Oral history interview with Irene Vanderhoof conducted by Robert Coleman on March 14, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Vanderhoof begins by describing her family history and environmental changes in Southern Nevada. She talks about living on a Hopi Native American reservation in Arizona and the customs of the Hopi tribe. Vanderhoof goes on to discuss living in Las Vegas, Nevada, her faith as a Baha'i, and observing the construction of Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam). She concludes by listing her issues with the local school system and the effects of politics on it.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John Haines conducted by Thomas S. Hager on March 25, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Haines discusses moving to Reno, Nevada in 1931 and later to Tonopah, Nevada to be a card dealer. He describes building the Town Hall Casino, and explains how local troops stationed in Tonopah were the customer base until the bombings in Japan during the end of WWII. Lastly, Haines discusses his employment at the Frontier Club, mobster Bugsy Siegel, and how the mob influenced the gaming industry.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jacqueline Evans conducted by Susan Rapport on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Jacqueline Evans discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. She also talks about her extracurricular activities in high school, recreational activities, and other forms of entertainment. She also discusses political events in the 1960s, her husband's involvement in Native American affairs, and the flooding problem in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Don Cunningham conducted by Claytee D. White on January 13, 2017, January 26, 2017, and February 10, 2017 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In the first interview, Cunningham discusses his upbringing in St. Louis, Missouri and his early interest in music. He talks about becoming a musician in the military, and traveling around the world to play in the military bands. In the second interview, Cunningham remembers the transition out of the military, becoming a freelance musician, and arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1969. In the final interview, Cunningham discusses his involvement with the Las Vegas Jazz Society, and receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Peter Michel conducted by Claytee D. White on March 10, 2021 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
Peter Michel is Acting Director of University of Nevada, Las Vegas Lied Library's Special Collections and Archives. This interview was conducted in part for the 20th year celebration of Lied Library. He discusses the construction of Lied Library and his time working in Special Collections and Archives. Peter also talks of his early life, university studies, and professional career that led him to Las Vegas, along with his thoughts on what the future holds for UNLV's Special Collections and Archives.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ann Lynch conducted by Emily Powers on May 27, 2008 for the Heart to Heart Oral History Project. In this interview Ann Lynch discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1959, being camp director for the Girl Scout program at Mount Charleston, and being highly involved with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), not only at the local level, but at the state level as well. She also discusses being elected as Nevada PTA President, being one of the founding members of the Sunrise Hospital Children's Foundation and the Public Education Foundation, and lobbying in the Nevada State Legislature and in Washington, D.C.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Vincent Novotny conducted by Carol Linton on March 05, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Novotny discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada from Ohio after joining the Civilian Conservation Corps. Novotny discusses how Las Vegas has changed, the effect the Hoover (Boulder) Dam had on the city's growth, and the crash of Carole Lombard's plane. Novotny also briefly describes how he got his real estate license and shows the interview collector a series of pictures of his travels around the state of Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Cindy Funkhouser conducted by Claytee White on January 14, 2010 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood Oral History Project. Funkhouser discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1980 and working as a cocktail waitress and a bartender at the Four Queens Hotel and Casino. She then discusses owning an antique shop and being one of the forces behind First Friday and the Las Vegas art movement that is rooted in the John S. Park Neighborhood's sense of community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Katrina Sandigo conducted by Nathalie Martinez and Barbara Tabach on August 28, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Katrina talks about her family's history and her grandfather's immigration to the United States from Nicaragua. She discusses her education and her time spent studying at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and her work with the Clark County School District (CCSD). She is currently the Education Director for Nevada's Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Katrina also shares her religious faith and how she is active in the Jewish community of Las Vegas.
Text
Oral history interview with Rowena Gonzalez conducted by Michael Boyd on March 01, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Gonzalez first talks about her family background and residential history before discussing the way of life in Texas and eventual move to Las Vegas, Nevada. Several topics covered in the interview include Gonzalez’s recollections of the atomic testing, the building of the Boulder (Hoover) Dam, and Howard Hughes. The two also discuss tourism, the properties on the Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas, and early means of transportation.
Archival Collection