Color portrait photograph of Rev. Claude H. Parson, circa 1977.

On March 3, 1979, William Hawley interviewed Oliver Crickman (born 1933 in Apex, North Carolina) about his experiences from living in Nevada and working in restaurants. Crickman first describes his background and his first occupations prior to starting as a cook in Las Vegas restaurants. He then explains how he gradually moved from the position of cook’s helper to sous chef and his then-current position of executive chef at the Royal Inn. Crickman goes into detail about the operation of those restaurants and other Las Vegas Strip and Downtown Las Vegas properties, and he describes the demographics of cooks as well as how the hospitality industry has changed over time. The latter part of the interview involves a discussion of Crickman’s various residences in Las Vegas over time, the extent of crime, the first places to shop, and a brief discussion on mobile homes.

Carol Harter and her husband of 46 years started their married lives by running away from college in their sophomore year. They spent the 60's working toward their degrees. Carol earned her bachelor's in 1964 and her master's in 1967. One of her professors encouraged her to go for her PhD at a time when women simply did not aspire to such heights. Dr. Harter completed her PhD in 1970, and because her husband wanted to work on his doctorate, they moved to Athens, Ohio. She taught at Ohio University while he completed his courses. They lived and worked and raised their children there for 19 years. Carol held the positions of ombudsman (2 years), vice president and dean of students combined (6 years), and vice president at the university, and then accepted the position of president at SUNY Geneseo (in New York). Carol was nominated for the presidency at UNLV in 1994, and she accepted the job in 1995. Her career here has been phenomenal, as she saw the potential of this very young university and set about bringing in the faculty, the funding, the buildings, and the vision to create a first-rate research oriented facility. During her administration, the new library went up, the law school and dental school were built, and over 550 million in gifts and pledges were raised. This includes money raised for the "Invent the Future" campaign. Under Dr. Harter's guidance, women's sports were expanded, multiple graduate degrees were developed, more money for research and buildings was raised, and UNLV has become a major research university. Dr. Harter leaves behind a rich legacy, including her vision of the UNLV Midtown project, a cultural district where the university may one day interface with the community.