Oral history interview with Harold Wadman conducted by Dennis McBride on December 21, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. In this short interview, Wadman talks about running away from his childhood home in Ogden, Utah at the age of thirteen. He explains how he hitchhiked to Nevada, bypassing Las Vegas and reaching Boulder City, Nevada in the middle of the night. He explains how he worked odd jobs before a brief employment at the dam site as a waterboy; possibly the youngest person to work on the dam.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ruth Poirier conducted by Joanne Goodwin on February 05, 2003 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Poirier opens her interview by discussing her partner Doris Pressler, who had passed away before the interview. She describes Doris' upbringing, her role in the first band at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, and explains how an all-women band in the 1930s and 1940s was a phenomenon. Poirier then discusses her own history, including how she became involved in music and all-women bands, and how she met Doris. Poirier describes in detail the importance of music to her family, the types of music she played, and what it was like to be a musician during the Depression. She talks about her relationship with Doris and recalls early interactions with other gay youths. Poirer ends her interview explaining why she and Doris decided to settle in Las Vegas, Nevada, and describes their impressions and involvement with the local LGBTQ+ community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Vernon S. Caples conducted by Cheryl Caples on February 25, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Vernon S. Caples (born August 7th, 1891 in St. Johns, Oregon) discusses the history of Las Vegas, Nevada. Vernon describes what Las Vegas was like in the early days, from the Red Light District to the Nellis Air Force Base. He also mentions the implementation of a government program that was set in place to aid senior citizens living in Las Vegas.
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Oral history interview with Timothy Harney conducted by Sherrae Chesmore on February 26, 2006 for the Public School Principalship Oral History project. In his interview Harney discusses his experiences as public school teacher and principal in Southern Nevada. He also talks about what a typical day for a principal is like and what the expectation of teachers and principals are.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jeff McBride conducted by Claytee D. White on November 27, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, McBride discusses his early life and arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1985. He talks about the benefits of magician performers in Las Vegas entertainment, prominent magicians in the city, and the importance of magic.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Laura Sussman conducted by Barbara Tabach and Claytee D. White on March 15, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Laura Sussman, co-owner of Kraft-Sussman Funeral & Cremation Services, discusses the funeral home's role during the aftermath of the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas, Nevada mass shooting. She talks about the collaborated efforts of the funeral home and the coroner's office to care for the deceased, giving some details on the role of a coroner and the specific cases the funeral home was in charge of. Along with the victims, she discusses the potential cremation they were asked to do of the shooter. Throughout the interview, Sussman emphasizes the funeral home's goal of providing support to the families of the deceased.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gloria Dixon conducted by Claytee D. White on May 2, 2022 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: A Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Dixon recalls her childhood growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dixon attended St. Christopher and Bishop Gorman High School, and recalls her parents' involvement in the New Jerusalem Church. Dixon discusses writing grants to help with community education programs, and using her experience as a hospice nurse for the last thirty years to help communicate information about public health crises. Throughout the interview, Dixon shares information about the businesses in the Las Vegas Black community on Jackson Street.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Cathrine Abrigo conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on July 20, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Abrigo describes her early life in the Philippines, where she attended Catholic school and briefly studied medical technology in college. She describes immigrating to Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband and the difficulty of leaving her immediate family behind. She discusses working for the Cosmopolitan in 2011 and becoming deeply involved with the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Throughout the interview, Abrigo talks about religion, food, and her activism with the Culinary Union.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Marguerite Segretti conducted by Tommy Rendano on February 24, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Segretti discusses her personal history and life in Las Vegas, Nevada. Segretti discusses her career as the Clark County Democratic Central Committee Chairman, a position which she was serving in at the time of the interview, and politics on the local and national level. Segretti describes how Las Vegas has changed and expanded, life in Las Vegas, and the presence of religion in Las Vegas. Segretti also discusses sex work and prostitution in Las Vegas and the rest of Nevada, as well as misconceptions people have about the city.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Michael Bryant conducted by Claytee D. White on August 05, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Bryant details life in the Westside community of Las Vegas, Nevada, his personal history, and life as an African American in Las Vegas. He describes his upbringing in Las Vegas, his father's high-end clothing store, and race relations between the African American and white communities of the city. Bryant also discusses casinos and other Las Vegas attractions, such as the presence of famous celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Muhammad Ali, as well as discussing the development of the Westside community. Julia Walton was also present for this interview.
Archival Collection
