Oral history interview with Sammie Armstrong conducted by Claytee D. White on March 08, 2017 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Armstrong discusses his early life in Camden, Arkansas and growing up working on a farm. He recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1963, and describes the Westside at that time. Armstrong talks about the businesses on Jackson Street, churches on the Westside, and integration in Las Vegas. Later, Armstrong discusses co-founding a transportation business in the early 1980s, Ray & Ross Transport, and providing transportation for Nevada Test Site employees. Lastly, Armstrong talks about growing his business into one of the largest bus companies in Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Patsy Leavitt conducted by Patricia Van Betten on April 07, 2005 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Leavitt talks first about her maternal grandmother, who brought her mother and uncle to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1931 and opened a boardinghouse that she ran until her death in 1948. She then discusses her father's family, who arrived in Las Vegas in the late 1920s and established a sand and gravel business. She describes her education and her working life in Las Vegas. She then talks about the many changes that Las Vegas went through in the 1950s, from road improvements to new businesses and the growth of the casino industry, to the impact of nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site. Finally, she talks about her marriage, her children, and the decision to move to Blue Diamond Village in the early 1990s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jon Cobain conducted by Claytee D. White on March 4, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Cobain describes his childhood growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada and living in a trailer while his father built the family's home. Cobain is the first graduate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), as he walked across the stage first, thus becoming the first to receive a degree from UNLV. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business, Cobain attended Northwestern for graduate school. He discusses time spent working in Venezuela, and the value of learning other cultures and building international relationships. At the time of the interview, Cobain is matching gifts to the Jon Cobain Lee Business School at UNLV up to $2.3 million to help first-generation scholars. Other subjects discussed include the Nevada Test Site, Frank Sinatra, and Hoover Dam.
Archival Collection
Text
Text
Text
Text
Text
Text