Oral history interviews with Alma Whitney conducted by Claytee D. White on March 03, 1996 and May 28, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Whitney opens the interview by talking about her life in Tallulah, Louisiana. She discusses race relations in Tallulah and how she traveled from Tallulah to Las Vegas, Nevada. Whitney describes her first job as a maid at the Desert Moon Motel, and her move later to the Desert Inn Hotel. Whitney discusses her career of over 30 years at the Desert Inn along with her promotion from maid to supervisor. Whitney also describes a time when Desert Inn employees went on strike for three weeks.
The Perry Kaufman Papers (1930-1974) are comprised of research material gathered by Kaufman for his doctoral dissertation, "The Best City of Them All: A History of Las Vegas, 1930-1960." Kaufman's research focused on the Las Vegas, Nevada Chamber of Commerce's role in promoting Las Vegas as a tourist destination. The collection primarily consists of newspaper clippings from the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Las Vegas Sun. It also includes Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce minutes and publications, research on the history of Las Vegas, and Kaufman's notes and writings.
The Matthew O'Brien Papers is comprised of records from approximately 2001 to 2011 that document writer Matthew O'Brien's work for two of his Las Vegas, Nevada based non-fiction novels, Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas and My Week at the Blue Angel: and Other Stories From the Storm Drains, Strip Clubs, and Trailer Parks of Las Vegas. Collection materials include research files, chapter drafts, photographs, and correspondence. The collection materials document O'Brien's process in researching the homeless community in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Clifford Jones Family Papers (1900-2005) consist of awards for community service, newspaper clippings, correspondence sent to family members by Cliff Jones when he was in the military, and photograph albums of the Jones family. Clifford Jones was the 20th Lieutenant Governor for Nevada from 1947 to 1954.
Discussion of the necessity of public education in the Moapa and Virgin valleys in regards to irrigation, drainage, water storage, domestic water, and flood control. Report was written October 10, 1945, attached application was dated February 3, 1945.
The Pittman Family Photographs depict members of the Pittman and Brewington families in Nevada from 1922 to 1989. The photographs primarily depict Nevada Governor Vail Pittman and his wife Ida Louise “Liz” Brewington Pittman at political campaign and fundraising events, including the Helldorado Parade in Las Vegas, Nevada and at the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City, Nevada. The photographs also depict Governor Pittman with President Harry S. Truman, Jim Cashman, and family members. The photographs also include a group photograph of U.S. Senator Key Pittman with business executives representing the Union Pacific Railroad and the San Pedro Railroad. Lastly, the collection also contains family photographs of Ann Brewington, Ida Brewington Pittman's sister.
Interviewed by Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez. Nery Martinez was born in El Salvador, he describes his childhood as one filled with war and violence. When Martinez was five years old, the small country of El Salvador erupted in civil war. Martinez describes the panic that he saw growing up, never being certain when violence could occurred. The 12 year war took up the entirety of Martinez's childhood. After the war, the country was left in runes, seeing little hope for recovery, Martinez left El Salvador for Las Vegas where his brothers had fled earlier during the war. In Las Vegas, Martinez was able to find work in the service industry, at the same time attending English classes at night. Martinez is currently working as a bartender within the Culinary Union. Interview conducted in Spanish.
The Peg and George E. Crockett Family Photographs (approximately 1940-2008) are comprised of aerial photographs of Alamo Airport (later McCarran International Airport) and the surrounding Las Vegas Valley in the 1940s and 1950s. Photographs of the interior, exterior, and airfield at Alamo Airport document the early stages of what is now one of the busiest international airports in the United States. The collection also contains audiovisual material, which depict events including the Miss Rodeo America pageant and the Sahara Cup boat races on Lake Mead, and locations including Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada and Hoover Dam. A significant portion of the collection consists of photographs of the Crockett family at various events, on family vacations, and their home in Las Vegas, Nevada.