For Leonardo Martinez, the United States was never meant to be a destination—it was merely a short stop along the way as he awaited the day he could safely return to his family in El Salvador. Now a man who embraces the occasional Big Mac from McDonalds but never turns away a Salvadoran pupusa, Leonardo has embraced both places as home with memories that took him from his humble upbringings in Santa Lucía to the bright lights of the city of Las Vegas.
The McNamee Family Papers (approximately 1898-2000) are comprised of family papers of early Nevada settlers, Frank (Francis) Raphael McNamee and Effie Alice Webster McNamee. It contains original family photographs and some documents such as newspaper clippings, award certificates, handwritten deeds, and correspondence about Effie and Frank McNamee Sr., and their eight children, including Frank Jr. and Leo McNamee. There are large folders of photocopied genealogy printouts from Ancestry.com regarding Frank and Effie McNamee.
The James "Dee" Donithan Collection of Nevada Test Site Photographs (approximately 1970-1999) consist of 8x10 photographs depicting flowers, landscapes, wildlife, workers, work sites, and testing equipment at the Nevada Test Site. The photographs were printed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Mercury, Nevada, and collected into a binder by James "Dee" Donithan.
The Sidney R. Whitmore Collection (approximately 1885-1970) contains land deeds and other documents about Mount Diablo, Nevada; documents detailing parts of his family history; and eight framed paintings of landscapes and portraits.
The Donna Silva Lighting Design Plans (1986-1996) contain blueprints and schedule binders for a number of projects Silva worked on in Las Vegas, Nevada including the New York-New York Hotel & Casino, The Orleans Hotel & Casino, Golden Nugget, and the MGM Grand Hotel. Also included are lighting plans for the Foxwoods Resort Casino (operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation) in Connecticut, Caesars Atlantic City, and Players Island (now CasaBlanca Resort) in Mesquite, Nevada.
The Ardis Kearns Papers (1807-1995) contain correspondence, planning and zoning ordinances, committee reports, newspaper clippings, newsletters, and publications documenting her various social and political activities. The materials date primarily between 1960 and 1983, with some papers dating to the 1920s and two publications dating to 1807 and 1808.
The Stella Champo Iaconis Collection of Helldorado Photographs (approximately 1934-1940) contains four black-and-white photographic prints of the Helldorado Days celebration held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Images depict people celebrating at the Apache Bar in downtown Las Vegas.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Faculty Senate Records (1957-2001) primarily contain meeting agendas, minutes, correspondence, notices, and additional documents pertaining to the Nevada Southern University Faculty Senate and the UNLV Faculty Senate, as well as associated committees such as the Curriculum Committee, Graduate Program Evaluation Committee, and Status of Women Committee. The collection also includes constitutions, bylaws, handbooks, merit allocation lists, and reports.
The Richard "Dick" Ham Photograph Collection (1910-2005) contains photographs of Boulder City, Nevada resident Richard "Dick" Ham, his family, friends, and romantic partners. Images include photographs of Las Vegas High School and the University of California, Berkeley where Ham attended high school and college. The collection includes both formal portraits as well as candid snapshots of Ham and the people who were part of his life.
The Cherina Kleven Papers (approximately 1988-2014) document the career of Cherina Kleven who was the first Asian-American appointed as Assistant Fire Chief for Las Vegas Fire & Rescue. The materials primarily include physical and digitized photographs of Kleven in her capacity as Assistant Fire Chief, magazine and newspaper articles featuring Kleven, and event programs. Also included are campaign fliers from 2010 when Kleven ran for office to represent Assembly District 15 in the Nevada Legislature as well as two commemorative books celebrating the history of Las Vegas Fire & Rescue.