Oral history interview with Thelma Aiken (formerly Thelma C. Liggitt b. 1899) conducted by Patrica Gaydosh on April 05, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Born in Osceola, Iowa, Aiken discusses moving to Henderson in 1942. Aiken also offers in-depth descriptions of housing, schools, early above ground atomic tests, gambling, and the closing down of the Basic Magnesium (BMI) Plant in Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Brian Block conducted by Diane Spero on February 27, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Block discusses the construction business, community planning, architectural design, and his personal feelings in regard to the development of the Las Vegas, Nevada area. Block also discusses legalized gambling, politics, mass transit problems, and other social and environmental changes in Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jerry Eppenger conducted by Claytee D. White on September 09, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Jerry Eppenger discusses working as a security guard at the Bonanza Hotel and the Nevada Test Site. He then talks about attending dealer school and starting a career in dealing. He then discusses segregation and racial relations in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1970s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Marcus Mason conducted by Leon Green on February 04, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Mason talks about his childhood in Las Vegas, Nevada, his parents’ past occupations, and how his religious upbringing influenced his career choices as an adult.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Tyrone Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on August 25, 2006 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. Williams discusses arriving at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and his various jobs there. He recalls that blacks were not welcome on the Las Vegas, Nevada Strip unless they were going to work in one of the hotels or casinos. Williams then describes joining the Executive Housekeepers Association. The interview concludes with a short discourse on social life and positive aspects of life in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with James Sparrow conducted by Lonnie McDonald on March 09, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Sparrow discusses his personal history and the history of Las Vegas, Nevada. Sparrow discusses life in early Las Vegas, how Las Vegas has changed, and the development of the Strip. Sparrow also discusses race relations in Las Vegas and the establishment of the Nevada Test Site.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Patsy Leavitt conducted by Elizabeth Neumann on March 17, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Leavitt discusses her maternal grandmother, who brought her mother and uncle to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1931, and explains how her grandmother opened a boardinghouse that she ran until her death in 1948. She then discusses her father's family, who arrived in Las Vegas in the late 1920s and established a sand and gravel business. She discusses her education and marriage, and reflects on Las Vegas in the 1950s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Dorothy Eisenberg conducted by Caryll Batt Dziediak on February 16, 2001, November 14, 2006, November 21, 2006, March 02, 2007, and July 11, 2007 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Eisenberg begins her interviews with a history of her family and discussion of her Jewish heritage and its influence on her life. Eisenberg continues her interview by covering her life events in chronological order, including her education, the birth of her children, and her husband's plane crash and death. Eisenberg then discusses rebuilding her life and her political activism in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Jewish community. Eisenberg lastly discusses her move to Las Vegas, Nevada and her involvement in many community organizations and issue, such as the League of Women Voters, Women's Democratic Club, welfare rights, school integration, and the Equal Rights Amendment.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Suzy Maufus conducted by Bernard Timberg on January 27, 1974. Maufus discusses the changes Las Vegas, Nevada went through, from a small town to a big sprawling city. The interview concludes with Maufus discussing the rise of crime as Las Vegas grew.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Paul Kopczak conducted by Claytee D. White on September 04, 2012 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Kopczak begins the interview by discussing his family history and personal history in the United States Air Force before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife in the 1980s. He then describes his career working for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as a storekeeper for Lied Library, explaining his job duties and how the university has changed since he began working there. Lastly, Kopczak also talks about various library employees and administrators he has worked with, and life in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection