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
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
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
Oral history interview with Joshua Langdon conducted by Stefani Evans on June 23, 2023 for Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Langdon begins by speaking about his parents' history, and his family's frequent relocation due to his father's enlistment in the United States Air Force. Born in Colorado, Langdon moved to Germany as a young child, and then to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada where he spent the rest of his youth. He recalls living near El Dorado High School, exploring the desert, and attending Mike O'Callaghan Junior High and Advanced Technologies Academy. Langdon received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and began his career with NV Energy as an electrical engineering intern under the mentorship of Raymond C. Vogel. After fifteen years with the company, Langdon now serves as Vice President of Transmission. He volunteers with the NV Energy Foundation and serves as a board member for First Nevada, an international program promoting FIRST robotics and STEAM education in Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Will Vicuna conducted by Stefani Evans on June 23 and July 3, 2023 for Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In the first interview, Vicuna goes into detail about his family's history, and his parents' life in Quezon, Philippines. When his brother sent Will a postcard of the newly opened Hilton Hotel and Casino, Will decided he would move to Las Vegas as soon as he completed his psychology degree in 1970. He concludes the first interview discussing his employment at the Hilton and the Flamingo Hilton, his 1972 marriage, and his 1973 UNLV graduation in Hotel Administration. In the second interview, Vicuna talks about his wife, Felicidad, who graduated from University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila in Medical Technology. He shares details about her career, and then talks about his own career in hospitality, working in a number of Las Vegas hotels including the Hilton and Flamingo Hilton, Palace Station, Peppermill Mesquite, and the Golden Eagle in Pahrump. Throughout the interviews, Vicuna discusses family reunions in Las Vegas, shopping for Filipino food, and eating at various restaurants around town. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Allycia B. Murphy conducted by Stefani Evans on June 30, 2023 for Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, attorney Allycia B. Murphy shares how she learned recently who her biological father was and how it has changed her life. She talks about connecting with half-siblings, her biological father, and learning about her father's Samoan, Japanese, and German family history. Murphy discusses growing up in southeast North Carolina, being enrolled with her mother's family as Lumbee Tribal Citizens, and learning to code switch. She talks about playing sports in middle and high school, majoring in African American studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and attending law school at North Carolina Central University. She recalls becoming a prosecutor with the North Carolina First Prosecutorial District, and meeting her husband. Murphy discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2017, getting married, and the loss of her first child, and subsequent children since her first pregnancy. She closes her interview discussing being hired by the City of Las Vegas as a Deputy City Attorney, Office of the City Attorney, Criminal Division, a position she continues to hold at the time of the interview.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Karin Sporn conducted by Claytee D. White on May 25, 2023 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Karin Sporn grew up in Germany when her father was a member of Hitler's army. As a young woman, she converted to Judaism, and she shares how it was a difficult path. Much of her study and sacred rituals were done in Israel, and she shares that many signs along the way gave her encouragement, and she learned from others around her in Israel who shared their stories with Sporn. Eventually, her travel business brought her to Las Vegas, Nevada. After selling her and her husband's business, Sporn discusses how she was then free to volunteer for Jewish and civic organizations, and the leisure to sculp and to write her memoir, Just Peek Over the Fence.
Archival Collection
Radio interview with Lee Plotkin and Alan Stock on KXNT-AM 840 radio on August 27, 2002. This interview was collected by Dennis McBride as part of the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Oral History Project. The interview took place over the radio on KXNT-AM 840. Plotkin and Stock discuss Question 2 with the radio host, and take phone calls from listeners both for and against the ballot measure.
Archival Collection
This Asian American and Pacific Islander Day panel discussion, "Talking Stories: A Panel of the City of Las Vegas AAPI Committee," features six panelists and was moderated by Allycia B. Murphy, Deputy City Attorney, Office of the City Attorney, Criminal Division. Panelists include Cynthia Leung, Chief Judge for Las Vegas Municipal Court; Jennifer Rabanes, Recreation Coordinator at Centennial Hills Active Adult Center; Patricia Cabrera, Enterprise Records Officer, City Clerk's office; Joey Boquecosa, Equipment Operator, Public Works Department; Natasha Shahani, Senior Public Information Officer; and Gai Phanalasy, Multimedia Production Specialist. The panel was held at Las Vegas City Hall on May 11, 2023, following Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman's declaration of May 11, 2023, as "Asian American and Pacific Islander Day." Anticipating the proclamation, the City's AAPI employees formed the City of Las Vegas AAPI Committee to organize the City's first AAPI Appreciation Day at City Hall. The Committee invited several local AAPI performers, organizations, and social, cultural, and advocacy groups to celebrate, honor, and recognize the City's AAPI employees across all departments.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gene Kilroy conducted by Claytee White on October 18, 2021 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Kilroy begins by discussing being born in a mining camp and his grandmother being an important figure in his life. Throughout the interview, Kilroy discusses working at various places on the Las Vegas Strip, including the Dunes Hotel and MGM Grand and meeting many famous people. He discusses the military being an important part of his life, as well as his time playing professional football for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Archival Collection