Search Results
Transcript of interview with Irene Sprague Black by Chari Horne, March 16, 1978
Date
1978-03-16
Archival Collection
Description
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.
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Transcript of interview with Charles Brinker by Doug Coombs, March 19, 1978
Date
1978-03-19
Archival Collection
Description
Doug Coombs interview Charles Brinker (born 1915 in Graham Station, West Virginia) about his experiences living in Southern Nevada and his career in carpentry. Brinker also discusses his background in watch repair, his move to Las Vegas from West Virginia, his experiences in homesteading, grocery shopping in early Las Vegas, the building of his house for his family, and his various jobs and projects as a carpenter.
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Transcript of interview with Rex Bell Jr. by Claytee D. White, March 2, 2010
Date
2010-03-02
Archival Collection
Description
Growing up on the Walking Box Ranch as the son of movie stars Rex Bell and Clara Bow, attending law school, work in Las Vegas, race relations, and owning a law practice.
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Transcript of interview with David Bartlett by Claytee D. White, August 23, 2013
Date
2013-08-23
Archival Collection
Description
David Bartlett’s Nevada roots run far and deep. He was born in Las Vegas in 1940, his family moved to Reno when David was in grade school. A great joy was for him to return to Las Vegas and spend time with both sets of grandparents: David and Julia Lorenzi (maternal) and Byron and Dessa Bartlett (paternal). In local history, both families represent the early entrepreneurship and craftsmanship of residents: from the Bartlett Brothers Hardware to Grandfather Lorenzi’s stonework that still graces such landmarks as the grottos at St. Joan of Arc Catholic church and at Bishop Gorman High School. Of particular note is that David’s grandfather, David Lorenzi, envisioned the recreational park known as Lorenzi Park and is located in the Twin Lakes area of Las Vegas. Today David is retired from a long career in auto/truck sales. He lives in Las Vegas and is active in several community organizations including the Elks Lodge and Three Square.
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Transcript of interview with Earl and Gloria Alger by Claytee D. White, October 29, 2009
Date
2009-10-29
Archival Collection
Description
Earl and Gloria Alger were born in the early 1930s, met at the Mormon Church, dated in high school and have spent their entire lives in Las Vegas. Earl's story begins with his father arriving to take a construction job at the Boulder Dam. For a year he worked and saved to move his family from Utah to Las Vegas. The family lived on the Westside and Earl recalls he and his brother sharing a tent as their bedroom for a while. Gloria remembers growing up on Garcia Street in the downtown area. Her parents took her to a Liberace show for her 16th birthday, but other than that their lives were centered around the Mormon church. Her great-grandfather Torrel Lewis was one of the original pioneers from Salt Lake City. They describe the good old days of the "old Ranch", "Twin Lakes", and "frogging"; of the changed attitudes of working in gaming by the Mormon community and the more recent changes due to corporation leaders and increased traffic of the population growth.
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Transcript of interview with Edith and Arthur Bock by Claytee White, September 15, 2009
Date
2009-09-15
Archival Collection
Description
Arthur and Edith Block share memories of their respective childhoods in northern Nevada (Arthur) and East Chicago, Indiana (Edith). Sixty-three years of marriage encompasses Edith's career in banking and Arthur's work in the dry cleaning business and as a highway patrolman. It was his career in law enforcement that drew them to Las Vegas in 1968. Recalling Las Vegas in the sixties and seventies, Edith and Arthur discuss their first home, the hotels and entertainers, integration, and Howard Hughes. They talk about train service, agriculture, Basque influence, and the Thunderbirds in northern Nevada, and what it was like to live in those small rural towns. In contrast, they mention the downtown renovation, heavy traffic, explosive growth, and entertainment options in Las Vegas. In addition to their careers and raising a family, Edith and Arthur talk about their involvement with their church, which provides outreach programs and a certified day school. Arthur mentions working as security for the Summa Corporation after he retired from law enforcement, and Edith provides details about her work in banking. They also comment on the future of Las Vegas/Clark County and express their love for the state of Nevada.
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Transcript of interview with Nancy Craft by Claytee D. White, July 28, 2015
Date
2015-07-28
Archival Collection
Description
Nancy Craft (née Pracejus) was born on August 30, 1937 in North Weymouth, Massachusetts. Her mother, Grace Franklin (née Farquhar) was a nursery school specialist and her father, Herbert Pracejus, was an engineer. She lived in Massachusetts for the first eight years of her life until her father’s health caused them to move to Las Vegas, Nevada on July 26, 1946. She attended John S. Park Elementary School and Las Vegas High School. In 1953, Craft successfully auditioned for the Rhytmettes and performed with the dance troupe until she graduated in 1955. After high school, she married her first husband and worked in a number of different offices. She married Norman Craft, a coach and athletic director for the Clark County School District, on May 31, 1964. Craft worked for Green Valley High School for a number of years before taking some time to raise her children. She chose to return to work in 1990 as a library aide. She retired in 2001.
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Transcript of interview with Dorothy Lee by Claytee D. White, June 02, 2016
Date
2016-06-02
Archival Collection
Description
Dorothy Ann Lee (née Damrow) was born in 1941 in New Jersey. Her family came to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1946 in an effort to improve her father’s health but chose to stay after she and her sister contracted chicken pox during the trip. She attended John S. Park Elementary School and Las Vegas High School. She moved around the city of Las Vegas a number of times during her childhood before settling in the Huntridge neighborhood with her mother in 1950. She worked for the Huntridge Theater during her high school years. She was also a member of the Rhythmettes, Las Vegas High School’s dance troupe, for three years and performed all over the United States during her time with them. After high school, Lee attended the University of Illinois until she met her future husband and dropped out. She lived in Chicago for six months before she and Danny Lee moved back to Las Vegas to get married. They married in 1960 at the Little Church of the West. The couple had four children together.
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Transcript of interview with Carol Baker by Nancy Hardy, May 29, 2003
Date
2003-05-29
Archival Collection
Description
In 1943, Carol Baker was born in a small village in England near Walton-on- Thames. Her successful entry into entertainment began when she joined the legendary dance troupe known as the Bluebell Girls. She danced at the Lido in Paris before arriving in Las Vegas in 1963. Madam Bluebell rehearsed the group in Italy for their initial Las Vegas show at the Dunes Hotel. After leaving Las Vegas to return home for a few months, Carol received an offer to be a part of the Folies Bergere at the Tropicana. She gave excellent accounts of what a typical day was like for an entertainer on the Strip including backstage life, parties, and relationships among dancers. Alter performing in shows in Las Vegas and around the world - Amsterdam, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and Paris - Carol and her husband settled down in Las Vegas and raised their children. She ended her dance career in a show at the Holiday Inn. Then she went on to share her knowledge of dancing by teaching at the Wonderland School of Dance. Today she owns a Wonderland School of Dance in Southern California, operating it from Las Vegas.
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Transcript of interview with Charles W. Deaner by Claytee D. White, April 4, 2011
Date
2011-04-04
Archival Collection
Description
Charles Deaner's narrative begins near Erie Pennsylvania, where he was born. His family history can trace its roots to a grandfather who fought in the Civil War. Charles served in the Air Force and battled in the North African campaign of World War II. After which, he attended college and received a law degree from Syracuse University. At the urging of a sister and brother-in-law who had settled in Las Vegas, he ventured to a changing Las Vegas of the 1950s. He shares stories of his first law practice and legal case. Charles became a leader in his profession and has many stories of how his practice grew during the 1960s and 1970s. His narrative also includes his insights and descriptions of the many changes that have occurred over the decades that he has lived and worked in the Las Vegas community.
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