Oral history interview with Miriam Shearing conducted by Claytee D. White on August 15 and September 6, 2017 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
Justice Miriam Shearing is the first female member of the Nevada Supreme Court. She talks about her move to Las Vegas in 1968 and the difficulties she faced early on as a woman in the profession of law. Shearing shares how she successfully became a Justice Court Judge and recalls memories from her time on the Supreme Court. She also talks about her husband, Steven Paul Shearing, an ophthalmologist who invented the lens necessary for Lasik eye surgery.
Subjects discussed in first session include: Jim Joyce; Helen Foley; Board of Pardons.
Subjects discussed in second session include: Judge Guy; President Carter; child abuse
Oral history interview with Bob Stoldal conducted by Claytee D. White on May 31, 2007 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Stoldal talks about his upbringing in Castro Valley, California and arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1957. He remembers attending Nevada Southern (now University of Nevada, Las Vegas), the Las Vegas Strip during the early 1960s, and his employment at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Stoldal talks about becoming a news director for a radio station, the niche work that news stations perform, and the ethics of news reporting. Stoldal describes the welfare rights marches in Las Vegas, documenting these demonstrations, and the development of news stations and reporting.
Oral history interview with Esther Marber conducted by Jane E. Olive on July 16, 1999 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Marber discusses her life in Las Vegas, Nevada since 1947. She remembers her employment at the Bonanza Casino, the Riviera Hotel and Casino, and the development of labor unions in Las Vegas.
Oral history interview with Joseph Thiriot conducted by Patrick Carlton on April 19, 2007 and May 11, 2007 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Thiriot discusses his early life in Provo, Utah and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. He describes growing up on a ranch, attending Brigham Young University (BYU), and the University of Utah (UoU) during the 1930s. Lastly, Thiriot talks about the importance of education and becoming a teacher.
Oral history interview with Sonia Rivelli Jiavis conducted by Nathalie Martinez and Barbara Tabach on March 6, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Rivelli discusses her life including the evolution of her cultural background and her role in business. She describes how her parents moved to Brazil from Italy and how she has come to value her cultural roots in Brazil, Italy, and the United States. She mentions that travel was a major part of her life and that she has been to North America, South America, and Europe. One of Rivelli’s accomplishments in her career was helping the development of the Brazilian community in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also states that she created the Aqua Diva Global water purification company in hopes of providing more safe and clean water to all people.
Oral history interview with Judge John F. Mendoza conducted by an unnamed interviewer on the dates September 30, 2005, October 14, 2005, and October 21, 2005 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Mendoza talks about his early life and his childhood while growing up in the Westside area of Las Vegas, Nevada. He details the lives of his grandparents as they lived through the Mexican Revolution. Mendoza describes how he grew up in a diverse community that consisted of people from different backgrounds and cultures. A big part of his childhood was when he would sell newspapers to people in public places like bars. He talks about his career and explains that he completed and graduated from law school after being discharged from the United States Army. A crucial event that took place during Mendoza's time in law school was the rise of Communism, and he explains that students and professors in his law school had various perspectives on how Communism would influence the government.
Oral history interview with Javier Barajas conducted by Laurents Banuelos-Benitez, Marcela Rodriguez, and Barbara Tabach on November 20, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Javier Barajas describes his cultural upbringing and his Mexican heritage. He explains how he helped his grandparents in their restaurant, La Flor Michoacan, and learned how to cook during his time in seminary. He eventually moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to pursue his career. Barajas mentions that his first opportunity to practice cooking was when he worked as an executive chef for the owner of the restaurant Viva Zapata. After the restaurant closed down, Barajas went on to open his own restaurant, El Lindo Michoacan, and it became a popular place to enjoy Mexican cuisine in Las Vegas.
Oral history interview with Jim Jones conducted by Patrick Carlton on October 28, 2002 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. In this interview, Jones discusses different points in his career. He begins by talking about his early years in elementary school and his later years while attending Las Vegas High School. Jones discusses being a Las Vegas, Nevada native and becoming a dentist after a few years of graduate school. He discusses the different wars that took place over the years, and talks about his time serving in the military during the Korean War. Some of his most memorable experiences mainly revolved around being a traveling dentist.
Oral history interview with Dr. Claude N. Warren conducted by Claytee D. White on March 1, 2007 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. In this interview, Warren discusses his early life in Washington state and some of the hardships his family encountered. Warren then talks about the city of Seattle, Washington and he expresses his general admiration for the western United States. He speaks about his time as a graduate student and working at University of California, Los Angeles. He then explains the different types of archaeology, including cultural resource management and academic archaeology. Warren then describes his career path, different academic positions he was offered, and his time as a professor in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Anthropology Department. Lastly, Warren briefly discusses UNLV past presidents Zoran and Maxson and his thoughts about the future of the university.
Roundtable discussion with University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) engineers Ramon Martinez, Richard Wyman, Herbert C. Wells, and Robert Skaggs conducted by Dave Emerson on May 6, 2006 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. In this discussion, the engineers talked about how they joined UNLV and pursued careers in their respective fields of engineering. They also discussed the creation and development of engineering courses at UNLV, Geological Engineering and Dynamics. Martinez, Wyman, Wells, and Skaggs also detail their individual undergraduate education at different colleges before coming to UNLV.