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Evolution of a Black Community in Las Vegas: 1905 - 1940
Essay by Roosevelt Fitzgerald exploring the history of the black community in Las Vegas from its founding in 1905 through the 1930s.
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Essay, A Demographic Impact of Basic Magnesium on Southern Nevada, by Roosevelt Fitzgerald, May 12, 1982
Essay by Roosevelt Fitzgerald focusing on demographic changes in southern Nevada from 1940-1945 and the war industry's effect on black employment, particularly the impact of Basic Magnesium, dated 1982.
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Mildred Nay Turner oral history interviews
Oral history interviews with Mildred Nay Turner conducted by Terry Roberterson and Joanne Goodwin on December 05, 1999 and May 08, 2000 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) on behalf of the Tule Springs Preservation Committee. Turner opens her interview discussing her birth at Tule Springs in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1924. Turner goes on to describe her family's migration history and the establishment of her family's ranch at Tule Springs. Lastly, Turner discusses other families that settled the area around the same time, children's activities, and women's social activities.
Archival Collection
Shelley Berkley oral history interview
Oral history interview with Shelley Berkley conducted by Barbara Tabach on February 13, 2015 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In this interview, Berkley shares her family history, from her great-grandparents’ immigration to the United States to her immediate family’s migration from New York to Las Vegas, Nevada. She reflects upon her childhood experience in Las Vegas, including her varied leadership positions with Jewish organizations as well as at school, from junior high school through college. Berkley also talks about her involvement as an adult within the Jewish community and more broadly as a public servant, in all levels of government.
Archival Collection
Wilma and Burt Bass oral history interview
Oral history interview with Wilma and Burt Bass conducted by Barbara Tabach on February 09, 2015 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In this interview, Burt Bass discusses his photography business, the migration of its storefront around town, and his colorful landlords. Wilma Bass talks about her sales career in the local jewelry industry, and more extensively, she shares memories of her involvement in the Jewish community with theater productions. The couple also shares stories of friendships with local entertainers, including Jerry Lewis and Neil Sedaka.
Archival Collection
José Luis Gutiérrez oral history interview
Oral history interview with José Luis Gutiérrez conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón and Barbara Tabach on October 1, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Also present during this interview is José’s close friend Sergio Salgado, who was interviewed separately for the Latinx Voices project in 2018.
José discusses his early life growing up in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and his migration to Tijuana and then Santa Barbara, California as a teenager. He talks about his restaurant employment history both in California and in Las Vegas, including his time working at the Jolly Parrot, the Dunes Hotel and Casino, and his own eatery: Tortilleria Los Arcos.
Subjects discussed include: Tortilleria Los Arcos; Club Social Mexicano.
Archival Collection
James A. Gay III interview, 1973: transcript
Interview with James A. Gay III conducted by Joyce M. Wright in 1973. Edited by Elizabeth Nelson Patrick, and transcribed for the project "Black Experience in Southern Nevada, Donated Tapes Collection," James R. Dickinson Library, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, December 1978. Arriving in 1946 from Fordyce, Arkansas, Gay became the first African-American mortician in Las Vegas. He later worked as Assistant Manager of the Sands Hotel and Casino and Union Plaza while serving as an executive board member of the Culinary Union. Instrumental in the Las Vegas community, Gay worked to improved race relations, addressing social, economic, and civic issues. Gay was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1988.
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Thomas, Sonny
Sandy C. Thomas is better known as Sonny. Sonny Thomas was born in Fordyce, Arkansas on Feburary 6, 1940. In 1959, Sonny arrived in Las Vegas looking for the promised employment opportunities. His first job was as a bus boy at El Rancho. Over the course of the next thirty years, he moved from one job to another, each time gaining more responsibility. His last hotel role was as shipping and receiving manager at the MGM. While working at the MGM, Sonny finally secured a part-time second job with Davis Funeral Home.
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