Oral History Interviews
Total records in this collection: 4056Print version of all records
| Narrator | Collection # | Date | Project | Content | Transcript | Tapes |
| Wright, Kitty | OH-02568 | 2004 January 25 | Las Vegas Gay Archives Oral History Project | Interviewed by Dennis McBride | no | 2 |
| Wright, Lonnie | OH-02029 | 10/23/2009 | Boyer Las Vegas Historic Project | CT247 .W75 2007 Lonnie Wright played basketball for Coach Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV in the eraly 70s. He started as a dealer in Strip casinos when he was almost the only African American dealer, he has coached basketball in Singapore, owned his own businesses, and taught culinary courses at the community college | yes | 0 |
| Wright, Lucille | OH-02030 | 02/23/1979 | Local Oral History Project-Roske | Las Vegas history | no | 1 |
| Wright, Samuel E. | OH-02031 | 10/08/2010 | Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project | CT247 .W753 2007 Samuel Wright was raised in Washington, D.C., and worked in public transportation in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He worked for the RTC for 26 years. He and his friend architect Bob Fielden started a non-profit organization called PlaceMakers | yes | 0 |
| Wright, Tom | OH-02032 | 12/14/2005 | UNLV | UNLV,History professor at UNLV;CT247 .W754 2012 | no | 1 |
| Wright, William | OH-02033 | 02/26/1979 | Local Oral History Project-Roske | Las Vegas history | yes | 1 |
| Wuehle, Tony | OH-02034 | 12/21/2006 | Gaming | no | 1 | |
| Wyman, Richard V, | OH-02035 | 03/01/2006 | UNLV @ Fifty Oral History Project | LD3745.W85 2007 Dr. Richard V. Wyman is an engineering geologist who built tunnels at the Nevada Test Site. He taught engineering at UNLV, was chair of Science and Engineering, and helped the engineering college apply for accreditation with the ABET | yes | 0 |
| Wynette, Tammy | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment | no | 1 | ||
| Wynn, Elaine | OH-02244 | 1/28/2010 | Jay Sarno Project | Gaming; Interviewer: David Schwartz | yes | 0 |
| Wynn, Steve | OH-02036 | 12/08/2006 | Gaming | yes | 3 | |
| Wynn, Steve | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment | no | 1 | ||
| Yarchever, Edythe Katz | OH-02038 | 2000-12-09; 2003-02-11; 2003-03-11; 2005-12-06 | BOYER EARLY LAS VEGAS OPH | Collector: White | yes | 5 |
| Yarchever, Gilbert | OH-02039 | 04/03/2006 | Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project | CT247 .Y37 2007 Gilbert Yarchever is a Jewish American who was in the Navy during World War II, helped smuggle Jewish refugees into Jerusalem, worked as a civil servant in many countries, and moved to Las Vegas in 1977. He helped found the EXCEL program at University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is an art collector | yes | 6 |
| Yarchever, Gill & Edythe Katz | OH-02040 | 2006 | I Remember When: Recollections from LV Jewish Leaders | F850.J5.K37 2006 He was awarded the Civilian Meritorious Award from the U.S. Government. Edythe was owner of LV Huntridge Theatre | no | 0 |
| Yeager, Jane Reid | OH-02042 | 07/03/1975 and 07/13/1975 | Local Oral History Project-Roske | Nevada history | yes | 4 |
| Yellen, Lucille | 02/21/1988 | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment | no | 1 | |
| Young, Christie | OH-02043 | 10/18/1998 | Gay Archives-Dennis McBride | yes | 12 | |
| Young, Jeff | OH-02303 | 4/18/1990 | Received as part of the Young Electric Sign Company Records (MS-00403). | no | 1 | |
| Young, Michael T. | OH-02304 | 4/17/1990 | Received as part of the Young Electric Sign Company Records (MS-00403). | no | 1 | |
