Skip to main content

Search the Special Collections and Archives Portal

Search Results

Display    Results Per Page
Displaying results 241 - 249 of 249

Transcript of interview with Evelyn Miller McDonald by Maylene C. Cabatingan, February 26 & 27, 1980

Date

1980-02-26
1980-02-27

Description

On February 26, and 27, 1980, Maylene C. Cabatingan interviewed Evelyn Miller McDonald (born 1905 in Alderson, West Virginia) about her life in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also present during the interview is Maylene’s step-father (name unknown) who occasionally participates in the conversation. At the time of the interview, McDonald had lived in Nevada for over seventy-two years and described early Las Vegas as a small-town railroad community with few amenities. McDonald discusses her occupational history, and how her father started the first car garage in Las Vegas. She goes on to talk about the impact of the Great Depression on Las Vegas and how Hoover Dam’s construction reduced the severity of the financial depression in comparison to other cities. She then recites the hotels that were built and the appeal that Vegas had to tourists and divorcees. McDonald later discusses how prostitution was accepted by the community, and recalls a story about how local businessmen rallied together to ensure that a minister would preach the funeral for a young woman who had died, despite being a prostitute. McDonald concludes her interview with a brief discussion of her goals in life and her pride in her daughters.

Text

Transcript of interview with Count Guido Roberto Deiro by David G. Schwartz, January 30, 2002

Date

2002-01-30

Description

Count Guido Roberto Deiro, born in Reno, Nevada, in 1938, has had several fascinating careers. The son of vaudeville performer and recording star Count Guido Pietro Deiro, who was the first major piano-accordionist to become popular in the United States, and his teenage wife Yvonne Teresa LeBaron De Forrest, Deiro grew up in and around Las Vegas and Southern California after his parents' 1941 divorce. After attending 13 grammar schools and five high schools, Deiro graduated from Las Vegas High School in 1955. During his youth, thanks to his stepfather Samuel "Baby Shoes" Prezant, Deiro had an early introduction to the Las Vegas gambling scene. Following a brief stint in the U.S. Army, Deiro worked a series of jobs, including parking cars, selling shoes, and driving an ambulance. He transitioned from working as a fitness instructor to being a lifeguard at the El Rancho Vegas hotel, all the while becoming interested in aviation. Deiro entered the gaming industry at the age of 19 and a half, when he began working as a dealer, having been taught by his stepfather. Breaking in at the Nevada Club, Deiro, who became known as "Bobby Blue Eyes," later worked at the New Frontier, Sands, El Cortez, and Holiday casinos. He provides a great deal of detail about the social world of Las Vegas casinos in the 1950s through the 1970s, with insight into many major personalities. While working in gaming, Deiro continued to pursue a career in aviation, acquiring in the early 1960s a commercial pilot license, instrument rating and instructor's certificate. He began working as a flight instructor and charter pilot at Thunderbird Field, now known as North Las Vegas Air Terminal. Deiro flew around the United States promoting Las Vegas and the airfield. After Howard Hughes purchased the airfield in 1967, Deiro stayed, ultimately becoming Director of Aviation Facilities for the Hughes Tool Company. Following his marriage to Joan Marlene Calhoun, Deiro moved to California, where he became Vice President and Director of Administration for Air California and Golden West Airlines, before serving with other companies owned by C. Arnholdt Smith. In 1971, Deiro returned to Las Vegas. Deiro then met artist Michael Heizer, who enlisted Deiro's help in scouting and securing locations for his Earth art installations. This led to Deiro's long involvement with that genre. In addition to these careers, Deiro was also influential in many key developments in Las Vegas, including the construction of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and, with his wife Joan, several philanthropic endeavors. In this interview, Deiro shares his perspectives on his times and his impact on Las Vegas.

Text

Interview with Jerry Don Claborn, July 30, 2004

Date

2004-07-30

Description

Narrator affiliation: Operation Engineer, Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Company (REECo); Assemblyman, State of Nevada

Text

Interview with Lafayette "Lafe" H. Dana, June 20, 2005

Date

2005-06-20

Description

Narrator affiliation: Livestock Research Assistant, EPA Farm

Text

John McKay interview, March 3, 1980: transcript

Date

1980-03-03

Archival Collection

Description

On March 3, 1980, Donna Malloy interviewed John McKay (b. July 7th, 1926 in North Dakota) about his life in Las Vegas, Nevada. McKay begins by speaking about his family history, his career in the electronics and engineering field for aerospace, as well as his experiences in two wars. Moreover, McKay speaks about his hobbies of hunting and fishing and his time as a musician around Las Vegas. McKay also spends time going over how the city of Las Vegas has grown and changed, the increase in crime, and the extreme floods in the 1950s. Lastly, McKay talks about the Nuclear Test Site, how casino gaming chips were used as money around the city, how the city of Las Vegas started and the future of the valley.

Text

Transcript of interview with Paul Huffey and Michael Mack by Claytee White, February 2, 2010

Date

2010-02-02

Description

Whenever Paul Huffey drives through John S. Park Neighborhood he visualizes his youth and the times he spent with his childhood friend Michael Mack, who joined in this interview. Together they reminisced about their teen years in the 1950s and living in John S. Park Neighborhood. Paul's first home was Normandie Court, the first authentic motel in Las Vegas. In 1947, Paul's father purchased a lot on Paseo Park and built a home for his wife and only child. He describes life in that home as idyllic: no war or unemployment issues, a time when the Strip was "meaningless" unless you had a parent working there. An era when mothers, at least in his neighborhood, were stay-at-home moms and children freely roamed on their bicycles. Of their teen years, Paul and Michael recall their hi-jinks, discovering beer, and admiring pretty girls. In 1956, he graduated from Las Vegas High School, enlisted in the U. S. Army Reserve and enrolled in University of Nevada Reno. He taught history at Basic High School in Henderson for nine years.

Text

Transcript of interview with Ellen DeLand by Dennis McBride, January 19-20, 1996

Date

1996-01-19
1996-01-20

Description

Ellen DeLand was born on April 1, 1931 and went to Santa Monica High School. She was very active in the Las Vegas LGBT community. She was interviewed January 19, 1996.

Text

Mabel Hoggard: community interest materials (folder 1 of 3)

Date

1913 to 1986

Archival Collection

Description

Folder of materials from the Mabel Hoggard Papers (MS-00565) -- Personal papers file. This folder contains newspaper clippings, jewelry designs, a "Basic Principles of Parliamentary Law and Protocol" booklet by Marguerite Grumme (not digitized in its entirety), event programs (including Las Vegas school graduations and reunions), "Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations" booklet (November 1980), "Black Women: The Unsung Heroines, Black History Week 1979" booklet, and other miscellaneous booklets (not all are digitized in their entirety).

Mixed Content

Drug laws: reports, analysis, House Resolution 5484, status, correspondence, clippings, press release, statement from Senator Hecht, and notes

Date

1984 to 1988

Description

Folder of documents from the Senator Chic Hecht Political Papers (MS-00003) -- Subject Files -- Judiciary file.

Text