Stella Champo Iaconis Collection of Helldorado Photographs (PH-00190)

Stella Champo was born in Moche, Italy on September 16, 1910. In 1912, the Champo family emigrated to Las Vegas, Nevada. The family initially lived in downtown Las Vegas, before moving to a small ranch south of the city in 1917. Stella Champo studied at a local grammar school and Las Vegas High School.

Following the death of her mother, Stella Champo left high school and began working as a waitress at the Union Hotel and later worked at the Hotel Apache in Las Vegas before moving to Los Angeles, California. In 1953, Stella Champo married John Iaconis and relocated back to Las Vegas.

Stella Champo Iaconis worked as a waitress at a number of Las Vegas bars and clubs including the Paradise Club, the Green Shack, the Sahara Las Vegas, and the Desert Inn. Iaconis was a member of the St. Jude’s Women’s Auxiliary and the Italian American Club Auxiliary. She resided in downtown Las Vegas until her death on January 18, 1998.

Sources:

Stella Champo Iaconis oral history interview, 1981 July 22-23. OH-00921. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

“From waitress to humanitarian: 87-year resident Iaconis dies.” Las Vegas Sun, January 22, 1998. Accessed January 23, 2020.