Oral history interview with Barr Smith conducted by Melvin Smail on February 22, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Smith discusses his personal history and the history of Las Vegas, Nevada. Smith discusses working at the Basic Magnesium plant, playing high stakes poker games with prominent gamblers like "Nick the Greek," and the casinos built on the early Las Vegas Strip. Smith also describes how Las Vegas has changed, the different forms of gambling and gaming available in the city, and life in 1940s Las Vegas.
Oral history interview with Randy Gangwer conducted by Thomas Hardy on May 17, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Gangwer discusses the importance of gambling, above ground atomic tests, and Southern Nevada’s economic, environmental, and social changes.
Oral history interview with Mary Leo conducted by Rafael Reyes-Spindola on February 27, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Mary Susanne Kaime Leo moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1952. In the interview, Leo discusses community interactions during her childhood, as well as her employment with the Tropicana Las Vegas and the Riviera Hotel & Casino in the restaurant and sales departments. She also discusses the lifestyles of showgirls she interacted with.
Oral history interview with Jacob Snow conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee White on August 29, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Snow discusses the ways that infrastructure accommodated Southern Nevada's growth. He discusses McCarran's Terminal Three, the Las Vegas Monorail, University of Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV) football stadium, the Bruce Woodbury Beltway, and the Fremont Street Experience. Snow discusses his career as general manager of the Regional Transportation Commission, where he worked with Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, and his three years as city manager for the City of Henderson.
Oral history interview with L. J. Bowman conducted by Lidia Sedano on October 11, 2004 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Bowman discusses his upbringing and path to becoming a teacher during the 1970s. He discusses his experience as a teacher in Wisconsin and in Montana, but highlights his 17 years as principal in various Montana school districts prior to becoming a teacher in the Clark County School District in the 1990s. He discusses his personal philosophy of education, and how it influenced his career as an administrator. He also discusses highlights and challenges of his career, and provides suggestions on what makes a successful principal.
Oral history interview with Mary Habbart conducted by David R. Patt on March 07, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview offers an overview of life in Las Vegas, Nevada in the early days, which included: atomic testing, floods, prostitution on Block 16, early Fremont Street and Duck Creek. Also discussed during this interview: Sunset Park, The Roosevelts, Bugsy Siegel, local government and the Hoover Dam.
Oral history interview with Julie Cleaver conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on May 19, 2017 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Cleaver discusses her early life in Durham, North Carolina. Cleaver talks about attending Ohio State University, studying landscape architecture, and arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1993. She describes master planning for the Green Valley area, master planned communities in Summerlin, and making changes to home design criteria. Lastly, Cleaver talks about the future of Summerlin master planned communities.
Oral history interview with Chester Davis conducted by Keith Sargent on June 24, 1987 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In his interview Davis discusses his time working as a librarian in the James Dickinson Library at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Davis focuses his interview on a remodel of the library both at the physical and technological level.
Oral history interview with Mustafa Richards conducted by Claytee D. White on March 10, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. He discusses working as the only black bellman at the time for the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino and became the first African American bell captain. He also discusses his wife working for the Las Vegas, Nevada Clark County Library District for thirty years. Mustafa then discusses becoming a Muslim in the early 1990s and being appointed to be an Imam, a mosque officer, soon afterwards.
Oral history interview with Richard Bryan conducted by Claytee D. White on November 30, 2017 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Bryan discusses growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. He recalls attending Fifth Street Grammar School and Las Vegas High School. Bryan talks about the Helldorado Parade, his father’s employment at Basic Magnesium Incorporated, and attending the University of Nevada, Reno. He recalls going to law school, becoming a district attorney, being elected a Nevada State Senator, and serving as the Nevada Attorney General. Lastly, Bryan discusses his reason for attending law school and pursuing a career in law.