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Hal Erickson oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00546

Abstract

Oral history interview with Hal Erickson conducted by Alice Brown on April 01, 1998 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Erickson discusses starting work at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas libraries in 1965 and his first impressions of the library. Erickson discusses the organizational and catalog systems of the library and his efforts to improve library organization.

Archival Collection

Billy Root oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02569

Abstract

Oral history interview with Billy Root conducted by Lisa Gioia-Acres on May 14, 2008 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. Root begins by discussing his upbringing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he developed an early interest in being a musician due to encouragement from his father, who was also a musician. He describes playing baritone saxophone in the Philadelphia Orchestra, performing at the Apollo Theater in Ella Fitzgerald's orchestra, and going on tour with a predominantly African American jazz band in the Southern United States during segregation. Root details his interactions and impressions of various celebrities, such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, attending Playboy parties, and eventually deciding to settle in Las Vegas, Nevada. He discusses working as a professional musician in Las Vegas, where he performed in such casinos as the Dunes and the Desert Inn. He concludes by discussing his retirement and his family.

Archival Collection

Ida Webb oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03436

Abstract

Oral history interview with Ida Webb conducted by Claytee D. White on February 29, 1996 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Webb discusses her childhood in the American South. She discusses her family's move from Tallulah, Louisiana to McNary, Arizona, and then their migration to Las Vegas, Nevada. Webb shares her experiences as a young African American mother in Las Vegas in the 1940s and the things her and her husband did to provide for their family. She shares her views on her marriage and her views on African American culture of the time. Webb discusses her husband's civic involvement and his job at the Las Vegas Sun. She details her experiences working in the hospitality industry for such early casinos as the El Rancho Hotel & Casino, The Flamingo Hotel & Casino, and the Last Frontier Hotel & Casino. She shares her own civic involvements and her participation in the Culinary Workers Union Local 226.

Archival Collection

Barbara Sheehan oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01684

Abstract

Oral history interview with Barbara Sheehan conducted by Elaine Mongola on an unknown date for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Sheehan describes her experience in the Unites States Navy through the 1950s to 1970s. Sheehan also discusses her experience as a woman in the military, specifically the stigmas that women sailors encounter. Later, Sheehan recalls memorable moments she experienced during her service.

Archival Collection

Essie Boyd oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00121

Abstract

Oral history interview with Essie Boyd conducted by Claytee D. White on September 16, 2008 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Boyd describes life in Las Vegas, Nevada as an African American during the 1940s. She begins by discussing what the Las Vegas Strip was like at the time and her experiences working at the Flamingo Hotel, the Desert Inn, and the Desert Inn Country Club. Boyd describes the history of the casinos where she worked and the individuals she met through her work, including prominent African American entertainers and influential Las Vegas families such as the Greenspuns.

Archival Collection

Roy Brown oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00134

Abstract

Oral history interview with Roy Brown conducted by John Grygo on March 05, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Brown discusses his personal history and living in Las Vegas, Nevada since 1954. He recalls moving to West Las Vegas and attending segregated schools at the time. Brown then talks about the positive influence that church and spirituality have on the Westside community. He describes his employment at the Stardust Hotel and Casino and working with the Culinary Workers Union after beginning his new employment at the MGM Grand Hotel. Lastly, Brown discusses changes in African American churches and describes how the newer generations have influenced change within the church.

Archival Collection

Don Burse oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00141

Abstract

Oral history interview with Don Burse conducted by John Grygo on March 01, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Burse discusses his personal history and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with his family in 1971. He talks about his mother's employment as a maid at the Thunderbird Hotel, describes recreational activities he participated in, and the close-knit community in West Las Vegas. Burse discusses the increase of gangs and drugs in West Las Vegas and how it negatively affected the community. Later, Burse recalls starting his own personal security business, receiving his business license in 1995, and the growth of his company. Lastly, Burse talks about the Culinary Workers Union strike at the Frontier Hotel and Casino and the importance of union jobs to Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Beverlee and Ivan Cannon oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00156

Abstract

Oral history interview with Beverlee and Ivan Cannon conducted by Claytee D. White on April 12, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, the Cannons discuss their personal histories and living in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1950s. Beverlee Cannon describes her father's ice company, and later describes the work she and Ivan did for the Nevada Test Site and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico while contracted through Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Company. Ivan Cannon talks about his time in the United States Navy during World War II and working for the Southern Nevada Telephone Company. The couple also jointly discuss divorcing their former spouses so they could marry each other and going to India to study transcendental meditation, later bringing back what they learned and teaching people in the United States.

Archival Collection

Linda Chase oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00176

Abstract

Oral history interview with Linda Chase conducted by Claytee D. White on April 01, 2008 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Chase discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955 and what life was like in the city at the time. She describes living in the Bonanza Village neighborhood, racial integration in Las Vegas, and popular recreational activities of the time. Chase talks about the Nevada Test Site, nuclear weapons tests, and an underground testing accident that lead to leukemia in those exposed to the radiation. Chase also discusses the future of Las Vegas being dependent on its water management and her nonfiction writing on Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Lindell Blake oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00202

Abstract

Oral history interview with Lindell Blake conducted by Claytee D. White on January 12, 2006 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Blake discusses his personal history and moving to New York, New York at the age of three. Blake talks about his life in New York, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1990, and his starting his career as a tap dancer. He talks about performing in various productions across the United States, and teaching tap dancing. Lastly, Blake recalls the history of tap dancing in the United States and describes the audition process for dancers in Las Vegas.

Archival Collection