remarking in retrospect on the diversity of her childhood in Las Vegas. Longhi returned to Las Vegas in March 2022 to begin work as assistant city editor at the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Archival Collection