Oral history interview with Suzette Cox conducted by Andrew Lazarus on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Suzette Cox discusses her experiences living in Las Vegas, Nevada. She then discusses her careers in the police departments and a local newspaper company. Topics also included racial discrimination, sports, and how the development of the Strip influenced her life while attending school in Las Vegas, as well as its relation to tourism and aboveground atomic testing.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Thomas Barbarite conducted by Dennis Chamberland on March 03, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Barbarite discusses his time at the Four Queens Hotel and the Dunes Hotel as a dealer as well as his work as a pit boss at the Flamingo Hotel, the Aladdin Hotel, and Caesars Palace. Barbarite also discusses the involvement of the mob in Las Vegas, particularly the influence of Bugsy Siegel in the operation of various properties.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joylin Vandenberg conducted by Charlie Bloom on February 09, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Vandenberg discusses life in Las Vegas, Nevada. Vandenberg then describes the plane crash that killed Carole Lombard, the opening of Boulder (Hoover) Dam with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the atomic bomb tests. Vandenberg later discusses the changes in Las Vegas, specifically the increase in pollution, population, and casinos.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Myrtle Banks conducted by George Williams on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Banks discusses African American history in Nevada, specifically in the context of job opportunities, relationships with whites, and the social and political changes that took place over time. Banks also discusses the riots of the 1960s, changes in crime rates and their effect on the perception of safety. Lastly she discusses growth in the construction industry and population, inflation, and how gambling and entertainment define Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Esther Wolverton conducted by David Haymack on March 13, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Wolverton discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1927 and recalls her first impressions of the city. She also describes experiencing the first Helldorado Parade, social life in Las Vegas, and her employment as a waitress. Later, Wolverton discusses the construction and development of McCarran Airport. Lastly, she talks about population growth in Las Vegas and the significance gaming has to the city.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jacqueline Locks conducted by Jennifer Schulz on May 01, 2003 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Locks reflects upon her 32-year career as a teacher and administrator with the Clark County School District (CCSD) from the 1970s to the 2000s. She discusses her upbringing, and how she knew since she was a child that she wanted to be an elementary school teacher. She describes the process by which she became an elementary school teacher, and eventually principal. She discusses her approach to educational leadership, and offers suggestions for individuals interested in pursuing school administration. She also discusses the importance of working relationships between teachers and administrators, and mentorship programs to assist new teachers.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Katrina Sandigo conducted by Nathalie Martinez and Barbara Tabach on August 28, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Katrina talks about her family's history and her grandfather's immigration to the United States from Nicaragua. She discusses her education and her time spent studying at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and her work with the Clark County School District (CCSD). She is currently the Education Director for Nevada's Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Katrina also shares her religious faith and how she is active in the Jewish community of Las Vegas.
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Oral history interview with Patricia Deverell conducted by Patrick Kiser on April 26, 1986 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. Deverell discusses the various population and climate changes that she has witnessed in Nevada, as well as major events such as the above-ground atomic testing. Deverell also mentions her occupation in the gaming industry and describes some of the changes in the industry over time.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Freddy Chavez conducted by Marcela Rodriguez Campo, Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez, Maribel Estrada Calderon, and Barbara Tabach on February 7, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Chavez recalls his early life and childhood in Bolivia, where he was born. Chavez talks about why he left his home country and the experiences he had in Brazil. After spending a few years in Brazil, Chavez came to the United States on a student visa to learn English. He discusses his immigration to Florida and his brief marriage. In 2001, Chavez made his way to Las Vegas, Nevada where he founded the Las Vegas Carnaval International, a parade celebrating Mardi Gras and the cultures that celebrate it. Chavez discusses his experience working with parades and his passion for event organizing, as well as his civic engagements.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Junell Bowman conducted by Anna Huddleston on March 09, 2014 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Bowman begins by describing her early history as a singer in California, performing on the radio, different orchestras, and nightclubs before marrying her husband and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1958. Bowman discusses becoming a sketch artist after managing an unsuccessful business, doing portraits and caricatures of people in the casinos, at conventions, and on the Las Vegas Strip. She talks about the celebrities and entertainers she met and did caricatures for while working at casinos like the Stardust and Riviera, and the amount of work that went into being a professional sketch artist.
Archival Collection