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 Jeanne Brown conducted by Claytee D. White on November 07, 2017 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Brown discusses her upbringing and growing up in a family who moved often. She talks about her initial interest in library science, and compares working as a university librarian to working as a public librarian. Brown remembers arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1978, joining the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Architecture Library, and the construction of the UNLV School of Architecture building. Lastly, Brown discusses the future of UNLV Libraries.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jon Vogel conducted by Carol A. Fitzgerald on March 29, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Vogel discusses his personal history in Las Vegas, Nevada. Vogel describes moving to Las Vegas as a child in 1943 and growing up in the city. He talks about his cement and landscaping business and the projects he has worked on for the city of Las Vegas. Vogel's wife, Tootie Vogel, later joins the interview, and together they discuss musicians and entertainment in Las Vegas. Lastly, they describe how Las Vegas has changed since the 1940s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Irene Vanderhoof conducted by Robert Coleman on March 14, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Vanderhoof begins by describing her family history and environmental changes in Southern Nevada. She talks about living on a Hopi Native American reservation in Arizona and the customs of the Hopi tribe. Vanderhoof goes on to discuss living in Las Vegas, Nevada, her faith as a Baha'i, and observing the construction of Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam). She concludes by listing her issues with the local school system and the effects of politics on it.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lisa Hank conducted by Barbara Tabach on May 31, 2019 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project.
Lisa discusses her move to Las Vegas in the early 1990s from California for a job with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and her current position as head of the Police Employee Assistance Program (PEAP). Lisa talks about the night of October 1 and the aftermath of the shooting, both in her work and personal life. She is the wife of Charles Hank III, police officer and another interviewee for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project.
Subjects discussed include: well-being in aftermath of 1 October; PEAP preparation; healing.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Shirley Allen conducted by Nancy Hardy on June 21, 2003 for the Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Allen discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with her family and starting dancing professionally while attending university. Her first job was at the Riviera in 1964, working as a showgirl. She explains that the work was not difficult and they were not asked to do anything inappropriate, but they did have to pay for their own cocktail dresses and accessories. She also explains that she was a "covered dancer" in the beginning but by the late 1960s she had to "uncover" (work topless) to be employed. She then talks about working in Pzazz! '68 at the Stardust Resort Hotel and Casino, after auditioning for Fluff LeCoque, Donn Arden's company captain. She also talks about her impression of Miss Bluebell and Donn Arden. She spends some time talking about what life was like backstage, relations between the girls, and meeting celebrities, her first experience with topless dancing in Lido de Paris, and how the backstage dressing areas were assigned and the difficulty of fast changes between sets. Later, she talks about things that can go wrong, from forgeting choreography to the more serious issue of the HIV/AIDS epidemic that swept through the shows in the 1980s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Nora Luna conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón and Barbara Tabach on November 07, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Luna talks about the Las Vegas, Nevada Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the Latin Chamber of Commerce, and the Nathan Adelson Hospice.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gerald Price conducted by Mike Labrum on October 23, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Price discusses his personal history and experiences living in Las Vegas, Nevada. He describes his career as a dealer in casinos, prominent celebrities visiting Las Vegas, and his recreational activities. Price also talks about nuclear weapons tests, how Las Vegas has changed, and gambling.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Agnes C. Marshall conducted by Rebecca Snetselaar on April 02, 2016 for the Folklife Program of the Nevada Arts Council and the Oral History Research Center at UNLV Libraries. Marshall begins the interview speaking about where she came from and African American culture. She explains the traditions and celebrations she participates in. Marshall also talks about food and explains how she makes some of those dishes. Lastly, she talks about gardening and her involvement within the community and neighborhood.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ron Smith conducted by Claytee D. White on May 10, 2022 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: A Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Ron Smith discusses his early life in Queens, New York and his Catholic school education. Smith served as a Red Cross volunteer at the hospital where his mother worked, and after one year at St. Johns University he volunteered for the Air Force to avoid being drafted by the Army. Soon after basic training and being trained as an aircraft mechanic, Ron Smith volunteered to go to Vietnam. Later, Smith talks about his experience owning seventeen McDonald's restaurants throughout Las Vegas, Nevada and future plans to construct a mall and residential complex on Boulder Highway in partnership with the City of Henderson.
Archival Collection