Oral history interviews with Sally MacEachern conducted by Dennis McBride on February 24 and March 11, 2002 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. MacEachern opens her interview discussing her birth and upbringing with her twin sister in Wisconsin during the 1940s. She then describes her family history, her life as a twin, and what it was like to be part of a military family. MacEachern then talks about her first lesbian sexual encounters and meeting other lesbians for the first time. She discusses joining the military and efforts within the organization to remove lesbians from the service that eventually lead to her termination. MacEachern then recalls going to college in the 1960s, meeting other lesbians, and moving in with her first girlfriend. She describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada for graduate school, joining the gay community, and frequenting local gay businesses including Maxine's and Camp David. She then discusses the lesbian separatists movement, the different struggles gay men face compared to lesbian women, and the local community response to the AIDS crisis.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Tony Grasso and Doug Charles conducted by Coleen Seifert on February 29, 1980 and March 01, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Grasso first provides details on his background and how he ended up moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1951 before talking about his experience as a dealer in some of the early casinos. Grasso then talks about issues and controversies related to the gaming unions, the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and his then-current work at the Aladdin casino. Doug Charles discusses his career in the gaming industry. Charles also talks about his family background, his arrival to Las Vegas in 1957, and the early development of the various gaming properties in Las Vegas. He later goes into detail over some of his experiences as a dealer, his opinions on mob control over gaming, and some of the political and legal issues that have arisen in Las Vegas gaming.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sarah Serna conducted by Dennis McBride on December 04, 1998 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. Serna opens her interview by discussing her move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1993, and her first assignment as a Methodist minister to a small congregation in North Las Vegas. Serna then explains how she became involved in LGBT social justice issues after witnessing expressions of homophobia and prejudice within her church. She discusses her involvement with the Las Vegas LGBT community and the development of a pastoral care outreach program, the development of the World AIDS Day prayer vigil, and the foundation of the Community Counseling Center, later renamed Lighthouse Ministry. Serna then talks about her decision to transition from the Methodist Church to the Episcopalian Church and becoming the first Episcopalian priest in Las Vegas to bless same-sex marriages. She also discusses the development of a transitional housing program, changes in the LGBT community in Las Vegas, and many individuals involved in LGBT social justice programs in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with J. A. Tiberti conducted by Claytee D. White on August 17, 2000 and August 24, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Tiberti begins by discussing his family history and his upbringing in the mining town of Morley, Colorado, and later in Detroit, Michigan. He describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1941, where he worked for the United States Corps of Engineers on the construction of Nellis Air Force Base and later established his construction company, J. A. Tiberti Construction Company. Tiberti talks about being a member of the City of Las Vegas Planning Commission, the duties and responsibilities that came with being on the Planning Commission, and describes how a construction company is run. He also discusses his wife, children, and how Las Vegas has changed and grown since the 1940s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Charles Guy conducted by Dennis McBride on various dates in April and May of 1995 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. Guy begins by talking about his birth in Brazil, Indiana, his early work selling Civilian Conservation Corps magazine subscriptions, and his travels across the United States before arriving in Boulder City, Nevada in 1938. Next, Guy recalls his early memories of Boulder City, the Las Vegas Wash, and his work at the Boulder Beach campgrounds at Lake Mead Recreation Area and in Overton, Nevada. Guy also discusses the campgrounds' working conditions, entertainment, access to amenities, and work associates. Afterwards, Guy talks about his time as a railroad worker in Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, Block 16 in Las Vegas, Las Vegas entertainers, working as a volunteer fire fighter, and anecdotes about people in his personal life.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Sig Rogich conducted by Linda McSweeney on September 30, 2014 and November 07, 2014 and by Claytee D. White on May 24, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Rogich opens his interview by briefly discussing his Icelandic background and his family's move to Henderson, Nevada in 1954. He then discusses doing odd jobs as a child and his life as a youth in Henderson. He talks about his college education and working at the Lake Tahoe Hotel after college. Rogich then discusses getting into political campaign management, and how Las Vegas, Nevada has changed over time. In his second interview, Rogich describes his efforts to improve the community through the Academic Foundation, an organization he founded, and their various campaign initiatives including preserving Lake Tahoe and supporting Opportunity Village. In the third interview, Rogich discusses his background in politics, as well as his efforts to give back to the Las Vegas community. He has served on executive and advisory boards for Opportunity Village, Public Education Foundation, Board of Trustees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and Board of Governors of Valley Health System, to name a few. He closes the interview with recalling his proudest moment in 2000 when the Sig Rogich Middle School opened in Summerlin.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lloyd Bell (born 1925 in Los Angeles) conducted by Joseph Butner on September 18, 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lloyd discusses the challenges of policing Las Vegas, Nevada where the population includes both permanent residents and tourists, and he mentions the issue of drug and narcotics addiction in the city as it relates to crime. Lloyd then talks about the development and growth of Las Vegas, as well as the environmental and social changes in the city. The interview then shifts to a discussion on the significance of legal gambling in Las Vegas, which then moves to a related discussion on the existence of organized crime in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gene Collins conducted by Claytee White on August 31, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Gene Collins speaks about how his family lived in West Las Vegas, Nevada, which at the time was a thriving community where African Americans owned their own businesses. Gene talked about how the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. led to a riot and how it inspired him to run for state assemblyman where he was instrumental in getting the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday bill to pass. He spoke about his time as the president of the Las Vegas National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) where he addressed the lack of African Americans in the gaming industry in addition to filing the largest equal employment opportunity commission suit filed in the state of Nevada against the Mirage Hotel and Casino.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Rachel Coleman conducted by Claytee White on July 24, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Rachel Coleman discusses her move to Las Vegas, Nevada and her first job in town, washing glasses at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino. She continues speaking about her work experience including how she was promoted to executive housekeeper at the Hacienda Resort Hotel and Casino in 1969. She then talks about how she became a representative for the Culinary Union Local 226 in 1973, how she became department head of the Union in 1981, and her experience running for Union president in 1987. Finally, Coleman recalls the atmosphere of Las Vegas from the 1960s through the 1980s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with D. D. (Ethel Dolores) Cotton conducted by Claytee White on February 14, 1997 and March 21, 1997 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. In this interview, Cotton discusses the beginnings of her dance career in New York City, New York. Later in the interview, Cotton discusses working in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Cotton Club and her interactions with other African American entertainers. Cotton also discusses race relations and her experiences as an African American dancer in Las Vegas. Cotton later goes on to discuss her career change in the service industry.
Archival Collection