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Alice Brumage oral history interview
Oral history interview with Alice Brumage conducted by Claytee D. White on January 30, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Brumage discusses her upbringing in Boulder City, Nevada and the construction of the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam). She remembers her father’s involvement in the construction of the Dam, her parent’s membership in the Boulder City Rifle and Pistol Club, and the growth of Boulder City.
Archival Collection
Elwood Schmidt oral history interview
Oral history interview with Elwood Schmidt conducted by Claytee D. White on and November 14, 2018 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Schmidt discusses his upbringing and early interest in medicine. He talks about working for the United States Public Health Service, interviewing Emergency Medical Service (EMS) ambulance drivers, and writing
Archival Collection
Pete Berger oral history interview
Oral history interview with Pete Berger conducted by David Schwartz on June 14, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Pete Berger discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955 after serving in the United States Air Force in California. He talks about his career working as a pit boss at over a dozen Las Vegas casinos , other positions he held, and the people he met throughout his career.
Archival Collection
Kenneth L. Berger oral history interview
Oral history interview with Kenneth L. Berger conducted by Claytee D. White on April 15, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Berger discusses his upbringing in St. Paul, Minnesota and his career in the United States Army. He remembers his employment with Edgerton, Germeshausen, and Grier (EG & G), flying aircrafts, and his initial interest in firearms. Lastly, Berger talks about becoming a member of the Boulder Rifle and Pistol Club in Boulder City, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez oral history interview
Oral history interview with Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez conducted by Rodrigo Vazquez and Barbara Tabach on June 16, 2021 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Laurents is a Las Vegas native, graduate of Clark High School, and son of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants. He is currently an English teacher at Rancho High School and was a former student worker on the Latinx Voices project.
Archival Collection
Barbara Jean Drew oral history interview
Oral history interview with Barbara Jean Drew conducted by Claytee D. White on May 17, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Barbara Drew is the Dean of the Academy for Ministers, teaches Bible study, and performs other spiritual work at New Jerusalem Worship Center. Drew migrated to Las Vegas from Fortune Fork, Louisiana, just two miles outside the city limits of Tallulah.
This interview covers life in the Black community beginning when Drew arrived in 1961. She spoke about the importance of businesses like the Brown Derby, Hamburger Heaven, and the Town Tavern that hosted jazz on Sunday afternoons with a dance floor that she enjoyed. She discussed her first job running American Linen, a Dry Cleaners owned by Phil Shapiro; Shapiro mentored Drew, teaching her about business operations, purchasing property for her family, bookkeeping, and the importance of having a bank account. She also spoke of a neighborhood where neighbors helped neighbors and opportunities that flourished throughout the Black community. Subjects discussed include: Jackson Ave, Town Tavern, New Jerusalem Worship Center, Kasper Park, Berkley Square, and Phil Shapiro.
Archival Collection
Asalee Harris oral history interview
Oral history interview with Asalee Harris conducted by Claytee D. White on May 17, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Asalee Harris was born in Fortune Fork, outside of Tallulah, Louisiana. Born into a family of cotton sharecroppers, farm life was arduous; eventually she and her family moved to Tallulah where she met and married her husband, James. Asalee and James moved to Las Vegas in 1954 where James' brother lived. She details her work as a maid and member of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, local businesses she remembers on Jackson Street including Wesley's Barber Shop, Johnson's Grocery Store, Elite Market, the Westside Credit Union, and her church work at New Jerusalem Church. Subjects discussed include: sharecropping, Tallulah, Louisiana, Westside Credit Union, and New Jerusalem Church.
Archival Collection
Lee White oral history interview
Oral history interview with Lee White conducted by Claytee D. White on May 18, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Lee White played professional football for the New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams, and San Diego Chargers. A promising career as a first round draft pick resulted in an injury in his first professional game. He retired from football at the age of 28 and moved back to Las Vegas where he had grown up on the Westside. Lee entered the hotel and casino industry as a dealer, retiring twenty-five years later as a Vice President of Casino Operations. His career in the tourism industry included work at the Sands, MGM, Desert Inn, and the Tropicana.
Subjects discussed include: Westside School, Weber State College, and the Sahara Hotel and Casino
Archival Collection
Dr. John Fildes oral history interviews
Oral history interviews with Dr. John Fildes conducted by Claytee D. White on June 10, 2021 and April 12, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Dr. John Fildes is Professor and Inaugural Chair of the Department of Surgery at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). Fildes graduated from the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery in Manila, Philippines in 1982. Upon returning to the United States, he completed his residency in General Surgery at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital in the South Bronx and a fellowship in Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care in Cook County. In 1995, Fildes was hired to come to Las Vegas, Nevada by Dr. Dale Harrison. Fildes instituted policies and procedures that proved to be effective when the 1 October shooting occured in 2017. All those alive upon arrival to University Medical Center (UMC) survived. Dr. Fildes and his team used all their skills, strategies, and medical acumen to ensure those results. In the second interview, Dr. Fildes continues his history by shared thoughts about the COVID-19 pandemic and his experiences with various governmental and military assignments, including the military tradition of passing the challenge coins as a token of admiration. Finally, Fildes concludes his interviews by noting that COVID was all-consuming and tested the balance between individual rights and public health.
Archival Collection
Juliana Urtubey oral history interview
Oral history interview with Juliana Urtubey conducted by Nathalie Martinez and Barbara Tabach on May 24, 2021 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Born in Colombia, Julia was able to immigrate with her family to the United States when she was six years old. The family lived in Chicago, Illinois and later in Phoenix, Arizona. Juliana moved to Las Vegas in 2013 and taught learners with special education needs at the elementary level. In 2021, she was named the National Teacher of the Year, the first Latina and the only Nevadan to ever hold the distinction. Juliana personally received the award from Dr. Jill Biden.
Subjects discussed include: Colombia, Chicago, Illinois, National Teacher of the Year, and bilingual education.
Archival Collection