Oral history interview with Gordon Smith conducted by Claytee D. White on January 29, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Smith discusses school and after-school pursuits, changes in Las Vegas, Nevada, summer jobs, and college. He also talks about his military service and returning to Las Vegas to start a barbering business.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Janet Savalli conducted by Irene Rostine on September 21, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Savalli begins her interview by discussing her move to Las Vegas, Nevada as a child in 1945. Savalli then goes on to discuss her 46 year long career at the Southern Nevada Telephone Company. She describes rising through the company starting as an operator and ending as a community relations coordinator. Savalli discusses the company's merger with Sprint and the changes this brought about including the creation of a union and wage and benefits changes. Savalli ends her interview by talking about atomic testing, and how the testing grew to be a part of Las Vegas culture at the time.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Hugh Shirkey conducted by Patricia van Betten on February 04, 2010 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Shirkey discusses his personal history and arriving to Blue Diamond, Nevada in 1950. He talks about his employment at the Blue Diamond Mine as an electrician. Shirkey describes what life was like at the village as a single worker, the development of the mining plant, how the plant was managed, and traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada. Lastly, Shirkey recalls moving to Las Vegas and retiring from the mining plant.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Amber Allan conducted by David Schwartz on December 21, 2016 for the Slot Operations Oral History Project. Allan discusses the kinds of disputes that are handled in certain supervisory positions within the gaming industry. She also discusses the topic of hold percentage as it relates to slot and video poker players. Allan then talks about free slot play and the concept of ticket-in, ticket-out.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Buddy Frank conducted by David Schwartz on January 03, 2017 for the Slot Operations Oral History Project. Frank discusses his career in slot operations, including the positions he held in both Nevada and California casino properties. Frank also discusses the utilization of free play as a marketing strategy and the use of Ethernet technology in slot machines. He then talks about how much slots have changed since his start in the business, millennials, skill-based gaming, and the future of slot machines.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Olive Lake-Eglington conducted by Anna Dean Kepper on October 30, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lake-Eglington discusses life on Stewarts Old Ranch (or Stewart Ranch) and early Las Vegas, Nevada history.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Helen Manix conducted by Art Rader on October 29, 1974 and November 01, 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interviews, Helen Manix discusses moving to Boulder City, Nevada in 1939 with her husband, John Manix, to operate a general merchandise store. Helen Manix and her son, Joseph "Joe" Manix, Jr., also discuss their local community, Boulder (Hoover) Dam, and their experiences in Boulder City during World War II.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jean Munson conducted by Vanessa Concepcion, Cecilia Winchell, and Stefani Evans on November 30, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Jean discusses her childhood growing up in Guam, the nursing career path of her parents, and her decision to pursue an "unconventional path" as a comic book artist. She talks about her education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, her passion for the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community within Las Vegas, and her roles in community activism and leadership. Jean also shares her current pursuits as a podcaster of Bruha Baddies, co-owner and printer of Plot Twist Publishing, and co-founder of the Comic and Zines Festival.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dr. Patrice Johnson conducted by Kiley Veigel on November 16, 2009 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Johnson reflects upon her more than 20-year career as a teacher and school administrator in California and in the Clark County School District. She discusses her upbringing and how she always wanted to be a teacher, her training to become a teacher, and experiences in teaching. She describes her path to becoming a school principal, and eventually assistant superintendent for the Clark County School District. She also discusses how her family life has shaped her approach to teaching, in addition to regular job duties that she faced as a teacher and administrator.
Archival Collection