Oral history interview with Reva Giles conducted by Claytee D. White on July 17, 2006 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. Giles discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1958, then recalls living on Decatur and the military housing at Nellis Air Force Base. She then discusses moving from Las Vegas to Okinawa, Japan for four years with her husband, and upon his retirement from the military, moving back to Las Vegas in 1964. She also discusses working in various offices at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), retiring and volunteering as an office aide to the UNLV athletic director.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Cindy Baca conducted by Barbara Tabach on May 22, 2019 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project.
Cindy Baca, born and raised in Las Vegas, talks about her family and occupation as a librarian at Escobedo Middle School. Cindy's twin daughters were present and injured during the Route 91 Festival and October 1 shooting. She describes their experiences and the Random Acts of Kindness project she piloted at her school after the incident.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Elton Garrett conducted by Alan Gurwitz on March 01, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Elton Garrett discusses the development of Boulder City, Nevada, how the city has grown, his work for the Boulder City Journal, atomic testing at the Nevada Test Site, and the founders of the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joseph Kine conducted by James Greene on December 19, 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview covers the early days of Boulder City, Nevada from the perspective of an old-timer. Mrs. Kine is also present during the interview. They discuss education, home, and family life, in Boulder City.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Robert Skaggs conducted by Dr. David Emerson on May 06, 2006 for the UNLV @ Fifty Oral History Project. Skaggs discusses teaching engineering at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, starting in 1969. He also discusses being involved in getting accreditation with Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Inc. for the engineering college, establishing a chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, and building an engineering master's and a PhD program.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Erick Spiess conducted by Gretchen Spiess on June 29, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Spiess discusses the history of the Nevada Test Site, and briefly discusses Las Vegas, Nevada history. Spiess describes his career as the technical liaison at the Nevada Test Site working for EG & G, Inc. and the research performed there, including the model town built to observe the effects of a nuclear weapon on an urban area. Spiess goes on to discuss how Las Vegas residents reacted to the testing, and how Las Vegas has changed.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Juliana Chen conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on March 21, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Juliana Chen shares her upbringing in Hunan, China and her experiences as a teenager training to become a professional ballet dancer. She discusses her rigorous training and troupe career that ended when Chen sustained a knee injury. With a desire to try something new while still being able to perform, Chen immigrated to Vancouver, Canada and began practicing magic. Chen shares that although she didn't know anyone or speak English, she practiced her craft and broadened her knowledge by joining professional organizations including the International Brotherhood of Magicians. After winning several magic competitions, Chen performed on the Las Vegas Strip at Caesar's Palace and the Riviera Hotel and Casino. She shares her current professional pursuits, her connection to the Las Vegas magician community, and her thoughts on Chinese culture and cuisine.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Betty Ham Dokter conducted by Roger Jablonski on February 27, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Dokter describes church activity and the first casino properties that were built. She later talks about presidential visits, economic changes in Nevada, and the construction of Hoover Dam. The latter part of the interview covers the topics of racial minorities, as well as social and environmental changes.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Clarence Ray conducted by Eleanor L. Walker in 1991 for the African American in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Ray provides details of his ancestry and upbringing, his education, and race relations in the western United States before 1930. He then moves on to his first visit to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1922, and his movements before settling permanently in the 1940s. He explains that the main source of employment for the relatively small Black population during the 1920s and early 1930s was the railroad, but a number were also in business. Mr. Ray provides thumbnail sketches of many of the early residents, and is particularly informative about "Mammy" Pinkston, Mary Nettles, the Stevens family, and the Ensley family. Systemic racial discrimination against Blacks developed in southern Nevada during the 1930s, and Mr. Ray provides some useful details on this along with his discussion of his career in gaming and his social and political activities.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Robert M. Fisher conducted by DeeAnn Coombs on March 20, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Fisher first discusses his background and upbringing, from being born at Nellis Air Force Base to attending several schools in Las Vegas, Nevada, and joining the U.S. Navy. Fisher also talks about the development of Las Vegas, particularly Las Vegas Strip properties, and the various recreational activities in which he would participate, such as water skiing, drag racing, and skydiving. Fisher also talks about his work at the Nevada Test Site, including his work as a draftsman for underground atomic testing.
Archival Collection