Oral history interviews with Essie Shelton Jacobs conducted by Claytee White on February 01, 1996 and April 16, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Jacobs begins her interview discussing her immediate family and siblings in detail, and how they influenced her to move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1963. Jacobs goes on to discuss finding work in Las Vegas and her job as a housekeeper at the Aladdin Hotel, where she and eventually became a supervisor. Jacobs discusses her experience at the Aladdin including the Culinary Union, gender discrimination, employment for African Americans, and encounters with celebrities. Jacobs goes on to describe the the Culinary Union Local 226 in more detail, discussing membership, strikes, and race relations.
Archival Collection
The Thomas Clark Professional Papers (1950-1998) contain materials from his tenure as a Professor of English at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), which are divided into two series. The gaming research series includes newspaper clippings, correspondence, brochures, bulletins and articles. Also included are book chapters, a glossary of terms used in the casino industry, and gambling guides. In the linguistics and teaching series there are research files, articles, speeches, correspondence, interviews, multimedia, workshops, and conference materials. Also included are files on graffiti, symbolism, ethnic and regional speech differences, language usage, and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) material. Additional materials include colleague publications and cassette tapes of interviews from students in courses Clark taught at UNLV.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Michael Arage conducted by Dalton DuPré on November 12, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Michael Arage discusses his upbringing in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ontario, Canada with his sister and his Filipino-Palestinian heritage. He talks about how his parents immigrated to the United States, his life and education in Toronto, and his relocation to Los Angeles, California where he married his wife. Michael Arage shares how the couple moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2012 when his wife started a job at Zappos. Because he lacked a work visa, Michael Arage began playing poker and working in sports betting. In 2019, he founded a community organization to support the people of Palestine, called Nevadans for Palestinian Human Rights. Michael Arage talks about his activism efforts, anti-Arab racism, his cultural upbringing, and of Filipino and Arabic foods and customs. He also shares his views of living in Las Vegas, the difficulties of raising a child away from her cousins, and differing governmental policies and healthcare between Canada and the United States.
Archival Collection
The Eric A. Jamieson Photographs contain photographic slides of the Western United States' Intermountain region from 1955 to 1983. The bulk of the images are of the region's physical and urban landscapes and include Las Vegas, Nevada, the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street, Nevada mining towns, Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston, Valley of Fire, Lake Mead, and Death Valley.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Claudine Williams conducted by Joanne Goodwin on November 20, 1997 and November 09, 2005 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Goodwin begins the interview by discussing growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana, and how she supported her single mother. She goes on to describe her education and early jobs in restaurants and newsstands in Texas. Goodman then talks about meeting her husband, Shelby Williams, and how she became involved in the gaming industry, including her work with Benny Binion in Dallas, Texas and Jake Freidman in Houston, Texas. She describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1963, and how she and Shelby developed the Silver Slipper Casino, which was sold to Howard Hughes, and Holiday Casino, which eventually became Harrah's Hotel and Casino. Williams also speaks about her community involvement, including philanthropic efforts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Catherine Gullo (C.G.) Bellver conducted by Caryll Batt Dziedziak on November 13, 1995, November 20, 1995, and December 04, 1995 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Bellver begins her interviews by discussing gender roles within her family and extended family, and how those shaped her early life and education. Bellver then discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada and her career at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where she began as a Spanish professor. Bellver then talks about her involvement in starting and maintaining a Women's Studies Program at the UNLV. Bellver discusses the initial steps she took to create the department, the original curriculum, and student reception of the courses. Later, Bellver talks about the successes and challenges of the Women's Studies program several years after it's establishment.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Alma Whitney conducted by Claytee D. White on March 03, 1996 and May 28, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Whitney opens the interview by talking about her life in Tallulah, Louisiana. She discusses race relations in Tallulah and how she traveled from Tallulah to Las Vegas, Nevada. Whitney describes her first job as a maid at the Desert Moon Motel, and her move later to the Desert Inn Hotel. Whitney discusses her career of over 30 years at the Desert Inn along with her promotion from maid to supervisor. Whitney also describes a time when Desert Inn employees went on strike for three weeks.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Vernon Bostick conducted by Robert McCracken on January 19-20, 2000 and February 04, 2000 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Bostick opens his interviews by discussing his family history and upbringing in a company-owned town in Colorado. Bostick talks extensively about his life in Colorado, his interest in nature, and working on his family ranch. He then describes his forestry management job for the state of Washington. Bostick discusses how his work eventually took him out West, and why he opened a consulting firm to facilitate relations between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and ranchers. He then talks about how his son's success working at the Nevada Test Site convinced him to take a job there in the 1960s. Bostick then discusses a variety of environmental issues and law specific to Las Vegas, Nevada. Bostick ends his interview discussing his opinions about environmental legislation and management.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Toni Clark conducted by Joanne L. Goodwin on July 02, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Clark opens her interview describing her childhood in Seattle, Washington. Clark then discusses moving to San Diego, California in 1941 and becoming a waitress at the Monte Carlo bar and restaurant. Clark then discusses how war rationing affected daily life and the nightclub industry. Clark then talks about marrying Wilbur Clark, moving with him to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1944, and the history of the El Rancho Vegas. Clark discusses the opening of the Monte Carlo Club, living in Las Vegas in the 1950s, and the opening of the Desert Inn Hotel. Clark goes on to describe the management of the Desert Inn, the food, and lounges. Clark then mentions the celebrities she has met and entertained, and the opening of the Flamingo Hotel.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Marge Conley conducted by Claytee White on May 06, 1998 and July 09, 1998 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Conley opens her interviews discussing her childhood in Chicago, Illinois during the Great Depression including her experience working at a young age to help her family. She discusses her experiences with unions throughout the country and using her union traveling card to transfer from Chicago to Las Vegas, Nevada. Conely talks about her career as a server at the Desert Inn and Caesars Palace including topics about staffing, wages, and working conditions. She describes her association with the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, how strikes were organized, and the union's efforts to improve others' lives. She also talks about how the local Culinary Union helped promote women and African Americans into leadership positions. Conley ends her interview discussing the importance of unions and the need to continue them in the future.
Archival Collection