| Young, Michael T. and Young, Jeffrey S. | OH-03247 | 2017 October 05 | Building Las Vegas Oral History Project | Michael T. Young and Jeffrey S. Young are two of three brothers who manage Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO), creator and fabricator of most of the iconic signs in Las Vegas. Grandsons of company founder, Thomas Young Sr., the brothers remember when they were boys and their father, Thomas Young Jr., used to fly them to Las Vegas. As YESCO nears its 100th anniversary in 2019, the brothers ponder the company's body of work and focus on the work in Las Vegas. The Salt Lake City natives consider themselves stewards of the company and its assets so they can pass it to the next and future generations. Michael speaks of his years in Las Vegas beginning in 1979, when he lived in Spring Valley with his wife and headed YESCO's billboards and out of home (OOH) advertising division. The brothers describe some of the company's path-breaking signs, from early Downtown Las Vegas at the Boulder Club, the Mint, and Vegas Vic to the Las Vegas Strip's Aladdin, CircusCircus, Sahara, Wynn, Rio, Aria, Linq, and Caesars. They recall working with Steve Wynn on Wynn's concept of "the eraser," and they recount the process of working with Don Snyder and the Downtown Progress Association to build the Fremont Street Experience canopy. Subjects: Salt Lake City, UT; Las Vegas, NV; Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO); Stewardship; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS); Mormons; Billboards; Out of home (OOH) advertising; Signage; Signs; Fremont Street Experience; Aria; CircusCircus; Sahara Hotel and Casino; Wynn Las Vegas; Rio Hotel and Casino; Linq; Caesars | no | 0 |
| Young, Thomas | OH-02044 | 08/29/1991 | Local Oral History Project-Roske | yes | 10 | |
| Young, Thomas, Jr. | OH-03255 | 2017 October 20 | Building Las Vegas Oral History Project | Born in Ogden, Utah, in 1928 to Elmina (Carlisle) Young and Thomas Young, Thomas Young Jr. was the only one of his father's seven children to follow him into the sign manufacturing business. The elder Young formed Thomas Young Sign Company--later, Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO)--in Ogden 28 March 1920; in 1937 he moved his family and the company headquarters to Salt Lake City, Utah, but kept the Ogden operation going. The elder Young was a true salesman, an artist, a musician, and a master sign writer who specialized in lettering and gold leaf. Eventually he was dubbed the "Desert King of Neon." Thomas Jr. reminisces about the way his father ran the company and managed people; about beginning his career doing menial jobs in his father's business when he was 14, and about eventually working in all facets of sign manufacturing before taking over the company. He tells about his father sketching out an early cantilever sign design on butcher paper for Boulder Club owner, A.B. Witcher, and manager, Heine Stevenson; about YESCO's engineer, Ben Jones, and the iconic Vegas Vic and Wendover Will moving neon figure signs; about the signage at The Mint and The Stardust; about buying out Western Neon, and about the Las Vegas shop run by his uncle, John Locke "Jack" Young, and later by his brother in law Vaughn Cannon and by Ray Larson, who both moved from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. Young closes by talking about bringing his father to Las Vegas one last time over Labor Day weekend, shortly before the elder Young died in September 1971. Subjects: Las Vegas, NV; Salt Lake City, UT; Ogden, UT; Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO); Sign painting; Signs; Signage; Neon; Manufacturing; Boulder Club; The Mint; The Stardust; Vegas Vic; Wendover Will; | no | 0 |
| Young, Walker | OH-02045 | 06/23/1975 | Local Oral History Project-Roske | no | 2 | |
| Youssouf, Mahamed | OH-02143 | 2013 August 06 | African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project | F850.N4 Y68 2012 Mahamed Youssouf is a business owner from Ethiopia. He became an American citizen in 1986. Mahamed was a political refugee who moved to Las Vegas in 1985 and rented a storefront in North Las Vegas to make and sell clothes. His business was called Uniform Plus. He also sold clothes on the weekends at an outdoor swap meet. Mahamed became business partners with Eugene Hoffman, owner of Village East Cleaners. Mahamed owned one of the dry cleaner stores, and he did the tailoring while Eugene Hoffman did the dry cleaning. | yes | 0 |
