Search Results
Sanje Sedera oral history interview: transcript
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Archival Collection
Description
Oral history interview with Sanje Sedera conducted by Kristel Peralta, Cecilia Winchell, Ayrton Yamaguchi, and Stefani Evans on April 16, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Sanje Sedera discusses growing up in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, with his family. He shares his educational history, moving from Sri Lanka to Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia as a high schooler to learn English before immigrating to the United States to attend Idaho State University. Sedera discusses the political unrest and civil war that took place in Sri Lanka between the Tamil and Sinhalese people, and how he grew to appreciate political activism instilled in him by his paternal grandparents. Sedera shares his employment history working as a manager for K-Mart, an opportunity that brought him to Las Vegas, as well as his entrepreneurial pursuits of owning a mortgage business and becoming a realtor. He talks about the financial crisis of 2008 that led to losing his business, his attempts to run for public office, and how he helped to form Nevada's Asian American Democratic Caucus. Sedera concludes with a discussion of his Buddhist practice and how these philosophies have shaped his life.
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Carter Family oral history interviews
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Abstract
Oral history interviews with Leon Carter Sr., Ruth Jimerson-Carter, Leon Carter Jr., and Herman Jimerson Jr. conducted by Claytee D. White on January 18 through March 18, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Leon Carter Sr. talks of his childhood, time spent playing baseball after graduating high school, and the various professions he's held including working at the Nevada Test Site, working in construction, and entering the casino industry as a dealer. The Carter Family discuss life on the Westside and their respective histories.
Archival Collection
Kathie Clinesmith oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Kathie Clinesmith conducted by Salme Armijo on October 30, 2010 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. Clinesmith opens her interview by explaining that she was born and raised in San Gabriel, California, completing her Bachelor degree in English at a local university and then finishing a Master of Library Science degree at the University of Hawaii around 1970. She then talks about accepting a position with the Clark County, Nevada library district in Las Vegas, Nevada. She discusses her marriage and subsequent move from Las Vegas to the Spring Mountain Ranch State Park where her husband served as park ranger, and their final move to Blue Diamond Village. Lastly, she talks about her involvement in Village activities and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) purchase of the Oliver Ranch near the Village.
Archival Collection
Harry Reid oral history interviews
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Abstract
Oral history interviews with Harry Reid conducted by Claytee D. White on July 28, 2017, December 1, 2017, August 8, 2019, and September 12, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the first interview, Senator Harry Reid talks about his experiences as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981. He discusses casino decisions related to the Stardust Resort and Casino, the Fremont Hotel, the Aladdin Hotel and Casino, and the Hacienda Resort Hotel and Casino as well as the FBI requesting wiretaps and the Nevada Gaming Commission issuing gaming licenses at that time. In the second interview, Reid shares details as city attorney in Henderson, Nevada, his work with the University Medical Center Hospital Board, and case details as an attorney with the firm of Singleton, DeLanoy, and Jemison. Some of the cases he describes include litigation against Safeway stores, charges of drugs and murder, and evictions.
In the third interview, Reid discusses his term serving the United States House of Representatives and his role as Senate Majority Leader. He recalls his election to Nevada Assembly in 1968, his tenure as Lieutenant Governor of Nevada from 1971 to 1975, his position as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981, and his position as Nevada's delegate in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1987. Reid also talks about his political defeats when running for United States Senate and for Mayor of Las Vegas. In the fourth interview, Reid talks about various significant sites in Nevada including Searchlight, Yucca Mountain, and the Nevada Test Site.
Archival Collection
Ida M. Gaines oral history interview
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Abstract
Oral history interview with Ida M. Gaines conducted by Claytee D. White on September 30, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Gaines discusses her early life in Louisiana. She recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1959, living in the Westside, and her employment at the Nevada Test Site. Gaines remembers integration, her involvement with the Las Vegas Chapter of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and becoming a member of Gamma Phi Delta. Gaines talks about working with Senator Harry Reid as a community liaison, the economic downfall of Jackson Street businesses, and redevelopment of the Westside. Lastly, Gaines discusses the issue of homelessness in the community, and the work that the Economic Opportunity Board (EOB) did to reduce poverty in the Westside.
Archival Collection
Dorothy Eisenberg oral history interviews
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Oral history interviews with Dorothy Eisenberg conducted by Caryll Batt Dziediak on February 16, 2001, November 14, 2006, November 21, 2006, March 02, 2007, and July 11, 2007 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Eisenberg begins her interviews with a history of her family and discussion of her Jewish heritage and its influence on her life. Eisenberg continues her interview by covering her life events in chronological order, including her education, the birth of her children, and her husband's plane crash and death. Eisenberg then discusses rebuilding her life and her political activism in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Jewish community. Eisenberg lastly discusses her move to Las Vegas, Nevada and her involvement in many community organizations and issue, such as the League of Women Voters, Women's Democratic Club, welfare rights, school integration, and the Equal Rights Amendment.
Archival Collection
Sennes Family oral history interview
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Abstract
Oral history interview with the Sennes family conducted by Claytee D. White on November 18, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Frank Sennes Jr., Jerry Sennes, and Luanne Sennes Glenn discuss their father, Frank Sennes Sr., and his life and career as an entertainment director. They describe their early lives traveling with their father to various states before eventually moving to Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1950s, where Sennes Sr. became the entertainment director for the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino and the Moulin Rouge. They talk about their father's personal history, his work with Donn Arden, and the various celebrities they met through their father.
Archival Collection
Danny Cluff oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Danny Cluff conducted by Claytee D. White on December 8, 2017 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Danny Cluff discusses his attendance at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the evening of the October 1, 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada with his friends and nephew. He talks of finding safety in Hooters with other survivors from the concert. When speaking of gun control, he discusses his perspectives on human nature, citing his experiences during and after the concert shooting. Throughout the interview, Cluff speaks of the ways he has healed and kept positive after the shooting, such as laughing through the hard times and writing poetry, of which he gives a few samples.
Archival Collection
Bobby Morris oral history interview
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Abstract
Oral history interview with Bobby Morris conducted by Barbara Tabach on March 24, 2016 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Morris talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada and many of the people he played with, for and managed. He also mentions being a musical director for Elvis Presley at International Hotel and Casino when it opened.
Archival Collection
Fred Goldberg oral history interview: transcript
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Oral history interview with Fred Goldberg conducted by Barbara Tabach on December 03, 2017 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Fred Goldberg shares his experience of flying to Las Vegas, Nevada on October 1, 2017 while the mass shooting occurred on the Strip as well as his eventual arrival in Las Vegas. He describes the changes in travel after the shooting, including the plane's diverted course due to the McCarran airport lockdown and the enforced luggage check at his hotel in Las Vegas. Goldberg discusses his confusion regarding what had happened and his discovery of the tragic events that had occurred.
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