Oral history interviews with Glynda White conducted by Claytee D. White on March 12, 2013 and August 23, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Glynda White begins by discussing her upbringing in Jackson, Tennessee, where her father was a member of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was involved in the litigation to desegregate schools in the city. She explains how her father's activism inspired her to pursue a legal career and go to law school after graduating from Lambuth University. White discusses arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1970s to work as a teacher, later being on the board of the Las Vegas NAACP and working for the Nevada Black Chamber of Commerce. She describes her role at the College of Southern Nevada as a lead faculty member for the Department of Business Administration and Legal Studies, her teaching, and the work she has done to establish African American businesses in the Westside area of Las Vegas, as well as in North Las Vegas, Nevada.
Oral history interview with Christian Chan conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on May 06, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Chan begins by describing her childhood in Hong Kong and later moving to San Francisco, California with her family, then to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1965. She recalls attending Sunrise Acres and Roy Martin Middle School before graduating from Valley High School as valedictorian. In college, Chan attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and graduated with a degree in engineering. After college, she found work in the Las Vegas Valley Water District and became the first woman engineer. During her five years there, she excountered subtle sexism for the first time. Chan continues the interview by describing her work while she lived in California, as well as her years internationally living in the Philippines as well as Ecuador. Throughout the interview, Chan touches on topics ranging from identity, to her impressions of the different generations, discrimination, and the growth of Las Vegas.
Laura Taylor was born in New Haven, Connecticut and spent her childhood bouncing between New York and Ohio to follow her father’s career. Robert Cox, her father, was a businessman who attended Syracuse University on the GI Bill. Her mother, Lillian Cox (neé Bower) was concert pianist and college music professor. At the age of seventeen, Taylor received a scholarship to attend the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Powell. Unfortunately, Dr. Powell died two years later, which prompted a move into commercial music. Taylor performed at a number of local clubs as well as soloed in national commercial campaigns for United Airlines and Buick. She moved to Miami, Florida with her first husband in her early 20s. After she and her husband divorced, Taylor recorded her first album with Good Sounds Records of Criteria Studios. Her songs Dancin’ in My Feet, Lady Scorpion, All Through Me, and Some Love made Billboard and Record World charts. She returned to New York City and formed the Laura Taylor Trio to perform jazz music in famous hotels like the Plaza Hotel and The Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Taylor moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1983 to open for Don Rickles at the Desert Inn Hotel, which led to many years of performing in the Desert Inn’s Starlight Theater. She married her second and current husband, Robert Cox, in 1985 after meeting him at a concert. Taylor also enjoyed a number of jazz performances on public radio and at a number of venues across Las Vegas. Today, Laura Taylor is still active in the jazz world of Las Vegas, serving as a member of the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the Jazz Society. She also continues to write and perform jazz music, appearing at Smith Center for Performing Arts as well as releasing five CDs.
Mary Dale Deacon was born in El Paso, Texas, and grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Her father was a Presbyterian minister who had been called to Las Cruces before she was born. She and her older sister and younger brother loved to read and spent a great deal of time in the public library. They all attended grade school and high school in Las Cruces. Mary earned her undergraduate degree at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, and also took some graduate courses in history. When she transferred to the University of Denver to work on her librarian degree, she was able to use the history credits as her minor. After graduating, she interviewed for a position at the University of British Columbia, requesting government publications as her field of interest, and worked there for the next three years. During this time, she met and married a Canadian who was also a librarian. In 1969, Mary and her husband interviewed at the University of Arizona library, and her husband received a job offer. Mary became a research associate on a book which was published, and also had a research paper published. She was eventually hired as head of government documents at the university, and later took a position as assistant librarian in charge of public services. Mary was recommended for director of libraries at UNLV in 1982. She accepted the job, with all its many challenges, and worked there until she retired in 1992. During those ten years, she was responsible for increasing the book collection and the funding, changing to an integrated automated program, instigating staff development and developing new positions, and finally getting a new library as the number one building project for the university system.
Gordon Smith was born in Utah, but moved with his family to Babbitt, Nevada in 1947. His father, a barber, moved the family to Las Vegas in 1955. In this interview, Gordon recalls school and after-school pursuits; changes in the town; summer jobs; and college. He also talks about his military service and returning to Las Vegas to take up the razor himself - starting a successful barbering business of over 30 years.
Throughout this interview, Blaine shares stories of his father, Alvin Benedict. Al owned and operated Benedict and Remy Plumbing Business for a few years before entering into casino management. He is considered to be the first college educated executive and had an illustrious executive career at the MGM. He also was a co-founder with Susan and Irwin Molasky of Nathan Adelson Hospice.