Abstract
The Thomas Rodriguez Professional Papers (1974-2020) document Rodriguez's years of work and achievements in the political, educational, and social advancement of the Latinx community in Southern Nevada. The collection contains research files on the Latinx community of Las Vegas, Nevada, newspaper articles and manuscripts written by Rodriguez, and materials from his many years of involvement and work with local organizations including the Latin Chamber of Commerce, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Hispanic Educators Association of Nevada, and the Latino Youth Leadership Conference. Materials include conference proceedings, symposium and event programs, as well as newspaper articles, correspondence, and administrative files gathered by Rodriguez over the years of researching and working within the community.
Finding Aid PDF
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Scope and Contents Note
The Thomas Rodriguez Professional Papers (1974-2020) document Rodriguez's years of work and achievements in the political, educational, and social advancement of the Latinx community in Southern Nevada. The collection contains research files on the Latinx community of Las Vegas, Nevada, newspaper articles and manuscripts written by Rodriguez, and materials from his many years of involvement and work with local organizations including the Latin Chamber of Commerce, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Hispanic Educators Association of Nevada, and the Latino Youth Leadership Conference. Materials include conference proceedings, symposium and event programs, as well as newspaper articles, correspondence, and administrative files gathered by Rodriguez over the years of researching and working within the community. Also contained in the collection are local Latinx publications which Rodriguez collected or contributed to, such as
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials remain in the order they were received.
Biographical / Historical Note
Thomas Rodriguez is known throughout Las Vegas, Nevada for his many years of hard work and achievements in the political, educational, and social advancement of the Latinx community. Tom was born in 1940 to Jennie Gomez and Joseph Rodriguez in Topeka, Kansas and he graduated from high school in a nearby town in 1958. Taking cues from the Chicano Movement of the 1960s, Rodriguez began his writing and activism shortly after graduation. In the 1970s, Rodriguez graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Washburn University and a Master's degree in public administration from Kansas University.
In 1981, he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada after being offered a position as the Director of Planning and Evaluation for the Las Vegas Clark County Consortium. In Las Vegas, Rodriguez crafted the ordinance that governs the television cable industry, and wrote grants to construct the League of United Latin American Citizens Multi-purpose senior center and produce the project
Source:
Thomas Rodriguez oral history interview, 2018 September 10. OH-03476. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Preferred Citation
Thomas Rodriguez Professional Papers, 1974-2020. MS-01017. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 2020 by Thomas Rodriguez; accession number 2020-016.
Processing Note
In 2020, Sarah Jones rehoused the collection, wrote the finding aid, and entered the data into ArchivesSpace.