| Yoxen, Louise Anna | OH-02046 | 10/08/2003 | Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project | CT247 .Y69 2007 Louis Yoxen worked as an administrative assistant in the Allies' occupation of Germany after World War II. She also worked for the U.S. State Department in North Africa and in Las Vegas starting in 1951. She got married here and worked in her family's construction business | yes | 0 |
| Yune, Johnny | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment | no | 1 | ||
| Yurek, Gerald | OH-02047 | 03/09/1981 or 08/12/1975 | Local Oral History Project-Roske | Gaming | no | 1 |
| Zadora, Pia | 11/01/1991 | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment. Interviewer: Bill Willard | no | 1 | |
| Zadora, Pia | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment | no | 2 | ||
| Zadora, Pia | 09/08/1983 | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment | no | 1 | |
| Zadora, Pia | 03/31/1981 | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment | no | 1 | |
| Zajac, Rita | OH-02048 | 03/05/1977 | Local Oral History Project-Roske | Politics | no | 1 |
| Zamito, Gail | OH-02049 | 03/05/1978 | Local Oral History Project-Roske | Las Vegas history | no | 1 |
| Zampini, Olga | OH-02050 | 02/13/1979 | Early Las Vegas-Roske | Las Vegas history | no | 1 |
| Zane, Len | OH-02051 | 05/10/2007 | UNLV @ Fifty Oral History Project | LD3745.Z35 2007 Len Zane taught physics at UNLV, was chair of the department, set up the honors program, and was dean of the Honors College | yes | 0 |
| Zapata, Alexander | OH-03667 | 2020 February 15 | Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project | Alexander Zapata is a Venezuelan Emmy winning journalist committed to building trust with the community he reports to. He talks about growing up in Caracas and the political climate of Venezuela, including the persecution he faced as a journalist reporting during the under Nicolas Maduro regime. He shares his migration story, experience learning English and journalism work in Las Vegas with El Mundo, ESPN Deportes, Telemundo and Univision. Subjects: Venezuela, Venezuelan Politics, Journalism, Latinx vote, Political asylum F850.S75 Z37 2020 | yes | 0 |
| Zentner, Si | OH-02580 | 11/13/1992 | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment. Interviewer: Joe Delaney | no | 1 |
| Zentner, Si | OH-02579 | 07/17/1991 | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment. Interviewer: Bill Willard | no | 2 |
| Zerga, Victor J. | OH-02052 | 04/03/1976 | Early Las Vegas-Roske | Nursing and Ranching | no | 1 |
| Zick, Walter | OH-02053 | 02/22/1977 or 02/28/1971 | Local Oral History Project-Roske | Achitecture | no | 1 |
| Zigler, Earl | OH-02054 | Early Las Vegas-Roske | Las Vegas history | no | 1 | |
| Zigtema, Henry | OH-02055 | 03/14/1980 | Local Oral History Project-Roske | no | 1 | |
| Zobrist, Janice | OH-02125 | 6/12/2010 | BELVOHP | Born in Las Vegas City Hospital, delivered by Dr. Stanley Hardy. Janice's uncle was in charge of Old Fort pig farm. Member of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. | no | 0 |
| Zobrist, Janice | OH-02451 | 7/28/2015 | BELVOPH - Rhythmettes | Life at LV High School as a Rhythmette traveling to engagements across the region. Elks sponsored Good Will Tour included Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and New York for the Ed Sullivan Show. Family owned the Wonder Bread Distribution of major LV businesses. | no | 0 |
| Zoppi, Tony | May, 1981 | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment | no | 1 | |
| Zoppi, Tony | 05/22/1978 | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment | no | 1 | |
| Zoppi, Tony | 03/21/1978 | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment | no | 1 | |
| Zoppi, Tony | 01/13/1978 | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment | no | 2 | |
| Zoppi, Tony | 12/27/1978 | Arnold Shaw | Entertainment | no | 1 |
