Oral history interview with George Lee conducted by Stefani Evans and Su Kim Chung on February 29, 2024 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Lee describes his four decades of experience as a Las Vegas blackjack dealer (36 at the Four Queens Casino), after leaving behind a career in dance. Lee was selected to originate the role of "Tea" in a 1954 New York City Ballet stage production of The Nutcracker. He also danced in South Pacific at the Thunderbird, and with Carol Channing's revue at The Riviera, and a traveling production of Disney on Parade. After dancing in Alcazar de Paris at the Desert Inn Hotel in 1980, he quit dancing and went to dealer school. He worked swing shift at the Four Queens Hotel, and attended ballet classes at UNLV during the day. Lee, now 89, still works five days a week at the Four Queens. In this interview, Lee talks about ballet, typecasting, discipline, and being "ten times better." He discusses becoming a U.S. citizen in 1959 and changing his surname from Li to Lee.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with William Morgan conducted by David G. Schwartz on October 21, 2016 for the Slot Operations Oral History Project. Morgan discusses his background in slot repair and management, including his experiences in opening several properties such as the Aladdin Hotel and Casino and the Stratosphere Casino. He also mentions how the use of Wi-Fi technology could change the way games are played.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Judy Smith conducted by Suzanne Becker on November 22, 2008 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood Oral History Project. Smith discusses moving from Barstow, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1958. She also discusses working as the assistant society editor for the Las Vegas Sun, graduating from the University of Nevada Reno, and moving back to Las Vegas with her husband and children to live in the John S. Park Neighborhood in 1967.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview of Fateen Seifullah conducted by Claytee D. White on October 28, 2020 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Fateen Seifullah was born in Compton, California and was surrounded by gang culture from a very early age. As a teenager when he and his family moved to Las Vegas in the early 1980s, he began participating in gang activity. Fateen describes his knowledge about gang operations, drug "rules," and prison time. He also discusses his participation as a Muslim mosque leader in the Historic Westside Las Vegas, his "Iman" (faith and beliefs), and his work in the past decade to push gang activity and drug use out of the community.
Subjects discussed include: Compton, California; drug culture; Muslim philosophy; Iman; and Code of Justice.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Tim Albertson conducted by Suzanne Becker on June 15, 2007 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood Oral History Project. Tim Albertson discussed how he moved into the John S. Park Neighborhood in 2005. He also talked about when his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1978, including how his mother located her accounting business in the John S. Park area. He recalled when they would shop, go to doctor appointments, and paint houses in that neighborhood when he was in middle school.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dan Skanovsky conducted by Richard A. Kelly on April 02, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Skanovsky discusses the legalization of gambling and his experiences in the gambling industry in Nevada. Skanovsky talks about living in Tonopah, Nevada. Later, Skanovsky discusses casinos, their operations, and the chances of winning money in casinos.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joseph Rojas conducted by Lisa Gioia-Acres on September 30, 2008 for the Heart to Heart Oral History Project. Rojas discusses being an obstetrician and a gynecologist in Las Vegas, Nevada, starting in 1961. He also discusses becoming the first Obstetrics-Gynecology (OB-GYN) residency in Nevada, which led to the development of the University Of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lydi Owen-Martin conducted by Joann Brown on October 17, 1985 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Owens-Martin discusses her experiences as a lay midwife, mother, and housewife after moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1968. Owens-Martin also discusses the history of midwifery in Nevada and her education.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Nancy Houssels conducted by Claytee D. White on March 19, 2014 for the West Charleston Neighborhoods--an Oral History Project of Ward 1. Houssels discusses going to school at Berkley University and the University of California Los Angeles, and then migrating to Las Vegas, Nevada. She discusses dancing at the Dunes Hotel and later at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino where she met her husband. She then discusses her part in starting the Nevada Dance Theatre and being a “prime mover” in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John L. Houck conducted by Perry L. Smith on March 14, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In his interview Houck discusses his childhood growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1950s. He additionally discusses his job working for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department as a motorcycle patrol officer.
Archival Collection