Oral history interview with Jack Herst conducted by Suzan DiFederico on March 01, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Herst talks about the population growth in Nevada and emphasizes the significant changes that Las Vegas, Nevada has experienced from its origins as a small town. Herst also discusses his personal family history, his Jewish identity, community affiliations, and his career as a card dealer and broker at different casinos.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Renila Gunlap conducted by Lisa Johnson on March 09, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Gunlap discusses her personal, generational, and occupational history in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also talks about her church membership, Stewart Ranch, and education.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Robert Knapp conducted by Dianna Lucero on March 10, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Knapp discusses his personal and occupational history in Las Vegas, Nevada. He also talks about the major hotels, politics, gambling, and road recreations.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lester Earnest conducted by David Schwartz on August 8, 2017 for the Competitive Video Gaming Oral History Project. In this interview, Earnest discusses the beginning of his career in computing, speaking at length about the military SAGE project the he believes was designed to fail. He then talks at length about his work with the Stanford University Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL) and the development of the computing environment through the 1960s and 1970s. He also talks about his development of the FINGER protocol and the role of artificial intelligence in the early development of video gaming, as well as various individuals who got their start with SAIL before developing modern computing and software systems.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Harvey N. Dondero conducted by Elizabeth N. Patrick on August 9, 1984 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview consists of Dondero's address before the Kiwanis Club during a luncheon meeting at the Fremont Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dondero gives observations on the growth of the education system in Las Vegas. He also answers questions after the address by audience members regarding the future of Nevada’s education system.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John F. Lewis conducted by Steven John Galler on March 12, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Lewis describes founding Clark Dairy with his brother in Moapa Valley, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with David Rohn conducted by David G. Schwartz on October 20, 2016 for the Slot Operations Oral History Project. Rohn discusses working in arcades and slots within properties such as Wildhorse Resort and Casino, and Midnight Rose Hotel and Casino. He then provides his philosophy on what he believes customers are looking for in casinos, and how slot operations have changed over time, particularly through ticket-in ticket-out and the use of free play.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jean Bennett conducted by Claytee D. White on July 8, 2008 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. Bennett discusses how she went to California from Missouri to pursue her dreams of being a singer. She also discusses her career working for Buck Ram, who wrote, produced and arranged for the Platters, the Drifters, and many more singing groups of early rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues genres.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dan Bennett conducted by Guy Pence on October 03, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During this interview Bennett talks about the visits from presidents and other important people to the Las Vegas, Nevada area and discusses the 1942 plane crash of Carole Lombard’s plane. He also mentions Boulder Dam and describes the economic, social and environmental changes that have taken place in Southern Nevada over the years.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gary Porter conducted by Stefani Evans on April 26, 2017 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Porter discusses his early life in Oklahoma. He recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1970 as a new accountant, and his employment at the Hughes Corporation. He talks about the growth of Las Vegas, the charter market in Las Vegas during the late 1970s, and joining Hughes Aviation in 1977. Lastly, Porter describes the evolution of the aviation industry, and explains the work Hughes Aviation does to service airplanes.
Archival Collection