Chari Horne interviews hairdresser Irene Sprague Black at a beauty salon in Las Vegas. Born in 1919 in Delta, Utah, Black moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1924. During this interview Black discusses early Las Vegas, local schools, homes, friends, family life, the Mormon Church, Mesquite, Indian Reservation, Downtown, Hoover Dam, and Bunkerville, Nevada.
Arnel Wilks interviews his neighbor, auto mechanic Hobert D. Blair (b. 1900), who moved to Nevada in 1931. This oral history interview takes place in the living room of the collector’s home in Boulder City, Nevada. Blair discusses Boulder City in the early days, as well as, Las Vegas in the 1930s.
Jay Brewer interviews Hobert D. Blair at his home in Boulder City, Nevada. Mister Blair, Misses Blair, and the interviewer Jay Brewer are present. Mister Blair was born in Boreing, Kentucky in 1900, he then moved to Idaho in 1910 before relocating to Nevada in 1931. The interview covers the growth of Boulder City, from 1931 to 1975.
Jerome Blankinship was born in Hollywood, California in 1933 to Herman and Helen Blankinship. Jerome grew up as an only child in a suburb of Los Angeles called Huntington Park. He spent his entire childhood in the suburb and finished high school there as well. Then he went on to attend the University of Southern California. He received a degree in education and wanted to be a school teacher, but after a short stint in teaching at the Los Angeles City School District, he discovered that it was not for him. He then went back to graduate school and earned a master's in counseling and guidance. After graduating he received a Rockefeller grant to attend seminary, which was a calling that Blankinship had been very interested in. He attended the same seminary school that Martin Luther King Jr. went to, Boston University, School of Theology in Boston. Once finished with seminary, Blankinship pastored a church in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. Then the Reverend was offered an opportunity in Las Vegas to start a new church. After visiting, Blankinship fell in love with Las Vegas and moved in the summer of 1966 and has been here since. In the interview he shares a vast amount of information about the Las Vegas valley during his early years in the city. Today Blankinship is the senior Chaplain at Sunrise Hospital.
Diane Spero interviews her neighbor, Brian Block, born in Chicago in 1945, about the construction business, community planning, architectural design, and his personal feelings in regards to the development of the Las Vegas area. Block also discusses legalized gambling, politics, mass transit problems, and other social and environmental changes in Nevada.
Mark McLane interviews Harry Block (born in Railroad Pass, Nevada in 1934) about the history of Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. Block discusses many topics ranging from recreational activities, his experience during World War II, early businesses and casinos, the Helldorado Parade, Block 16, atomic testing, changes in technology, and visiting Mount Charleston.
Mabel Neal interviews drug store owner Frank M. Bollig at the Plaza Drug Store in Parkway Plaza Shopping Center located at Sahara and Maryland Parkway, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Born in 1906 in Kansas, Bollig relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1942. From the perspective of a local pharmacist, Bollig provides historical context of Southern Nevada from 1942.
Bob Coffin [born James Robert Coffin IV] arrived in Las Vegas in 1951. His family moved to find a better climate for their nine-year-old, who suffered from allergies and asthma. His first memory is the long, nine hour drive from California on two-lane highway. The family rented a home in the Huntridge until 1960 when they moved to the John S. Park Neighborhood. He weaves a tale of life in Las Vegas from his perspective of a young politician who admired the neighborhood to becoming the owner of the Gubler home with his wife Mary Hausch in 1987. Bob is a longtime local politician and activist with a special interest in neighborhood preservation. He was elected to the Nevada State Assembly in 1982 and 1984 and to the State Senate in 1986. He offers insights to the past, changing demographics, and the future of the John S. Park Neighborhood. Special note: Mary Hausch, who is married to Bob Coffin, has also been interviewed as part of the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood project.
Daniel Pope interviews barber Danel Boone, at his home in Nevada. Boone, born in 1932 in Illinois, first moved to Nevada in 1953 before relocating to California in 1956, only to return to Nevada in 1964. During this interview Boone discusses why he came to Las Vegas, the Helldorado parade, church activity, the weather, city parks, Boy Scouts, schools, above ground atomic tests, local history of Southern Nevada, and the ways in which Las Vegas has changed over the years.
Growing up in Las Vegas, Myram Borders remained in Nevada most of her life. After graduating from high school, she attended the University of Nevada Reno. An internship with United Press International wire service would place her on a career path that included working in Reno, Los Angeles, and then brought her back to Las Vegas in 1965. Her journalism experience with UPI created a foundation for unique insights about living in Las Vegas and the effect gaming had on the world's perceptions of Las Vegas newsworthiness. After her long career with UPI, Myram also worked briefly for Gannett and then became commissioner of Consumer Affairs under Gov. Bob Miller, which she admits was not her favorite work. Her next step was to head up of the Las Vegas News Bureau. As one might expect, Myram has stories about the stories she covered. She recalls how by sheer accident she came upon the scene of Lefty Rosenthal's car being blown up in a parking lot. She explains how a light system was put atop the El Cortez Hotel to signal whether workers were to show up for work at the test site. She covered the first woman dealer in Las Vegas and scooped other reporters to announce Elvis' wedding at the Aladdin.