Oral history interview with Herb Tobman conducted by Deborah Fischer on March 13, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Herb Tobman talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada while working for Standard Oil as a tire, battery and accessory salesman, then working for the Moulin Rouge as the general manager in 1955. He gives a description of the hotels on Las Vegas Boulevard and downtown. Tobman then discusses the types of gambling that were popular. He also talks about the accommodations, transportation, entertainment, and the economy.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Edith Leavitt conducted by Enrico Mecina on February 07, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Leavitt talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada from St. George, Utah for a teaching position in August of 1945. She discusses the history of the school district and racial integration of the school system.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Allan Stump conducted by Jack R. Hall on February 18, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Stump discusses growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada and his career as a firefighter in the Clark County Fire Department. Stump describes how Las Vegas has changed and the construction boom during the 1960s. He goes on to discuss his life as a firefighter and tells several anecdotes about his calls.
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 Hank Kovell conducted by Patrick F. Smith on September 26, 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Kovell briefly discusses his life in Northern California before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in July 1956, where he would open and run a Las Vegas, Nevada advertisement agency, Kovell Inc., between 1964 and 1969. He then discusses his company's publications of political campaigns, Las Vegas casino publicity, and his work as a public relations director in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John Scott conducted by Stephen M. Magee on April 29, 1986 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Scott discusses his personal history living in Las Vegas, Nevada since 1940. He then describes life in Las Vegas and the growth in both population and infrastructure. Later, Scott discusses the Las Vegas economy, the Helldorado Parade, and describes the above ground nuclear bomb testings.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Steven Clarke conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on November 17, 2016 and December 08, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the first interview, Clarke discusses his early life in Winnipeg, Canada. He talks about his early interest in architecture, and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2011. Clarke talks about becoming the director of the Downtown Design Center, future plans for the Historic Westside Community, and his role in the Historic Urban Neighborhood Design Redevelopment plan. In the second interview, Clarke discusses the HUNDRED Plan, a plan for community-led investment in the Historic Westside.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Helen Smith conducted by Claytee D. White on February 20, 2007 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Smith discusses her personal history and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1956. She then talks about her employment at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital and the change to University Medical Center (UMC). Smith recalls an air conditioning business she co-owned with her husband at the time, and the activities she did as a member of Daughters of the Nile, a women's community service organization. Lastly, she discusses education and the general changes in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Al Lermusiaux conducted by Shirley Dianne Long on March 09, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lermusiaux begins by talking about his move to Las Vegas, his family and what brought him to the city. He shares many anecdotes about the construction of different iconic buildings in Las Vegas, the inner workings of the business, payments to employees and the changes in technology. Lermusiaux, in particular, talks of the telephone system in the fifties and the changes in structures and their regulations. During his interview, Lermusiaux lays out an image of old Las Vegas and Henderson, giving detailed descriptions of the layout of the city, the projects he worked on and the effects of the weather on building structures in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Edward Gregory conducted by Jonathan R. Bellingar on March 2, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Gregory discusses leaving Nevada to serve in the Army during World War II before eventually returning to Nevada in 1950. The interview concludes with a brief overview of how Nellis Air force Base has changed since the 1950s.
Archival Collection