Oral history interviews with James Dean Leavitt conducted by Claytee D. White on September 27 and October 4, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Leavitt recalls his role in establishing a medical school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), now known as Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. Leavitt was elected to the Board of Regents in 2004 while Jim Rogers was interim Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), and he suggested the creation of an ad hoc committee Health Science Center Committee. In 2009, Leavitt became Chairman of the Board of Regents, Dan Klaich became Chancellor, and in the following year, Dr. Mark Doubrava joined the board. In May 2014, the planning dean was hired, Dr. Barbara Atkinson, and the UNLV School of Medicine was officially established on August 22, 2014.
Oral history interview with Betty West conducted by Claytee D. White on May 10, 2008 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, West discusses growing up in Blue Diamond, Nevada. She describes the work her father, Mark West, did at the mines and recalls the Village where mine workers and their families lived in the 1950s. West discusses her employment at the Sahara Hotel in the 1960s as a slot girl and later as a cocktail waitress. Lastly, West talks about the changes in Blue Diamond, and eventually moving to Las Vegas, Nevada.
Oral history interview with Melissa Warren conducted by Claytee D. White on November 02, 2015 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Warren begins by discussing her early history in Utah and how she started her career in advertising and public relations. She describes the work she has done for the Howard Hughes Corporation in coordinating the advertising for the Summerlin community in Las Vegas, Nevada before and after its construction. Warren also details how the Howard Hughes Corporation made its decisions on how to plan and structure the Summerlin community, how it handled education in the community, and various promotional events that were held for Summerlin.
Oral history interview with Benny Lipson conducted by Edward Veatch on March 09, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Lipson recalls his personal history and discusses his occupations in aviation. Lipson then discusses how casinos have changed the way they operated, and how Las Vegas, Nevada has become more expensive.
Oral history interview with Kenneth Ousley conducted by Patricia van Betten on October 02, 2009 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Ousley discusses his personal history and moving to Blue Diamond, Nevada with his family. He talks about the work his father did as a miner at the Blue Diamond Mine and describes life in the village during the 1930s. Ousley recalls his visits to Las Vegas, Nevada and the construction of Boulder Dam (Hoover Dam). Lastly, Ousley talks about Cottonwood Ranch and the Blue Diamond school.
Oral history interview with Eliot King conducted by an unknown collector on October 20, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. King discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1942 and gives his opinions on the city as it went through changes.
Oral history interview with Robert E. Lake conducted by A.D. Hopkins on September 27, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Lake discusses how the layout of Las Vegas, Nevada has changed since he first arrived there.
Oral history interview with Catherine Hammelrath conducted by Claytee D. White on October 31, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Hammelrath, a Las Vegas, Nevada native, discusses her early family life in Las Vegas, her parents professions, her education, and many stories about the people, places, and events that defined Las Vegas over her sixty-five years in the city.
Oral history interview with Alice Lowe conducted by Rusty Lee on an unknown date in 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lowe discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1944. Lowe also shares her experiences in Las Vegas, Nevada as the city developed.
Oral history interview with Ann Lynch conducted by Sandra Klimik on October 17, 1985 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Lynch briefly explains how she started working in hospitals as a volunteer in 1959 and then gives an overview of the development of hospitals in Las Vegas, Nevada. Most of the interview is directed at the development and history of Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas. Lynch discusses the developers, Irwin Molasky, Moe Dalitz, Allard Roen and Merv Adelson, and their the original goal to build a physician medical building to attract doctors to their planned community, which included the Las Vegas Country Club and gold course, the Boulevard Mall, and the Boulevard Apartments. She describes the opening of the hospital in 1958, and then moves into a more detailed discussion of nurses and how their roles have shifted since the 1960s. Finally, she talks about the city's growth and the economic burden insurance companies and federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid have on hospital profitability.