INTERVIEWS AND NARRATIVES

RUBY DUNCAN
Born in Tallulah, Louisiana, Ruby Duncan moved to Las Vegas with her family in the 1960s. She took "little short jobs" at the Flamingo and the Stardust until her "real job" as a short-order cook at the Sahara came along. A severe accident at work kept Ruby in and out of the hospital for a year and left her to rely on welfare for her and her children.

Ruby felt uncomfortable with the lack of respect given to her by the welfare employees. One day she phoned the newspaper to talk to someone about welfare's disinterest in helping her find a job and her community service career was born. She became the President of the Clark County Welfare Rights organization in 1969 and spoke on many issues regarding low-income families and welfare rights. Ruby Duncan met Jean Ford at the Legal Services Office in 1971, when she asked the League of Women Voters to help her organization. Ruby and Ford "kept up" with each other "for years", and Ruby refers to her as a "protector" and her "greatest mentor".

Interview Audio Archive
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Excerpt 1
Ruby refers to Jean Ford's legacy as a woman who believed in equality for rich and poor women. (Las Vegas, Nevada; September 13, 2001)

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Excerpt 2
Ruby refers to Ford as a champion for poor women while she was in the Legislature and how she never forgot Ruby and the women she fought for. (Las Vegas, Nevada; September 13, 2001)

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