Oral history interview with Michael Bryant conducted by Claytee D. White on August 05, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Bryant details life in the Westside community of Las Vegas, Nevada, his personal history, and life as an African American in Las Vegas. He describes his upbringing in Las Vegas, his father's high-end clothing store, and race relations between the African American and white communities of the city. Bryant also discusses casinos and other Las Vegas attractions, such as the presence of famous celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Muhammad Ali, as well as discussing the development of the Westside community. Julia Walton was also present for this interview.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Wendell Leavitt conducted by Quincy Vineyard on July 15, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Leavitt discusses growing up in Bunkerville, Nevada and the significance of politics in Las Vegas, Nevada. Leavitt later discusses his role as Justice of the Peace in Bunkerville, the Boulder (Hoover) Dam, and mining.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with William Dean Whitaker conducted by Claytee D. White on April 05, 2010 for the Boyer Las Vegas Early History Project. Whitaker discusses being a member of the 398th Bomb Group during World War II and being captured by the Germans. He also discusses living in a suburb of Los Angeles, California then moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1990.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ellis Rice conducted by Claytee D. White on April 09, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Rice discusses his personal history and growing up in St. Louis, Missouri during the 1960s. He describes his experiences attending Webster College in 1975 and talks about the increase of African American students at the time. Rice recalls starting his first company, African People Art Continuum (APAC) to help connect the arts and with the community. Later, he discusses the theater companies he was involved with, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1991, and working with the West Las Vegas community to hold theater performances. Lastly, Rice talks about the music he writes and how it connects to his life story.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Otha Bolden conducted by an unknown interviewer on July 05, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Bolden discusses social and environmental changes that have taken place in Nevada over the span of twenty years. Her husband, Mr. Bolden also weighs in on the discussion, adding his personal accountant of the storm of 1964, and his views on integration and employment in Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Christopher C. Hudgins conducted by Claytee D. White on May 18, 2016 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Hudgins open his interview by discussing his upbringing in Virginia, his education, and the manual labor jobs he worked as a teenager. Hudgins then describes his introduction to American folk music and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1976. Hudgins then recalls what the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) was like in 1976 and how he became familiar with the city. Hudgins then discusses his career and scholarship while at UNLV as a chairman in the English department, and his interest in broadcasting. He then explains conflicts between the Board of Regents and the UNLV faculty, the expansion of UNLV related construction on Maryland Parkway, and his interest in becoming a dean. Hudgins describes his goals as dean of the liberal arts college, the challenges of implementing grants for liberal arts projects, and his views on college athletics. Lastly, Hudgins recalls attending a Nobel Prize ceremony as an invited guest of Harold Pinter, and his association with the City of Asylum organization.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Martin A. Sherman conducted by his daughter, Marta Sherman, on March 17, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Sherman discusses his personal history and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada from Wichita, Kansas in 1957. Sherman discusses jobs he had, including police officer with the Henderson Police Department and as a locksmith. He also describes involvement with the United Commercial Travelers of America organization. Sherman also discusses how Las Vegas has changed and his own aspirations for himself and his business.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John P. Watkins conducted by Brian Watkins on March 04, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Watkins discusses his personal history and education in medicine. He then describes being one of the first urologists in Las Vegas, Nevada and recalls his experiences at various hospitals throughout the city. Later, Watkins discusses the first malpractice insurance available and why such insurance was important for private physicians. Lastly, Watkins describes the American Medical Association (AMA), construction of Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam), and the development of casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ron Textor conducted by Claytee D. White on July 24, 2007 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. In this interview Ron Textor describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1981, playing with the Norm Geller orchestra at the Sands, and playing with the Al Ramsey Orchestra at Caesars Palace. He also discusses being contracted with the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra and teaching mathematics at Clark High School for twenty years.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Barbara Agonia conducted by Suzanne Becker on September 17, 2007, September 25, 2007, and October 02, 2007 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Agonia's interviews begin with an overview of her early life, including her education and study abroad experiences in England during college. During the interview Agonia also discusses attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the 1950s for graduate school. Agonia talks about her community activism with Soroptimist International of Las Vegas, Friends of the Nevada Wildnerness, and Clark County Community College. Lastly, Agonia discusses advocacy initiatives for Great Basin National Park and rape crisis education.
Archival Collection