Oral history interview with Nancy Siegert Shepherd conducted by Claytee D. White on October 22, 2024 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Shepherd recalls growing up in Illinois with her family and attending Catholic mass services. Shepherd attended Northwestern University where she met her current husband during her freshman year and married after graduation. She recalls relocating several times with her husband to accommodate her husband John's beginning medical practice in ophthalmology. She remembers one city where they lived, Anniston, Alabama, where Shepherd faced segregation including separate drinking fountains, waiting rooms, and bathrooms. Las Vegas, Nevada was the family's last stop in 1968. Shepherd describes her various civic engagements and social organizations, including work related to Spring Mountain State Park, the Junior League of Las Vegas, Medical Wives, Great Basin National Park Foundation, St. Viator's School Board, and the Boys and Girls Club. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Archival Collection
Merald “Bubba” Knight Jr. was proudly born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. A longstanding member of Gladys Knight and the Pips, Bubba has been performing since he was ten years old. Bubba’s wife Kathleen also joins the interview, retelling her early life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Oral history interview with Merald "Bubba" Knight Jr. and Kathleen Knight conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on October 24 and November 13, 2025 for the American Americans in Las Vegas: A Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Bubba, a longstanding member of Gladys Knight and the Pips, recalls his childhood in Atlanta, Georgia. His wife, Kathleen, recalls her early like in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Together, they tell the story of Bubba's life from early childhood, to peak Gladys Knight and the Pips fame, raising children, and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. Bubba shares stories about various musicians including BB King, Ray Charles, James Brown, and Fats Domino.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Nicole Garcia-Contreras conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on June 24, 2025 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Garcia-Contreras recalls what it was like growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada with her parents, who immigrated from Mexico in the 1990s. She attended Silverado High School, serving on student council and playing in the marching band. After graduating in 2022 with high honors, she enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) as a political science major. Garcia-Contreras also is a volunteer for the Latino Youth Leadership Conference (LYLC), where she realized she wanted to focus more on communications and eventually switched her major. She describes getting involved with the Harvard Ambassador program and the LEAD (Latina Empowerment and Development) conference, even attending the HACU (Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities) conference. Now entering her senior year, Nicole wants to focus on building the Harvard Ambassador program at UNLV, and graduating with her communications degree.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joan Clow conducted by Joyce Moore on October 23, 2003 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Clow opens her interview describing her family and upbringing in Nebraska. she then explains how her and her husband's jobs with the Buraeu of Reclamation lead to their move to Boulder City, Nevada in 1977. Clow then explains her husband's job, Head of the materials lab, and her own job, as an assistant to various directors. She recalls revising drafts for environmental impact statements and how the improvements were meant to protect various wildlife. She also discuses travel related to her work and her membership on the Boulder City Hospital Board after her retirement. Clow goes on to talk about her other charity work with organizations including the Philosophical, Educational Organization. Lastly, Clow comments on the changes she has seen in Boulder City over her 26 year residency, she also explains some of the housing construction ordinances of the city.
Archival Collection
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On March 1, 1981, Barbara Guzman interviewed her father, Alfred “Al” Guzman (born 1932 in El Paso, Texas) about his life in Southern Nevada. Guzman first talks about his occupational history, including his then-current career in public relations for the Sands Hotel and Casino. He then talks about Las Vegas, including social changes, changes in the gaming industry, and mob influence in the casinos. He also talks about Reno, how his job affects the public, and the MX Missile system.
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From the Roosevelt Fitzgerald Professional Papers (MS-01082) -- Drafts for the Las Vegas Sentinel Voice file. On a different future for Black veterans as opposed white counterparts.
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