Oral history interview with Kerin Scianna Rodgers conducted by Dennis McBride on February 24, 1998 for the Las Vegas Gay Archives Oral History Project. Rodgers discusses arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada and her background in the arts. She discusses her position as Special Assistant to the Governor and being appointed as a commissioner for the performing arts. Rodgers also discusses opening her bar, Gipsy.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with David Parks conducted by Dennis McBride on February 16 and 21, 2000 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In the interviews, Parks talks about his early life in Boston, Massachusetts, his education, and his service with the United States Air Force, where he was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1967. Parks then recalls understanding his sexuality during his military service and policies regarding gay military personnel. He remembers coming out as gay in 1972, when he attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and worked for the City of Las Vegas as a computer operator. He then talks about getting involved with politics, his involvement with gay support organizations including Aid for AIDS of Nevada, and his experiences running as the first openly gay Nevada State Assemblyman in 1996. Lastly, Parks discusses same sex rights legislation that was brought forward during his time in office.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sarah Serna conducted by Dennis McBride on December 04, 1998 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. Serna opens her interview by discussing her move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1993, and her first assignment as a Methodist minister to a small congregation in North Las Vegas. Serna then explains how she became involved in LGBT social justice issues after witnessing expressions of homophobia and prejudice within her church. She discusses her involvement with the Las Vegas LGBT community and the development of a pastoral care outreach program, the development of the World AIDS Day prayer vigil, and the foundation of the Community Counseling Center, later renamed Lighthouse Ministry. Serna then talks about her decision to transition from the Methodist Church to the Episcopalian Church and becoming the first Episcopalian priest in Las Vegas to bless same-sex marriages. She also discusses the development of a transitional housing program, changes in the LGBT community in Las Vegas, and many individuals involved in LGBT social justice programs in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with David Torres conducted by David Schwartz on May 21, 2015 for the Table Games Management Oral History Project. In this interview, Torres talks about his career card dealing in Las Vegas, Nevada at the El Cortez, Barbary Coast, Stardust, Rio, Palms, M, and Cosmopolitan casinos.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ruby Lee Taylor and Susana Loli conducted by David Schwartz on April 22, 2015 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Taylor and Loli discuss their careers working at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and their membership in the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. They begin by discussing their individual job responsibilities, the benefits of being in the union, and the entertainment at the Riviera. They describe which shifts they prefer to work and give an overview of a hotel employee's life. Taylor and Loli conclude by discussing their responses to learning of the Riviera's closing and the health care provided by their union.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Lee Plotkin conducted by Dennis McBride on August 02, 10, and 16; and October 04, 2006 for the Las Vegas Gay Archives Oral History Project. In these interviews, Plotkin talks about his reaction to Lieutenant Governor of Nevada Myron E. Leavitt's claim that attending the Nevada Gay Rodeo violated Nevada's sodomy laws in the early 1980s. Plotkin recalls his childhood, coming out during high school, his early involvement with the Las Vegas, Nevada gay community, and his memories of Lieutenant Governor Leavitt and Leavitt's family. Plotkin also discusses the development and activities of LGBTQ organizations and demonstrations, including Golden Rainbow and Gay Pride. Lastly, he talks about the repeal of Nevada's sodomy laws in 1993, the defeat of Nevada Citizens' Alliance's anti-gay initiative petition Minority Status and Child Protection Act of 1994, and the growth of the Las Vegas LGBTQ community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Julian Eusebio conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on June 01, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Eusebio discusses his childhood in the Philippines countryside, helping his parents farm and harvest rice. After moving to Manila for college, Eusebio studied architecture and illustrated for comics and magazines. After moving to Los Angeles, California, Eusebio started a construction business, doing landscapes and constructing swimming pools for celebrities such as Michael Jackson. In 1992, he opened another branch in Las Vegas, Nevada. After retiring in 2010, Eusebio took up painting again and cites his favorite artists as Norman Rockwell and Rembrandt. In the remainder of the interview, he discusses his drawing process and how he started showing his artwork throughout the Las Vegas Clark County Library District.
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Oral history interviews with Sally MacEachern conducted by Dennis McBride on February 24 and March 11, 2002 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. MacEachern opens her interview discussing her birth and upbringing with her twin sister in Wisconsin during the 1940s. She then describes her family history, her life as a twin, and what it was like to be part of a military family. MacEachern then talks about her first lesbian sexual encounters and meeting other lesbians for the first time. She discusses joining the military and efforts within the organization to remove lesbians from the service that eventually lead to her termination. MacEachern then recalls going to college in the 1960s, meeting other lesbians, and moving in with her first girlfriend. She describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada for graduate school, joining the gay community, and frequenting local gay businesses including Maxine's and Camp David. She then discusses the lesbian separatists movement, the different struggles gay men face compared to lesbian women, and the local community response to the AIDS crisis.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Juan Saa conducted by David G. Schwartz on November 21, 2016 for the Slot Operations Oral History Project. Saa discusses his start in the technical side and his eventual move into an operational role in the casino industry. He talks about his experience as a director, specifically the responsibilities involved, and the type of staff being supervised. Saa then describes what he believes are the biggest changes in the slot industry, specifically with ticket-in, ticket-out (TITO); and slot analysis.
Archival Collection