When Barbara Brents and her husband Mike moved to Las Vegas in 1987, she had no desire to call it home. It was part of a life adventure, an enchantment with the "Old West" and about a job at UNLV. Sure it wasn't the ivy covered campus, but "the kitsch of Las Vegas was kind of the appeal." Living in John S. Park Neighborhood proved to have a charm on the couple, who have lived in three different homes there. One had a view of Bob Stupak's World of Las Vegas sign and another was used in a scene for the television series Nasty Boys. Their current home was previously owned by Berkeley Bunker, a former U.S. Senator. Over the years they have enticed others to live in John S. Park and continue live there themselves. Barbara shares historic footnotes, political stories, and what lead up to the historic districting of the neighborhood she so dearly cherishes. As she says, "The reason I like Las Vegas is this neighborhood, and I would be gone in a second if this neighborhood died."

Includes meeting agenda and minutes along with additional information about the memorandum. CSUN Session 12 Meeting Minutes and Agendas.

Chris talks about living in Las Vegas since he was 6 months old. He also talks about starting his own valet parking company while he was in college. Later Chris talks about Silver State Film Productions, a film company he founded. The schools Chris attended during his childhood were located in Las Vegas, Nevada at that time. Film producer Chris Ramirez moved from Colorado to the east side of Las Vegas in 1973, when he was six months old. Son of Greg Ramirez, owner and founder of Viva Zapatas restaurants, Chris and his family moved to Rancho Bel Air, where he completed his school years, in about 1980. Chris and other Clark County School District students of his age participated in a school desegregation program unique to Las Vegas. After completing fifth grade at Howard Wasden Elementary School, Chris and his classmates rode a bus for one year to Mabel Hoggard Sixth Grade Center in North Las Vegas. After sixth grade he attended Hyde Park Middle School and Bishop Gorman High School. Chris’s family and school connections combined with the barter culture in Las Vegas combined to create an emphasis on “who you know” rather than “what you know.” Chris formed his film companies on the basis of his Las Vegas knowledge and his contacts and credits Las Vegas for allowing him to be in the right place at the right time to meet and work with celebrities and become an entrepreneur. Chris enjoys the urban excitement of living, doing business, and participating in the revitalization of downtown Las Vegas.