On February 27, 1979, Cindy Gaylor interviewed engineering aid accountant, Laura Kelly (born December 31st, 1928 in Silverton, Colorado) in her home in Boulder City, Nevada. The two discuss Kelly’s reasons for moving, as well as her early life in Boulder City. They also discuss Nellis Air Force Base, as well as local politics. The interview concludes with a discussion of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Southern Nevada, during the Great Depression.
On March 19, 1978, Marcela Yepes interviewed Richard Erbe (born 1922 in El Monte, California) about his experiences in Las Vegas, Nevada and specifically about his career in education. Erbe first talks about his family background and German ancestry before describing how he ended up moving to Nevada. He then describes his wife’s father’s background in the gaming industry and some of the early illicit casinos that existed in California. The interview shifts to Erbe’s educational background, his first teaching position as a fifth grade teacher, his experience in the military, and his reasoning for not seeking employment in the gaming industry. The two also discuss church activity, politics, and social activities in Las Vegas. The latter part of the interview includes Erbe’s viewpoints on the issues in the educational system, his experiences as a principal at multiple Clark County schools, and some of the challenges he encountered in the administrative side in the field of education.
Twenty years after her birth in Utah in 1924, Marie Horseley met and married her husband who was an engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad. They settled in Las Vegas, his home town and soon purchased a home for $9800 in the new John S. Park neighborhood. Sixty years later Marie, twice a widow, remains in the home. Up the street four doors, one of her granddaughters lives with her three children. Marie recalls the new housing development that appealed to railroad workers. The roads were dirt and there were no streetlights, but soon a community blossomed. Marie is a self-described quiet resident; her life was about raising her three daughters and being a member of the LDS church. However, she knew everyone on her street no matter their religious affiliation. Today the businesses are gone. Homes have changed appearances over the years as owners have changed. Ethnic diversity is apparent and the sense of community closeness has slipped away for her. Yet she loves her place there, feels safe and secure. When asked about the ides of John S. Park being designated a historic district, she is not all that wowed by the idea of restrictions that might be included in that. Nevertheless, she has no intention of relocating from the comfort of the place she has called home all these years.
Oral history interview with Nick Robone conducted by Claytee D. White and Barbara Tabach on December 21, 2017 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Nick Robone, born and raised in Nevada, details his process of healing after being shot during the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival. He discusses the events of that Sunday night and how he has learned to view life in a more positive light. Robone mentions various coping mechanisms that have helped him, including being open about his experience and talking about it with other survivors as well as pursuing his passions.