Oral history interview with Larry Cooper conducted by Claytee D. White on March 05, 2018 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Cooper discusses his early life in Las Vegas, Nevada and growing up in the Westside. He talks about his educational experiences in Las Vegas, attending the Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College (now University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff), and teaching mathematics. Cooper recalls his employment at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, becoming Vice President of Emerging Markets, and relocating around the United States for work. He remembers moving back to Las Vegas in the mid-2000s, his friendship with civil rights leader Jimmy Gay, and the contributions Gay made for the African American community. Cooper describes Westside businesses, and casinos on Jackson Street. Lastly, Cooper discusses the future of the Westside.
Oral history interview with Rose Pry conducted by Dennis McBride on August 24, 2008 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Pry discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1980s and describes the lesbian community at the time. She talks about Women United of Nevada (WUN), a lesbian-identified organization founded in 1987, the events that they held around the community, and the women who were leaders in the organization. Lastly, Pry then discusses her employment writing for the Las Vegas Bugle under Rob Schlegel.
Interview with Hazel Gay conducted by Claytee D. White on December 2, 1995. Hazel and her husband Jimmy Gay moved to Las Vegas in 1946, becoming leaders in the African American community during the civil rights era.
Oral history interview with Jon Sparer conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White on August 29, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Sparer discusses his involvement in the Jewish, and LGBTQ+ communites, and his career as an architect in Las Vegas, Nevada. He also talks about working on projects that included The Mirage Hotel and Casino, the Congregation Ner Tamid, and The Center (The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada).
Oral history interviews with Tamara Pickett conducted by Dennis McBride on November 01, 2002 and November 08, 2002 for the Las Vegas Gay Archives Oral History Project. In these interviews, Pickett discusses her early life and the traumatizing experiences that occurred during her childhood. Pickett remembers serving in the United States Army, beginning her transition to Tamara, and completing a sexual reassignment surgery in 1999. Later, Pickett talks about her activism work in Las Vegas, Nevada, campaigning for improved health care for transgender veterans, and her involvement with the transgender community in Las Vegas.
Gay Pride at Sunset Park, 1998. Photographer: Dennis McBride. Mike Spadoni at the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, southern California chapter booth. (4-25-98)
Interview with James A. Gay III conducted by Perry Kaufman on April 12, 1972. Arriving in 1946 from Fordyce, Arkansas, Gay became the first African-American mortician in Las Vegas. He later worked as Assistant Manager of the Sands Hotel and Casino and Union Plaza while serving as an executive board member of the Culinary Union. Instrumental in the Las Vegas community, Gay worked to improved race relations, addressing social, economic, and civic issues. Gay was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1988.