Oral history interview with Juliana Chen conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on March 21, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Juliana Chen shares her upbringing in Hunan, China and her experiences as a teenager training to become a professional ballet dancer. She discusses her rigorous training and troupe career that ended when Chen sustained a knee injury. With a desire to try something new while still being able to perform, Chen immigrated to Vancouver, Canada and began practicing magic. Chen shares that although she didn't know anyone or speak English, she practiced her craft and broadened her knowledge by joining professional organizations including the International Brotherhood of Magicians. After winning several magic competitions, Chen performed on the Las Vegas Strip at Caesar's Palace and the Riviera Hotel and Casino. She shares her current professional pursuits, her connection to the Las Vegas magician community, and her thoughts on Chinese culture and cuisine.
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Oral history interview with Patricia Mulroy conducted by Claytee D. White on November 18, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Mulroy discusses her arrival in Las Vegas, Nevada as a University of Nevada, Las Vegas student. She also discusses water conservation for the Las Vegas Valley, becoming the general manager of the Las Vegas Valley Water District from 1989 to 2014 and the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority from 1993 to 2014.
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Oral history interview with Mahlon Brown conducted by Claytee D. White on December 16, 2003 and January 13, 2004 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Brown discusses his career as a policeman in Washington, D.C., during the 1960s, an attorney in Las Vegas, Nevada along with Jack Anderson in the Las Vegas Welfare Rights Movement, and as a Justice of the Peace.
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Oral history interview with Ray Christian conducted by Russell Ellis on March 19, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Christian discusses race relations within schools, baseball teams, theatres, and Boy Scouts in Las Vegas, Nevada. He also talks about his custodial at the El Portal Theatre, the Las Vegas Westside neighborhood, and living through the Great Depression. Christian ends the interview discussing how white and black veterans helped improved race relations in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Oral history interview with Jacqueline Locks conducted by Jennifer Schulz on May 01, 2003 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Locks reflects upon her 32-year career as a teacher and administrator with the Clark County School District (CCSD) from the 1970s to the 2000s. She discusses her upbringing, and how she knew since she was a child that she wanted to be an elementary school teacher. She describes the process by which she became an elementary school teacher, and eventually principal. She discusses her approach to educational leadership, and offers suggestions for individuals interested in pursuing school administration. She also discusses the importance of working relationships between teachers and administrators, and mentorship programs to assist new teachers.
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Oral history interview with Linda Vasquez conducted by Patricia van Betten on February 18, 2005 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. Vasquez discusses her childhood in Norwich, Connecticut and her first trip to Blue Diamond, Nevada in 1966 as a high school graduation gift. She describes the early Blue Diamond community, and her eventual move to Nevada around 1975. She details her husband Simon Vasquez's childhood in Blue Diamond, from his education at the first school in Blue Diamond to his commute to Las Vegas High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. She then discusses her husband's roles at the Blue Diamond Mine, from the time he was eighteen years old until his death. Vasquez then details the health care in Blue Diamond, as well as the schools, the post service, and the telephone and electricity services.
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Oral history interview with Marjorie Pierce conducted by Andres Moses on January 17, 2006 for the Living to Dance: Tapping in Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Pierce discusses her early life in Kansas City, Missouri and becoming a dancer at a young age. She talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1951, performing at the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino and the Dunes Hotel and Casino, and being cast in the musical
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Oral history interview with Marie Wakefield conducted by Ashley Hardison on November 30, 2008 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Wakefield reflects upon her career as an administrator with Nevada’s Clark County School District. She describes her experience as principal of Myrtle Tate Elementary School, her regular job responsibilities, and challenges that she faced. She also describes her experience as an African American woman, and the importance of student and faculty diversity within schools.
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Oral history interview with Gertrude Rudiak conducted by Claytee D. White on January 11, 2007 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Rudiak discusses her personal history and being a member of the Jewish community of Las Vegas, Nevada. She describes her husband being stationed in Las Vegas while serving in the United States military, their move to Las Vegas in the 1940s, and his law career after military service. Rudiak discusses race relations in Las Vegas during that time and her husband's efforts to pass a law to end segregation in Nevada as a state assemblyman. Rudiak's son, Richard Rudiak, also speaks, and talks about political history in Nevada during the late 20th century. They conclude by discussing the opening of a Jewish school in Las Vegas, the history of Jewish people in the city, and how Las Vegas and its casinos have changed.
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Oral history interview with Freddy Chavez conducted by Marcela Rodriguez Campo, Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez, Maribel Estrada Calderon, and Barbara Tabach on February 7, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Chavez recalls his early life and childhood in Bolivia, where he was born. Chavez talks about why he left his home country and the experiences he had in Brazil. After spending a few years in Brazil, Chavez came to the United States on a student visa to learn English. He discusses his immigration to Florida and his brief marriage. In 2001, Chavez made his way to Las Vegas, Nevada where he founded the Las Vegas Carnaval International, a parade celebrating Mardi Gras and the cultures that celebrate it. Chavez discusses his experience working with parades and his passion for event organizing, as well as his civic engagements.
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