Transcript of interview with Eugene Williams conducted by Claytee White on July 18, 2008. Williams discusses his life as a singer with various musical groups including the Coasters and the Platters, and traveling all over the United States and Europe. He left the Platters in 1990 and settled in Las Vegas. He was part of the Sound of the Platters group in the early 2000s.
Transcript of interview with Jean Childs by Claytee White, December 2, 2013. Childs served as director of Head Start in Las Vegas for twenty-six years starting in 1972. She was also Regional Head Start Director and worked as a private consultant. In this interview, Childs discusses moving to Las Vegas in 1962, and the areas in which she lived, including Berkley Square. She attended UNLV and worked at Head Start after college. She also discusses the Penguin Club, which was owned by her father.
Transcript of interview with Beverly Mason by Claytee White, December 21, 2012. Mason grew up in West Las Vegas and was part of the school integration movement in the 1970s. Her involvement in the Las Vegas School System has continued throughout her life. In the interview, she discusses her family and faith, and working at the Nevada Test Site. Beverly attended Whittier College in California, where she majored in Biology. She later received her Masters in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. She brought her experience back to Nevada and went to work for the Nevada Test Site as an industrial hygienist. She chose to leave that job to focus on her family, and found a new career in the School Community Partnership Office as a program manager. She focuses on connecting students with professionals in the science, math, and technology fields to bolster interest in those careers. Beverly has always been involved in her community and her church. Beverly attended the Church of God in Christ when she was growing up, and continues to participate in services today. Her family and her faith are extremely important parts of her life. She is married to Marcus Mason and has a daughter named Cassidy.
Transcript from interviews with Samuel Smith by Claytee White, June 17, 2011, and June 22, 2011. Smith was a police officer in New York and moved to Las Vegas in 1978, where he became a fire inspector with the Las Vegas Fire Department. In this interview he discusses issues facing the Westside including racism, business development and education.
Transcript of interview with Lovey McCurdy by Greg McCurdy, March 19, 1981. Mrs. McCurdy discusses her memories of Las Vegas when she arrived in 1951, as well as her employment and family.
Ruby Amie-Pilot moved to Las Vegas in 1952. She worked at the Desert Inn in the kitchen, was the first African American full time sales person at Sears; she also worked as a window dresser with Hazel Gay, and later owned travel agency with Esther Langston. In the interview, Ruby discusses moving to the Westside, Jackson street and housing developments, education, and her experiences with local leaders.
Two-session interview with Katherine M. Joseph by Claytee White, October 25, 2004, and September 5, 2007. Joseph is a community activist and was a co-worker of Lubertha Johnson, and involved with Operation Independence. In the interview, Johnson discusses her family, her employment, and life on the Westside.
Essie Lee Jones moved from the Tallulah, Louisiana, area to Las Vegas in 1969. In the interview, Jones discusses her employment in various positions such as maid, waitress, and casino porter at the Stardust, Frontier, and Aladdin Hotel/Casinos.
Growing up in the Westside community, worked in the Sight N Sound Record Store. Brown spoke of entertainers in the neighborhood and their influence on community children. Second portion of interview filmed at PBS.