Oral history interview with Rosemary Tall Dehart conducted by Brigid Kelly on November 14, 2002 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Dehart opens her interview by discussing her upbringing in Wellingborough, England. She goes on to describe her dance career and receiving an offer to become a member of the Bluebell Girls dance troupe. Dehart talks about performing in Paris, France for shows and movie dance segments. She then discusses traveling from Paris to Las Vegas, Nevada to perform at the Stardust Hotel. Dehart describes the treatment of different types of entertainers and the choreography style of Donn Arden. She then discusses returning to the Stardust later in life to work as a roulette dealer. Dehart ends her interview with a discussion of advice for young dancers and why she chose to settle in Las Vegas.
Oral history interview with Winnie Prince conducted by Irene Rostine on May 18, 1995 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Prince opens her interview by discussing her history in Las Vegas, Nevada, which began when she moved to the city in 1942. Prince describes her husband's experiences living in a Las Vegas tent city, and her life in St. George, Utah prior to her move to Las Vegas. She also talks about her brief employment at the Basic Magnesium plant just before the end of World War II. Prince discusses her job responsibilities at the plant, and the importance of accuracy in her job as a shell casting inspector. Lastly, she describes her husband's job as a guard at the Basic Magnesium plant and the ways rationing affected daily life, including commuting to work and feeding her family.
Oral history interviews with Liliam Lujan Hickey conducted by Layne Karafantis on March 18, 2010 and March 25, 2010 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Hickey begins her interviews describing growing up in Havana, Cuba in the 1930s, getting married at 16, and her life with her family in Cuba until they felt compelled to leave in 1960 to the United States. Hickey recounts her transition to American culture and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1964. She then discusses marrying her second husband, Tom Hickey, and her campaign for the Nevada Board of Education. Hickey also talks about a Hispanic community organization she helped created, Circulo Cuban, which eventually merged into the Latin Chamber of Commerce. Finally, she discusses how the organization promotes Hispanic culture, and her work to improve education in Las Vegas, and other community activism.
Interview with Anna Bailey conducted by Claytee D. White on March 3, 1997. Arriving in Las Vegas in 1955 to perform as a dancer for the opening of the Moulin Rouge, Bailey also starred in traveling shows nationally and in Europe. Returning to Las Vegas, she became the first African American to dance in a house chorus line on the Strip. Later she became one of the first black women in Nevada to hold a gaming license, owning and operating several small nightclubs.
Oral history interview with Alice Ward Boyer conducted by Joanne Goodwin on June 26, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Boyer opens her interview discussing her family and their life in Oklahoma from the 1910s to 1930s. Boyer then describes how she and her husband moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1937 to escape the dustbowl in the Midwest. She discusses adjusting to life in Las Vegas and what the city was like during wartime. She then talks about joining the Mesquite Club in 1944. Boyer explains the club's activities, many of which were integral to building the town of early Las Vegas, and prominent club members. Boyer describes the various roles she held in the club, including president from 1958 to 1959.
Oral history interview with Mary M. Gafford conducted by Claytee D. White on September 24, 2021 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
Mary Gafford discusses her 30 year teaching career for the Clark County School District (CCSD) and her community service projects working with organizations such as the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the Mayflower Society, the Nevada Statehood Sesquicentennial, and the Nevada Women's History Project.
An American Association of University Women (A.A.U.W.) deposit of oral history tapes to Special Collections. From left to right, the women pictured include Connie Degernes, Helen Littleton, Marilyn Swanson, and Susan Anderl.