Charlotte Hill's arrival in Las Vegas was not an instant love affair. She had grown up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in comparison Las Vegas "was the worst place I had ever been." The year was 1952. He husband had taken a job with the Sands casino. Over the next six decades Charlotte would become an honored volunteer and community activist. Her first organization was the Brownies as a mother and soon was involved with the Frontier Girl Scout Council, about which she shares a delightful story about cookie sales. In 1962, she was a charter member of the Home of the Good Shepherd. In 1972, she founded the Friends of Channel 10 and became innovative and active in fundraising for public broadcasting. By 1974, she was the United Way's first woman campaign chairperson, a quite successful one who helped exceed the one-million dollar goal during economically difficult times. Her other milestones included serving on Economic Opportunity Board, board of Boys and Girls Clubs of Las Vegas, as president of the Community College of southern Nevada Foundation and most recently being named to the Nevada State Board of Education. Charlotte's community efforts have made a difference in countless people's lives. She has been acknowledged numerous times, but counts the Alexis de Tocqueville Award from United Way of America as a crowning achievement. In addition to her volunteer work, she is a fashion consultant with the Carlisle Collection.

Christopher “Chris” Maestas (1965-2009) was an engaged educator and leader within the Chicano, Latinx, and Henderson communities. As he traced back his Latinx heritage, he explored his father’s hometown in Llaves, New Mexico, where he and his family were discriminated for their non-white demeanor; and his mother’s paternal Spanish roots; his grandfather came to work in Henderson, Nevada at the Basic Magnesium Industrial (BMI) plants during World War II. The Chicano and Spanish cultures played a significant part in defining his role within the community. For Chris, Chicanos were “people that lived in the southwestern United States particularly southern Colorado, New Mexico and northern Arizona that were originally Mexican citizens before the treaty (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo) was signed and then after the treaty was signed they became Americans.” In this interview, he dives into the difference between Chicano and Spanish cuisine and gives his own tips on how to make Spanish chile relleno. Chris discussed what life was like in Henderson living in Henderson Camp when his grandfather emigrated from Spain in 1943. He described the evolution of the Henderson community in the 50s through his parents’ experiences living in the Hispanic communities of Victory Village and Carver Park. During his childhood in the early 70s, Chris recalled living in Henderson when it was known as Basic and living in a small town-site house. One of his most special recollections was from the summer of 1980, when his family purchased their first set of air-conditioning units. As a passionate teacher and 1984 alumnus from Basic High School, he advocated student engagement as Student Council Advisor. Chris was also an active member of the St. Peter the Apostle, Catholic Church, Knights of the Columbus group and LUPE (Latinos United for Perfect Equality) Club. The LUPE club promoted equality for the Hispanic community and family values. Chris described their Saturday picnics at BMI Park and the annual Henderson Industrial Days festival.

Book proof with annotations from editors in the margins.

Oral history interview with Sandra Gray conducted by Elsa Lopez and Barbara Tabach on December 13, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Dr. Gray discusses her family history, and describes how her parents are immigrants from Durango, Mexico and moved from East Los Angeles, California to East Las Vegas, Nevada in 1991. After getting her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) she started a behavioral health agency that provided rehabilitative mental health services to children primarily in the foster care system. She went on to earn a master's degree in mental health counseling, a master's in psychology, and a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. She is the founder of Empower LV, which strives for equitable access to sports and tutoring. Dr. Sandra Gray is also the owner and operator of Innovation Behavioral Health Solutions, LLC.

Jillian Hrushowy arrived in Las Vegas in 1959 as part of a company hired to appear at the El Rancho Vegas Hotel in a production called La Nouvelle Eve. She has remained here (other than three short-term contracts in Reno, Nevada) until present day. She is now the production manager for Legends in Concert at the Imperial Palace Hotel. She was an only child, born in Rhodesia to English parents and raised in a home with servants and tutors. Her mother exposed her to the arts at an early age. Jillian took dancing lessons from the age of three years until she began dancing professionally. When she was fifteen years old, both parents agreed it was time for her to leave Rhodesia and finish her education in England. Living alone was difficult and lonely, but it afforded her a wealth of opportunities otherwise unavailable. She worked as a dancer in small, local productions while still in high school. When only eighteen, she got a job dancing in La Nouvelle Eve in Paris which eventually came to Las Vegas. This interview focuses on the years from Jillian’s arrival in 1959 until she retired from dancing in 1979. It follows her transitions from dancer, to principal dancer to production manager. [The first twenty minutes of the tape is warped and the text is garbled. The transcriber has lightly edited the transcript.]

On May 8, 1976, James Thomas Griffin interviewed former casino dealer Midge Innis (born September 23rd, 1928 in Neligh, Nebraska) in her apartment in Las Vegas, Nevada about her life in Southern Nevada. The two discuss her occupational history as well as how she met her husband. The interview concludes Innis’ thoughts on environmental and social shifts in Las Vegas.

At the age of thirteen, the incredible life journey of Stephen “Pista” Nasser (b. 1931 - ) is preserved in his heart. His ordeal begins when his family are ripped from their home to be interred in a Nazi concentration camp in 1944. Fifty years later, he sits in his Las Vegas home and reflects on his calling to write and speak about his survival and losses. His ordeal is preserved in his book My Brother’s Voice (2013) and in his follow up stage production Not Now Pista. He is also the author of a companion memoir, Journey to Freedom. Stephen and his wife Francoise are tireless in their travels throughout the United States and the world. At the time of this 2018 oral history interview, Stephen had done over 1092 presentations about his harrowing life story to thousands of people of all ages and denominations. Each presentation fills a spot in his heart as he honors his brother and reminds listeners that such devastating episode in history should not be forgotten, and should never occur again. The timing of this interview also coincided with the premiere of a 20-minute documentary based on his writings and the play production. It was shown at the 2018 Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival. Note: the photo above of Stephen and Francoise Nasser was taken shortly after this interview on their next cruise. (2018)