Building Las Vegas Summer Speaker Series conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on June 30, 2017, August 13, 2017, and September 17, 2017 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Panel 1: Reimagining Downtown: This panel of experts examined past and present plans for the redevelopment of Downtown Las Vegas as a tourist and entertainment destination and as an urban residential neighborhood. Panel 2: A Woman's Place Is...: This panel of high-achieving women shared their experiences in shaping the growth and development of Las Vegas. Panel 3: Turning the Tide: Water In The Desert: Leaders discussed how the supply, quality, and management of water has affected the Southern Nevada region’s growth and development.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Su Kim conducted by Ashley Brooke Fuentes on November 21, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Su Kim discusses her family and life in Seoul, Korea. She talks about immigrating alone to the United States to study in Provo, Utah and later transferring to the College of Southern Nevada. Su Kim talks about her immigration experience, the culture shock of coming to America, and the discrimination and racism she has seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Su shares how she met her husband, details of her employment as an office manager, and her plans to pursue a degree in hospitality from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Miguel Villarba conducted by David Islas on December 6, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Miguel Villarba shares his family's history growing up in Manila, Philippines and immigrating to the United States in 2016. He talks about first living in Chattanooga, Tennessee before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to be near family when Miguel was in high school. Miguel Villarba shares stories of his grandfather's farm in Pangasinan, Philippines, the differences in city and town life across Manila, Chattanooga, and Las Vegas, and his educational plans. He also talks about Filipino culture and traditions, and racial discrimination.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Eric Mendoza conducted by Holly O'Donnell on November 29, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Eric Mendoza shares his family's chain migration history from Manila, Philippines to the United States and his difficult immigration and naturalization process once arriving in America in 1996. He talks about what brought him to live in Las Vegas, Nevada, his education and professional pursuits, what his life is like in the United States compared to that of the Philippines, and the lives of his eight siblings. Eric Mendoza discusses the historical past of the Philippines, the infrastructure in place there, and government corruption. He also speaks to Filipino traditions and festivals, food and customs, his cultural identity, and assimilating to American culture.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Michael Arage conducted by Dalton DuPré on November 12, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Michael Arage discusses his upbringing in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ontario, Canada with his sister and his Filipino-Palestinian heritage. He talks about how his parents immigrated to the United States, his life and education in Toronto, and his relocation to Los Angeles, California where he married his wife. Michael Arage shares how the couple moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2012 when his wife started a job at Zappos. Because he lacked a work visa, Michael Arage began playing poker and working in sports betting. In 2019, he founded a community organization to support the people of Palestine, called Nevadans for Palestinian Human Rights. Michael Arage talks about his activism efforts, anti-Arab racism, his cultural upbringing, and of Filipino and Arabic foods and customs. He also shares his views of living in Las Vegas, the difficulties of raising a child away from her cousins, and differing governmental policies and healthcare between Canada and the United States.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sara Kalaoram conducted by Alexandra Arabshian on November 15, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Sara Kalaoram shares her immigration story to the United States from Singapore in 2002 at the age of four. She talks about her upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada, her education from Arizona State University, and her work with the Culinary Workers Union and with Assemblyman Steve Yeager as his campaign manager and executive assistant. Sara Kalaoram discusses cultural differences between Singapore and the United States, the immigration stories of her parents, and her experience as an Asian-American immigrant in the twenty-first century.
Archival Collection
The Frank Gagliardi Music Manuscript Collection (approximately 1964-1974) contains musical arrangements of standard Frank Sinatra songs, printed or photocopied with annotations. Each part is in its own folder, and each song is numbered. Frank Gagliardi performed as percussionist in Antonio Morelli's orchestra for the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he played for Frank Sinatra and other notable entertainers during the 1960s and 1970s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Herb Tobman conducted by Stephen Tidwell on April 23, 1986 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection.
In this interview, Herb Tobman discusses his upbringing in the Bronx, New York, his Russian-Jewish ancestry, and his service in the United States Navy. He talks about his move to Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife in 1952 and his employment history, starting with his ownership of a used furniture store and the Western Cab Company; his executive casino work as general manager of the Moulin Rouge Hotel and the Aladdin Hotel and Casino; and as president of the Stardust Resort and Casino and Fremont Hotel and Casino. Tobman shares his involvement in the community, how the city of Las Vegas has grown and changed, and the happiness he and his family have experienced living in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Wilma (Billie) Mott Noyes conducted by Claytee D. White on April 11, 2007 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
In this interview, Billie Noyes shares the story of her family's arrival to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1921 by train and how they settled in the city after her father began working for the railroad. She talks about her childhood, education, and pastimes with her siblings. Noyes discusses her job at the personnel office of Boulder (Hoover) Dam, her marriage and time living in Reno, and her return to Las Vegas after her divorce in 1950. She recalls the various establishments and community locations she frequented as a young girl and the growth of Las Vegas with the development of casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Paul Norton conducted by Sergio Pellegrino on April 3, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project.
In this interview, Paul Norton discusses his life in Henderson, Nevada and Las Vegas, Nevada from 1952 onward. He shares details of his work at Basic Magnesium Inc. (BMI) and at mills around the Valley. Norton talks about his opposition of the MX missile, in contrast to his opinions about atomic testing in Nevada. He also discusses the businesses that operated from 1950 to 1980, how the Las Vegas Strip was constructed, details of Fremont Street and the I-15 freeway, and flooding that was particularly destructive in Henderson.
Archival Collection