Oral history interview with Louise Kirkwood conducted by Richard Probst on February 28, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Kirkwood discusses her life in Southern Nevada and her experience with navigating Las Vegas, Nevada as streets and buildings, home values, and living expenses changed over time. Kirkwood also discusses the energy crisis of the 1970s and the resulting gasoline rationing; the growth of the Strip, and pollution caused by atomic testing.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Stanley Paher conducted by Javier Romero on March 04, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Paher describes his personal history in Las Vegas, Nevada and the layout of the city when its population was only eight thousand people. Paher describes the development of bigger casinos in Las Vegas and the evolution of the Strip. Paher also discusses his career as a writer and publisher, writing about the ghost towns of Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Roosevelt Toston conducted by Claytee D. White on July 11, 2006 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Toston discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s and his various careers at the Test Site, Bell Telephone of Nevada, as a television anchorman and cameraman, and the Convention and Visitors Authority to bring conventions to Las Vegas. He also talks about ways African American entrepreneurs might get involved in the convention business.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Robert Kneoki conducted by Dave Harelik on March 14, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Kneoki discusses growth, crime, and religion in Nevada. He also talks about the silver mines, MX missiles, and transient people.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Laralee Nelson conducted by Claytee D. White on April 20, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project Oral History Project. Nelson discusses her career as a cataloger at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries from 1982 to 2010. She also discusses witnessing monumental changes in the library such as changes in leadership, a move from the old Dickinson Library to the new Lied Library, and the impact of the technology on the campus.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Patrick Gaffey conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White on August 19, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Gaffey discusses the McCarran airport redesign, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District building program, First Interstate Bank tower, and Clark County Government Center. He also discusses the redesign of the Maryland Parkway corridor and public art. Gaffey then talks about the City of Las Vegas Public Art Committee, Las Vegas City Hall art installation, and City of Las Vegas Maintenance and Operations.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mark Matthews conducted by Marcus Harrison on March 30, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Matthews discusses his arrival to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1949 in an attempt to find better living conditions. Matthews then describes living through the Great Depression, and explains the hardships it brought upon many people. Matthews later discusses improvements in transportation throughout the city as more streets were paved.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with J.T. Thomas conducted by Samuel Greene on February 13, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Thomas discusses his arrival to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1913 in search of job opportunities. Thomas also describes the development of Las Vegas, specifically the increase of hotels and casinos. Thomas then discusses segregation in schools and explains that African Americans were only allowed to live on the West Side of Las Vegas. Thomas later recalls downtown Las Vegas and changes in the state's educational curriculum.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Russel Howard conducted by James W. Howard on January 10, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Howard recalls being transferred to Las Vegas, Nevada for work in 1947 and how impressed he was by the number of celebrities from the movie and entertainment industry that frequented Las Vegas in the early 1950s. He also discusses the expansion of the Las Vegas Strip and how rapidly the number of hotels grew.
Archival Collection
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.
Archival Collection