Oral history interview with Charles Seals conducted by Claytee D. White on July 14, 2017 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Seals discusses his upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada and growing up on the Westside. He recalls attending Madison Elementary School, being involved in church activities, and his initial interests in religious ministry. Seals talks about working in the funeral industry, and starting a church in the mid-1980s. Seals recalls the African American church leaders in the Westside and other community leaders at the time. He describes businesses on Jackson Street and recreational activities he participated in. Later, Seals discusses his mother, Rosie Seals, and her involvement in the Welfare Rights movement, being a founding member of the Clark County Welfare Rights Organization (CCWRO), and starting Operation Life. Lastly, Seals talks about the issue of substance abuse, organized crime, and the lack of financial investment into the Westside.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Angela Tampol conducted by Isabelle Rice on November 20, 2021 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interivew, Tampol shares her experiences as a Filipina American living in the Bay Area of California and since 2018, Las Vegas, Nevada. She discusses her thoughts on beauty standards for Asian women, living in the Philippines for a short time for education, and her involvement in the Bruha Baddies community. She also shares her experience (or lack thereof) of racism as a person of color.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Edwina Danzinger conducted by Leanne Terry on February 26, 1980 and February 29, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Danzinger first talks about her family’s early upbringing in Nevada, her involvement in Boy Scouts and her various positions of employment at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Danzinger also discusses the changes in the crime rate, air pollution, and the changes made to the university by the Buckley Amendment.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sherrill L. Ware conducted by Lawrence R. Gross on March 18, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Ware begins by discussing his service in the United States Navy stationed at Lake Mead before working as a gun manufacturer in Henderson, Nevada. He describes his experience with firearms, including participating in shooting competitions and hunting. Ware talks about life in Las Vegas, Nevada, how the city changed over time, and his career as an operating engineer. Ware also talks about labor unions and the difficulties they face from the companies they worked within, as well as mining in Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joe Pavlikowski conducted by Jay Brewer in 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Pavlikowski discusses his career in politics and as a district judge after his move to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s. Pavikowski describes his time at Nellis Air Force Base while he served in the U.S. Air Force. Finally, he talks about changes throughout Las Vegas, specifically economic, environmental, and legal changes regarding gambling.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Byron Thornton conducted by Kay Harris on October 27, 1986 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Thornton discusses his personal history and arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1931. Thornton then recalls working for the Las Vegas Gas Company and starting his own concrete business. Lastly, Thornton describes installing petroleum gas tanks and pipes inside of homes used for testing atomic bombs at the Nevada Test Site and recalls the destruction caused by the explosions.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Emilie Wanderer conducted by Joanne L. Goodwin throughout February 2000 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Wanderer begins her interview with a thorough discussion of her family history and her parent's influence on her life. Next Wanderer discusses attending law school and her first job at the U.S Attorney's office in New York state. Then Wanderer talks about opening her law firm in Las Vegas, Nevada and eventually becoming the first mother and son law team in the state. Wanderer also discusses her appointment by the American Bar Association and National Association of Women Lawyers to assess the state of family court in Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Don Snyder conducted by Stefani Evans on April 20, 2017, July 28, 2017, September 26, 2017, January 09, 2018, and March 14, 2018 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In these interviews, Snyder discusses his early life and arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1987. He talks about First Interstate Bank, his involvement with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Foundation, and his career in banking. Snyder describes banking regulations, his resignation from First Interstate Bank, and the opening of Bank West of Nevada (Bank of Nevada) in 1994. He talks about the Downtown Progress Association, Fremont Street Experience, and joining Boyd Gaming. Snyder discusses his career at UNLV and serving as Dean of the UNLV William F. Harrah College of Hospitality from 2010 to 2013. Lastly, Snyder is joined by Bo Bernhard, the Executive Director for the UNLV International Gaming Institute. The two discuss UNLV's involvement in building Allegiant Stadium, the creation of the Campus Improvement Authority Board, and their goal to move UNLV toward Tier 1 status.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Edythe Katz conducted by Walter Duttweiler on March 01, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Katz discusses the Jewish community, Ralph Denton, atomic testing, and integration in movie theatres.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Laura Sussman conducted by Barbara Tabach and Claytee D. White on March 15, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Laura Sussman, co-owner of Kraft-Sussman Funeral & Cremation Services, discusses the funeral home's role during the aftermath of the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas, Nevada mass shooting. She talks about the collaborated efforts of the funeral home and the coroner's office to care for the deceased, giving some details on the role of a coroner and the specific cases the funeral home was in charge of. Along with the victims, she discusses the potential cremation they were asked to do of the shooter. Throughout the interview, Sussman emphasizes the funeral home's goal of providing support to the families of the deceased.
Archival Collection