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Woodrow Long oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01146

Abstract

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

Pat Spearman oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02627

Abstract

Oral history interview with Pat Spearman conducted by Lisa McAllister on March 03, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Spearman discusses her experiences in the military and becoming a minister at United Methodist Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. She describes what it was like to serve in the military as a gay woman and telling church members about her sexuality. Spearman then talks about the African American gay community in Las Vegas and the intersectionality of race, class, religion, sexuality, and politics. Lastly, Spearman discusses her plans to get re-elected as a Nevada State Senator.

Archival Collection

John McKay oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01261

Abstract

Oral history interview with John McKay conducted by Donna Malloy on March 03, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, McKay talks about his experiences living in Las Vegas, Nevada since the 1950s. McKay begins by speaking about his family history, his career in the electronics and engineering field for aerospace, as well as his experiences in two wars. Moreover, McKay speaks about his hobbies of hunting and fishing and his time as a musician around Las Vegas. McKay also spends time going over how the city of Las Vegas has grown and changed, the increase in crime, and the extreme floods in the 1950s. Lastly, McKay talks about the Nuclear Test Site, how casino gaming chips were used as money around the city, how the city of Las Vegas started and the future of the valley. Digital audio and transcript available.

Archival Collection

Diana Bennett oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-03861

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Diana Bennett conducted by Claytee D. White on February 4, 2022 and April 16, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In these interviews, Bennett discusses growing up as the daughter of William "Bill" Bennett, the visionary behind Circus Circus, Excalibur, Luxor, and the Sahara hotels. She recalls no one hiring her after dropping out of Arizona State University to pursue her passion of entering the gaming industry. Finally, Dick Thomas hired Bennett to work at the Flamingo. Today, Diana Bennett is the CEO and co-founder of Paragon Gaming, a developer and operator of gaming-based properties, second generation casino operator, and one of the most effective and respected executives in the gaming industry. Bennett discusses her role in developing, constructing, and managing the River Cree Reserve outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the first ever First Nations gaming property in Alberta.

Archival Collection

Jim Henderson oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00837

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jim Henderson conducted by Joyce Moore on July 16, 2006 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Henderson discusses his employment at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada and remembers the fire in 1980. He talks about the reconstruction of the hotel, becoming a cocktail server, and the community of casino and hotel workers in Las Vegas during the 1980s and 1990s.

Archival Collection

Ruth Hazard oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00821

Abstract

Oral history interview with Ruth Hazard conducted by John Neal on March 08, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Hazard goes in-depth about her knowledge of municipal politics and her husband’s friendships with a number of Nevada politicians. Hazard also briefly talks about her fascination with the above-ground atomic tests, speakeasies during Prohibition, and local anxieties about Las Vegas, Nevada “losing its identity.”

Archival Collection

Jerry Tao oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03753

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jerry Tao conducted by Kristel Peralta, Ayrton Yamaguchi, and Stefani Evans on March 26, 2021 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Tao discusses his family’s background in China and Taiwan, and his upbringing in Virginia. He talks about his parents’ decision to assimilate their children to the American culture, not participating in Chinese traditions during his youth, and racial discrimination he experienced as an Asian American. Tao remembers attending law school at George Washington University, becoming a speechwriter for United States Senator Harry Reid, and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1998. Later, Tao talks about being appointed to the Eighth Judicial District Court in 2011 and to the Nevada Court of Appeals in 2014 by Governor Brian Sandoval. Lastly, Tao compares Chinese family culture and American family culture.

Archival Collection

Glynda White oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-01967

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Glynda White conducted by Claytee D. White on March 12, 2013 and August 23, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Glynda White begins by discussing her upbringing in Jackson, Tennessee, where her father was a member of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was involved in the litigation to desegregate schools in the city. She explains how her father's activism inspired her to pursue a legal career and go to law school after graduating from Lambuth University. White discusses arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1970s to work as a teacher, later being on the board of the Las Vegas NAACP and working for the Nevada Black Chamber of Commerce. She describes her role at the College of Southern Nevada as a lead faculty member for the Department of Business Administration and Legal Studies, her teaching, and the work she has done to establish African American businesses in the Westside area of Las Vegas, as well as in North Las Vegas, Nevada.

Archival Collection

William Hanson oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00788

Abstract

Oral history interview with William Hanson conducted by Randy Martin on March 05, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In his interview Hanson discusses Las Vegas, Nevada history, Howard Hughes, African Americans in Las Vegas, social classes, and hotel entertainment.

Archival Collection

Gertrude Rudiak oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01585

Abstract

Oral history interview with Gertrude Rudiak conducted by Claytee D. White on January 11, 2007 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Rudiak discusses her personal history and being a member of the Jewish community of Las Vegas, Nevada. She describes her husband being stationed in Las Vegas while serving in the United States military, their move to Las Vegas in the 1940s, and his law career after military service. Rudiak discusses race relations in Las Vegas during that time and her husband's efforts to pass a law to end segregation in Nevada as a state assemblyman. Rudiak's son, Richard Rudiak, also speaks, and talks about political history in Nevada during the late 20th century. They conclude by discussing the opening of a Jewish school in Las Vegas, the history of Jewish people in the city, and how Las Vegas and its casinos have changed.

Archival Collection