Oral history interview with Jennifer Lanahan conducted by Jerwin Tiu on September 11, 2023 for Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Born in Daegu, South Korea, Jennifer Lanahan fondly remembers her childhood growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Lanahan had been adopted at a young age and grew up aware of this fact, but never felt different from her family because of it. Her father, with Irish roots, was a retired military sergeant for the U.S. Air Force. While her mother, with German roots, spent her time volunteering at veterans hospitals. Lanahan spent a majority of her life in Green Bay, eventually obtaining a degree at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay in Spanish with a minor in linguistics. Shortly after, Lanahan moved to Hawaii to obtain a masters degree in Spanish but pivoted to earning a degree in legal studies at Arizona State University. Growing up in a predominately white community, Lanahan recalls having complex feelings about her Asian heritage. However, after moving to Hawaii for a year and then eventually Las Vegas, Nevada in 2012, she began to embrace her Asian heritage and engage more in different aspects of her Korean culture. After obtaining her law degree from the Boyd School of Law at UNLV, Lanahan went on to work as a litigation attorney for a few years. She now works as a lobbyist and serves as a board member for the Las Vegas AAPI Chamber of Commerce.
The Valerie Wiener Papers (approximately 1920-2023) document the life and career of former Nevada state senator, Valerie Wiener. Materials document her political career serving in the Nevada State Senate and working as the press secretary for Harry Reid congressional offices. The collection also includes materials that represent Wiener's work as a communications specialist through her consulting businesses and her nonprofit work. Other materials in this collection document Wiener's personal life including her childhood and family, educational experiences, and her spiritual practice.
Carol Terry's "Germans in Las Vegas" Oral History Project (2007) contain the oral histories conducted by Terry while researching for a chapter on Germans in Las Vegas, Nevada for The Peoples of Las Vegas book. Terry interviewed over 60 individuals and the collection contains the printed transcripts and audiocassettes from each interview.
The Women of Diversity Productions, Inc. Records (approximately 1920-2018) contain the records of Las Vegas, Nevada based organization, Women of Diversity Productions, Inc (WOD). The collection is comprised of operational records and research primarily created by WOD's founder, Dr. Marlene Adrian. The records represent the organization's work in publishing, creating documentaries, and organizing events highlighting the history and achievements of women in Nevada's history. Records include event files, Board of Director meeting agendas and minutes, grant applications, and research files for WOD's activities including projects for the Las Vegas Centennial and Nevada Sesquicentennial events. The materials also include research and final reports for the 2017 and 2018 Gaming Gender Equality Index which was co-authored by Adrian and Denise R. Duarte.
The Roy Baugher Photograph Collection (approximately 1965-1979) contains fifteen photographic prints of entertainment primarily at the Desert Inn, Frontier Hotel, and Stardust Hotel, a copy of Vegas Visitor guide from 1970, and a home movie depicting Caesars Palace, the Las Vegas Strip, Hoover Dam, the Big Horn Trading Post, and Gold Spike Inn on 8mm film and in digital format. The materials in this collection were compiled by Roy Baugher III, an independent scholar and artist from Roanoke, Virginia. Baugher compiled these materials as part of his research on the Tokyo Happy Coats, an all-female band from Japan who performed in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Desert Inn and the Frontier Hotel from 1964 to 1970.
The Brian Gross Professional Papers (approximately 2000-2021) documents Brian Gross's career working in public relations for the adult entertainment industry. Materials in this collection includes client files, press clippings, magazines and newspapers featuring clients including Joanna Angel, Sasha Gray, and many others. The collection also contains some of marketing and financial records for BSG PR, Gross's public relations company. Also included are DVDs of adult films, BSG PR memorabilia, and some personal correspondence to Brian Gross.