On March 3, 1980, Donna Malloy interviewed John McKay (b. July 7th, 1926 in North Dakota) about his life in Las Vegas, Nevada. McKay begins by speaking about his family history, his career in the electronics and engineering field for aerospace, as well as his experiences in two wars. Moreover, McKay speaks about his hobbies of hunting and fishing and his time as a musician around Las Vegas. McKay also spends time going over how the city of Las Vegas has grown and changed, the increase in crime, and the extreme floods in the 1950s. Lastly, McKay talks about the Nuclear Test Site, how casino gaming chips were used as money around the city, how the city of Las Vegas started and the future of the valley.

The website for Freed’s Bakery happily displays the headline: Baking Sweet Memories Since 1959. Today the third generation of Frieds (correct spelling of the family surname) is hard at work creating incredible wedding cakes, cookies, and delightful desserts for the Las Vegas valley. For this oral history interview, Joni Fried, her daughter Sarah Fried, and nephew Max Jacobson-Fried sit to share stories of working in the family business started by Joni’s parents Milton and Esther Fried. Joni has handed the reins over to the third generation who invest their delicious souls into maintaining this Las Vegas tradition. Their tales range from childhood memories of holidays baking and cleaning to their personal favorite desserts. They also explain the impact on their business as early adapters of computer technologies and social media marketing. In October 2017, Freed’s Bakery landed a TV show, Vegas Cakes, on the Food Network.

Sara Denton loves life, laughter, and wonderful adventures. She is the mother of four children, a Distinguished Nevadan, lover of books and art, political campaign organizer, community activist, and friend. Sara is one of the founders of Boulder City’s most successful philanthropic fundraisers, Art in the Park. Denton was born in Paducah, Kentucky, into a family of readers and thinkers. Therefore, when the opportunity arose, at 18 years of age, to move the Washington, DC to work in the Signal Corps, she seized the opportunity. From the vantage point of her apartment, she could see the Secret Service assisting Franklin D. Roosevelt into his limousine at the back door of the White House. His polio was hidden from the public but this diversion allowed Sara and her friends to greet and be greeted by their hero. While in DC, Sara worked for General Hayes and one day struck up a conversation with a young soldier, Ralph Denton. Soon they married and moved to his home state, Nevada. After several years in Elko, NV, the Dentons moved to Las Vegas where Sara worked in the campaigns of Grant Sawyer, Howard Cannon, and Alan Bible. Moving the family to Boulder City though, was the wisest relocation by the family because the children grew up in a caring community with good schools. And the city provided the opportunity for Sara’s creativity to flow in many directions including travel, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and community building efforts. This interview is filled with laughter. I enjoyed the conversation.

Daryl Morris discusses growing up in Las Vegas and his love of acting.

Daryl Morris is a native of Las Vegas. Born in 1961, he is one of three sons born to Paula and Bobby Morris. He recalls his childhood of the 1960s and 1970s with great fondness of the fast friendships formed within the Jewish community. His day job is in insurance, but his great love is for acting. He tells of being smitten at the age of 11 and taking acting lessons as a youngster and then later studying with actor Jeff Goldblum. He has an impressive list of films in which he has appeared, including the opening scene of Mall Cop 2. He enjoys voice-over acting and teaching acting classes. He also tells about his Navy service, attending UNLV, and coming to settle in Las Vegas-the place he calls home. Daryl also participated in the January 31, 2016, Growing Up Jewish in Las Vegas panel discussion for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project.

On March 15, 1981, collector David Glasco interviewed card dealer, Alexander Grayson (born March 27th, 1952 in Durham, North Carolina) in his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview covers the black experience in Las Vegas. Mr. Grayson also discusses prejudice, racism, education, and entertainment. Additionally, he recalls relocating to Las Vegas from North Carolina with his family when he was a child, as his father was in the Air Force.