Oral history interview with Aaron Shayne Manfredi conducted by Barbara Tabach on December 8, 2021 for the Veterans Oral History Project of Southern Nevada.
Aaron discusses enlisting in the United States Navy after graduating high school and his service from 1993-1996. He talks about his education, his advanced degrees, and his scholarship and service as a University of Nevada, Las Vegas alumnus and President of the UNLV Alumni Veterans Club. Aaron also shares his employment history and current entrepreneurial pursuits as a real estate agent and owner of a landscaping company.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Chris Lee conducted by Cecelia Winchell and Stefani Evans on December 14, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Judge Chris Lee reflects on the lives of his parents, their occupations and experiences during the Korean War, and his family's decision to immigrate from Incheon, South Korea to Las Vegas. He recalls memories from his childhood visiting family in Korea, Korean traditions and food, his educational pursuits, and the livelihood of his parents after immigrating. Chris also shares details of his employment history as Deputy District Attorney for the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, as Deputy Secretary of State for Southern Nevada, as the first Asian American elected to the Clark County Justice Court bench, and presently as Judge in Department 1 of the North Las Vegas Municipal Court.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Randy Char conducted by Cecelia Winchell and Stefani Evans on December 15, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Randy discusses his family history, his childhood growing up in California, and his undergraduate education. He shares his employment history that ranged from selling life insurance to trading stocks and finally selling luxury real estate. Randy talks about pursuing an MBA program at Pepperdine University during the 2008 financial crisis and how his capstone project idea of luxury real estate lounges helped him to open his own brokerage in Las Vegas in 2014 before becoming a real estate broker for Sotheby's. Randy also shares his thoughts on diversity within Asian cultures and different Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations that helped him to "reclaim his Asian identity" including the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) and the Leaders Forum.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Loretta Whitney conducted by Rebecca Snetselaar and Binnie Wilkin on April 15, 2016 for the Folklife Program of the Nevada Arts Council and the Oral History Research Center at UNLV Libraries. Whitney begins talking about her family life, childhood, and family histories. She mentions storytelling in education and what education used to be, and explains why she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Whitney begins to speak about religion and the church. She explains her family culture and traditions. Lastly, she defines what loving and caring for others means and how she has evolved personally throughout her life.
Archival Collection
The Nellie Bunch Collection of Lake Mead Postcards (approximately 1970-1979) contains two postcards advertising Lake Mead in southern Nevada from the 1970s. Each postcard depicts several aspects of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, including the marina, Hoover Dam, campgrounds, the Lake Mead Lodge, and Boulder Beach.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Nathaniel Barlow conducted by Claytee D. White on May 14, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: A Collaborative Oral History Project. Barlow begins the interview by sharing his experiences growing up in rural Louisiana and shares how he ended up moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1962 as a teenage boy. Barlow shares his views and experiences of Las Vegas at that time, sharing the ways the town has changed and talks about the economic opportunities that were available to him when he moved to Las Vegas. He shares his views on the history of the unions and union leaders in Las Vegas during the times he was a member of the Teamsters Local 881 and later the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Barlow also talks about the Selective Service Draft for the Vietnam War and his experiences with that. He recalls the history of Las Vegas' historic Westside and shares his roles in the area's history.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Manuel Banuelos conducted by Rodrigo Vazquez, Barbara Tabach, Laurents Banuelos-Benitez, and Nathalie Martinez on October 5, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Manuel Banuelos discusses his childhood and early life in Zacatecas, Mexico, where he was born. He discusses immigration and his experiences with it. He recalls his move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1985 and discusses his experiences working in the restaurant and hospitality industry, mostly discussing the places he worked such as the El Cortez Hotel & Casino and Las Palmas. Manuel Banuelos recalls the jobs he had working at the border between California and Nevada as well. He also discusses his family and his experiences as a father. Interview is conducted in Spanish.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joanna Rivas Nino conducted by Dr. Norma Lisa Flores on October 19, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Joanna Rivas Nino shares her early childhood experiences and her family history, discussing her family's move from the United States back to Zacatecas, Mexico and the differences between the two countries. At the age of fourteen, she came back to the United States. Joanna relates her difficulties regarding cultural assimiliation and her experiences in the United States with racial discrimination. She came to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2016 and she details her time at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, both as a student and an employee. She explains the importance of personal and community development, as well as how both of those concepts affect her own life.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Cynthia Mun conducted by Vanessa Concepcion and Stefani Evans on March 31, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Cynthia Mun discusses her upbringing near Seoul, South Korea and her family's immigration to Los Angeles in 1974. She talks about her parents' employment as a seamstress and a janitor, as well as the educational mentors she encountered who helped her to succeed at Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena and later at Yale University. Mun shares her corporate employment history, including helping to launch the Pandora streaming service and creating an accessible platform for E-book use before the creation of Amazon Kindle. Mun talks about her career working at MGM International and how this opened the door for her mother to become an MGM employee and access better working conditions with union employment.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Evan Louie conducted by Stefani Evans, Cecilia Winchell, and Ayrton Yamaguchi on February 04, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Evan Louie discusses his childhood growing up in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Hawaii with his older brother. He shares his decision to move to Las Vegas as an adult with his infant daughter after the death of his wife to be closer to his mother, stepfather, and stepsister. Louie shares his work promoting Asian American Pacific Islander peoples in politics, the media, philanthropic pursuits, and leadership opportunities.
Archival Collection