On February 14, 1979, Concepcion Fernandez interviewed Rosamond McDougal (born in Texas) about her life as a teacher in Las Vegas. McDougal speaks primarily about her time as a teacher in the Clark County School District, her unique class setup and the district’s changes. Moreover, McDougal speaks about the growing number of students and teachers, the superintendent’s role in bond issues, the courses offered, racial integration in the school district (and the casinos), and the building of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. McDougal gives personal anecdotes about her family, her husband’s job at the Atomic Test Site and her time as an organ player in churches around the city. Lastly, she talks about recreational activities, Helldorado, the casinos and department stores.
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On February 27, 1979, collector Greg Abbott interviewed Hildred Meidell (b. March 17, 1900 in Webb City, Missouri) about her time living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Meidell covers a range of topics, from her and her husband’s time as tourists in the city and their subsequent retirement to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, California. Meidell describes the Las Vegas Strip, the interstate and highway conditions between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, as well as their numerous visits to Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam). Moreover, she speaks about the changing layout of the city, the increase in shopping centers and department stores, and the clothing stores inside of hotels. Lastly, Meidell talks about the prominence of churches in local communities, the atomic testing program and the structural damages these tests caused in her neighborhood, and the influence of the railroad and passenger train on the town.
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On April 12, 1977, collector Mark French interviewed Nanyu Tomiyasu (born May 28th, 1918 in Las Vegas, Nevada) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In this interview, Nanyu Tomiyasu discusses growing up and working on his father’s (Bill Yonema Tomiyasu) farm in Las Vegas, Nevada. He also discusses how his father came to Las Vegas and being one of the few Japanese families in Las Vegas as a child.
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On February 8, 1977, Mark Lucas interviewed Edmund “Ed” Fleming (born 1915 in Virginia, Minnesota) about his experience in Southern Nevada. Fleming first talks about his moves to and from Nevada before describing the mining practices within the small towns in Southern Nevada. He also talks about his experience as a teacher in Pahrump and Goodsprings and his eventual move to Las Vegas, where he continued in the educational field. Fleming also talks about religion, transportation, funding for education, inflation, and cultural arts as they all relate to Las Vegas.
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On March 17, 1981, Niki Rodriguez interviewed Kathleen Bryan Gaston (born 1949 in Las Vegas, Nevada) about her experience living in Southern Nevada. Gaston first talks about her father who moved to Las Vegas and eventually became a justice of the peace, and she also describes how her parents eventually moved to Las Vegas. Gaston later describes how Las Vegas looked as she was growing up and how it has developed since, specifically mentioning the schools she attended and the growth of the Las Vegas Strip.
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On February 7, 1976, collector, Marc Hechter interviewed Herbert and Erma Holtam in the collector’s home in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview covers the history of the early Las Vegas Valley area. The discussion includes an in-depth overview of the Helldorado Parade and Helldorado Village. The building of the hotels on the Strip, homesteading, and local housing developments, are also discussed.
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On March 4, 1981, collector Marlene L. Larson interviewed Chester Albert Hodson, Jr. (born December 21st, 1948 in Las Vegas, Nevada) at the Sizzler restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada. In this interview, Mr. Hodson speaks about working in the restaurant industry in Las Vegas, as well as his father’s experience working in the industry. He also talks about living in Las Vegas and the changes he has seen throughout his life.
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Kim Krantz arrived in Las Vegas in 1953. She came as a seasoned performer having danced in large productions in Chicago, Montreal, New York and Florida. Born Delores Kalcowski in Jersey City, New Jersey, she adopted the name Kim Perrin while working at New York’s Latin Quarter. She had always loved the West and jumped at the chance to take the Latin Quarter show from New York City to Las Vegas. She came for a two-week engagement at the Desert Inn Hotel. The show was held over at that property for three months, and then it moved to the Riviera Hotel and Casino. Bill Miller approached her to join a new production at the Dunes Hotel. He and Harold Minsky were preparing “Minsky’s Burlesque,” the first show to use women born in the United States in a nude show. She opened with the original cast and stayed for two years. Kim retired in 1957 after she married Danny Krantz, the Food and Beverage Manager for the Flamingo Hotel. She raised four children in Las Vegas, but never lost touch with th
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On March 2, 1977, collector Connie Boich interviewed Betty (born March 31, 1919 in Bisbee, Arizona) and Gus Ciliax (born May 13, 1909 in Michigan) in the Ciliax home in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview covers Southern Nevada and early development of the area. During the interview, they also discussed local recreation, prostitution, Block 16, and various social activities, in addition to local businesses, such as Six Companies, the economy, Boulder Dam, and education in Nevada.
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On March 6, 1981, Mark Milford interviewed Owen Earl Cox (born 1909 in Bunkerville, Nevada) about his experiences growing up in and working in Nevada. Cox first talks about his early moves to and from Nevada and his work in road construction in the 1930s. He then discusses his work of machinery at the Basic Magnesium Plant and some of his experiences during that time. Cox also talks about his family, the Mormon Church, the growth of population, and the increase in tourism. He later describes managing a store he owned known as Vegas Village and the types and prices of the products that were sold there. The end of the interview involves a discussion of crime, Cox’s hobby of cattle ranching, and his views on the growth of Las Vegas.
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