Oral history interview with Harry Sax conducted by Barbara Tabach on April 08, 2015 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Sax discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1968 to open the Arby franchise system with two stores, growing to sixteen stores. Sax also talks about how he became connected with the Jewish community, becoming the president of Congregation Ner Tamid during 2007-2009, and being board member of the Anti-Defamation League.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Burton Cohen conducted by Claytee D. White on July 9, 2013 as part of the UNLV Boyd Law School project, UNLV Gaming Law Journal. In this interview, casino executive Burton Cohen begins with his early life in Miami, Florida where he “fell in love with the hotel business” while working in his father’s hotel as a boy. He recounts how he abandoned his law career to return to the hotel business and how he came to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1960s to build up and manage operations at The Frontier. Cohen discusses his long career as a chief operating officer, touching briefly on some of the hotel/casinos that he helped launch and oversee in Las Vegas, including The Frontier, Circus Circus, Flamingo, Caesars Palace, the Desert Inn, and the Dunes. Cohen discusses some of the major changes that have occurred over the years in hotel/casino management and expresses respect for some of his contemporaries in the hotel industry such as Kirk Kerkorian, Billy Weinberger, and Gary Loveman.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Suzie Chenin conducted by Barbara Tabach on September 29, 2015 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Chenin discusses her father, one of the first Jewish dentists in Las Vegas, Nevada, and moving there when he was stationed at the Nellis Air Force Base. Chenin also talks about her career as a real estate agent and selling advertising for the Las Vegas Sun newspaper.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Melanie Greenberg conducted by Barbara Tabach on June 14, 2016 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In this interview, Melanie Greenberg describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband Gene and daughter. She talks about raising a family, and the Jewish community in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Arlene Blut conducted by Barbara Tabach on May 28, 2015 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Blut discusses her involvement in local and national arts, being an actor and promoter/director of theater events, and recalls her experiences in Las Vegas, Nevada’s Jewish community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Thomas Holder conducted by Suzanne Becker on August 08, 2006 for the UNLV @ 50 Oral History Project. In this interview Thomas Holder describes coming to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1971, changes in the university, and changes in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. He also talks about supporting First Friday, an arts event in Downtown Las Vegas, his time as the UNLV Art department chair, and working to get the art department accredited with the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gloria T. Caoile conducted by Vanessa Concepcion and Stefani Evans on November 18, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Gloria talks about her immigration from the United States to the Philippines with her family when she was a child and how she lived there until the age of 16. She describes her upbringing and family's values that led her to pursue activism within the Asian American community. Gloria shares stories from her three decades of activism and community outreach working with the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, local labor unions, and other organizations to uplift Filipino Americans within Las Vegas and the United States.
Subjects discussed include: Ilocano people/language; compound homes; Lolas; Seafood City; Philippine Times newspaper; Claire Chenault
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Maila Aganon conducted by Kristel Peralta, Cecilia Winchell, and Stefani Evans on June 10, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Maila Aganon discusses her childhood, family upbringing, and immigration to the United States from the Philippines when she was a college student. She shares how her parents moved to Las Vegas first and Maila followed a decade later, investing in real estate and eventually taking up permanent residence. Maila talks about her employment history with Allstate Insurance, Bank of America, AAA, Caesars Entertainment, and finally Aon as a Senior Vice President. She also shares her thoughts on the growth of Las Vegas and the growth of the Asian community and cultural influence within the city.
Subjects discussed include: anti-Asian violence; Filipino grocery stores; Filipino foods; remote work.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Bruce Isaacson conducted by Barbara Tabach on March 24, 2017 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Isaacson talks about growing up in Oakland, California, being the son of a secular Jewish father and Pentecostal mother. He also discusses his career in finance, real estate, and as a published poet in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection