Eddie Anderson was an outspoken and iconoclastic radio commentator in Reno, NV in the 1980s and '90s, who covered liberal politics and issues in his call-in program, Radio Free Reno. The program recorded here was broadcast on October 22, 1990, and includes a lengthy biography of conservative activist Janine Hansen of Nevada's Independent American Party; a short interview with then-Nevada State Senator Randolph Townsend; commentary on Question 7, Nevada's pro-abortion initiative petition legislation; pungent comments on Nevada's U. S. Representative Barbara Vucanovich; and comments suggesting that Jesus Christ was gay. It was at the end of this broadcast, captured on this tape, that "Pro-Life" Andy Anderson [Charles F. Anderson (1927-2011)], a notorious religious bigot and anti-abortion crusader who drove a Volkswagen around northern Nevada with a big fetus on the roof to emphasize his point, broke into the studio while Anderson was still on-air and assaulted him for his comments on Jesus. Andy Anderson and Eddie Anderson [no relation] had been acquainted since the early 1970s when both were janitors at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center. Andy Anderson was found guilty of battery in March 1991 and sentenced to community service. See "Abortion Foe Punches Reno Talk Show Host" [Reno Gazette-Journal, October 23, 1990, 1B]; "Pro-Life Andy Anderson Turns Himself In, But Cops Won't Take Him" [Reno Gazette-Journal, November 10, 1990, 1B]; and "Abortion Foe Guilty in Attack" [Reno Gazette-Journal, March 23, 1991, 1A]. Eddie Anderson's description of the attack may be found on pp. 144-145 of his oral history deposited in the Special Collections Department of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas [HQ75.4 A54 2000]. Also see Anderson's manuscript collection in Special Collections [MS-00457].
Archival Component
Image
Image
Eugene Buford came to Las Vegas, Nevada from Birmingham, Alabama, when he was two years old with his mother and grandmother. He held a variety of jobs, including washing dishes at the Last Frontier and delivering ice to casinos like the Flamingo and the Stardust, and ultimately retired after thirty-six years with the Post Office. Buford's great grandmother, Mary Nettles, was instrumental in the formation and growth of the NAACP chapter in Las Vegas, and he recalls meetings in her house and his own role as president of the Junior League NAACP.
Person