Skip to main content

Search the Special Collections and Archives Portal

Search Results

Display    Results Per Page
Displaying results 1911 - 1920 of 20838

John Fudenberg oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03432

Abstract

Oral history interviews with John Fudenberg conducted by Barbara Tabach and Claytee D. White on May 3, 2018 and May 23, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, John Fudenberg, the coroner for Clark County in Las Vegas, Nevada, gives an account of his experience during the October 1, 2017 mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip and what his role was during the tumultuous days after the shooting. He explains how he and the staff of the coroner's office prepared for the large number of casualties as well as their arrival at the Route 91 Harvest festival venue. Fudenberg speaks of setting up the Family Assistance Center at the convention center and how it supported the community but also aided the coroner's office in gathering information about the deceased and identifying them. Fudenberg discusses the main job of the Coroner's Office during the first week after the shooting, which was to autopsy the bodies and communicate with the families, as well as the Police Department. He also talks about the emotional impact the shooting and its aftermath had on him and his staff members and the wellness program they implemented, of which trauma yoga and meditation had a large impact.

Archival Collection

Heather Victorson oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01877

Abstract

Oral history interview with Heather Victorson conducted by Nancy Hardy on June 26, 2003 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Victorson discusses her early life in Nairobi, Kenya and London, England. She remembers being enrolled into the Royal Ballet School, and her experience dancing in show productions for the Royal Ballet Company. Victorson talks about winning a dancing audition that required her to move to Las Vegas, Nevada, dancing in the Lido de Paris show at the Stardust, and wearing showgirl costumes. Victorson describes lounge shows, working topless for the first time, and dancing in Vive les Girls. Lastly, Victorson discusses the future of Las Vegas dance shows.

Archival Collection

Victor Wei oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-03855

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Victor Wei conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on May 23, 2022 and June 06, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In the first interview, Wei recalls his early childhood, moving around China, and being part of a large family. Wei's life took a sudden turn when he moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, and then to California where he had a difficult time navigating life as a Chinese individual. Wei and his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he continued his business consulting work and partnered with UNLV President Marta Meana on the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. In the second interview, Wei discusses the importance of one's own narrative, and talks about how he perceives his race, community help, and the greater world. Wei also touches on how discrimination existed before the COVID-19 pandemic and how there must be a balance between retaining one's heritage and assimilation. Lastly, Wei discusses his spirituality, war, and human nature.

Archival Collection

Joseph Ostunio oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03369

Abstract

Oral history interview with Joseph Ostunio conducted by Claytee D. White on December 20, 2017 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Joseph Ostunio discusses his early childhood in Las Vegas, Nevada and how he grew to love country music. He talks about the Route 91 Harvest music festival, which he attended with his friend in 2017. He describes the events of that weekend and the shooting on that Sunday, October 1, 2017, during which his friend was shot. Ostunio ends the interview with his feelings regarding Las Vegas and what he has learned about himself from this experience.

Archival Collection

Renee Watson oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03866

Abstract

Oral history interview with Renee Watson conducted by Claytee D. White on June 14, 2022 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: A Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Watson discusses her early life in Harbor City, California where she attended a private school. She discusses living and working in a great number of places, eventually arriving to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2018 as Associate Vice President for Campus Life. In this role, she managed eight departments and 131 employees, all charged with helping students navigate their academic careers while enjoying the college experience. At the time of the interview, Watson was about to move to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, to serve as the Vice President of Student Affairs at Central Michigan University where she plans to know, understand, update, and apply policies equitably with transparency.

Archival Collection

Jon Cobain oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03863

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jon Cobain conducted by Claytee D. White on March 4, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Cobain describes his childhood growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada and living in a trailer while his father built the family's home. Cobain is the first graduate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), as he walked across the stage first, thus becoming the first to receive a degree from UNLV. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business, Cobain attended Northwestern for graduate school. He discusses time spent working in Venezuela, and the value of learning other cultures and building international relationships. At the time of the interview, Cobain is matching gifts to the Jon Cobain Lee Business School at UNLV up to $2.3 million to help first-generation scholars. Other subjects discussed include the Nevada Test Site, Frank Sinatra, and Hoover Dam.

Archival Collection

Viola Johnson oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00961

Abstract

Oral history interview with Viola Johnson conducted by Claytee D. White on March 03, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Johnson discusses leaving Fordyce, Arkansas in 1942 to join her parents in Las Vegas, Nevada where her first home was a tent. Johnson goes on to discuss life with her parents in Las Vegas including their work and church activities. Johnson also describes her work at the Flamingo Hilton and Sands Hotel and Casino as a maid, and at the Riviera Hotel and Casino making sandwiches. Finally, Johnson talks about labor conditions and the Culinary Union during the early years of the Las Vegas Strip casino development.

Archival Collection

Leo Lewis oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02788

Abstract

Oral history interview with Leo Lewis conducted by Kenneth "K. J." Evans in 1999 for the Las Vegas Review-Journal First 100 Oral History Project. In the interview, Lewis discusses Las Vegas, Nevada's resort industry and assisting to develop the College of Hotel Administration (William F. Harrah College of Hospitality) at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Lewis also talks about teaching casino management at UNLV and UNLV's collaboration with international resort industries. A woman, possibly Lewis's wife, Lucy Lewis, is also present in the interview and elaborates on their travels during UNLV's international resort programs, including Tiananmen Square, China during the 1989 protest.

Archival Collection

Michael Arage oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03845

Abstract

Oral history interview with Michael Arage conducted by Dalton DuPré on November 12, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.

In this interview, Michael Arage discusses his upbringing in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ontario, Canada with his sister and his Filipino-Palestinian heritage. He talks about how his parents immigrated to the United States, his life and education in Toronto, and his relocation to Los Angeles, California where he married his wife. Michael Arage shares how the couple moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2012 when his wife started a job at Zappos. Because he lacked a work visa, Michael Arage began playing poker and working in sports betting. In 2019, he founded a community organization to support the people of Palestine, called Nevadans for Palestinian Human Rights. Michael Arage talks about his activism efforts, anti-Arab racism, his cultural upbringing, and of Filipino and Arabic foods and customs. He also shares his views of living in Las Vegas, the difficulties of raising a child away from her cousins, and differing governmental policies and healthcare between Canada and the United States.

Archival Collection

Alice Hamilton oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00777

Abstract

Oral history interview with Alice Hamilton conducted by Dennis McBride on December 20, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. In this library, Hamilton tells of how she met and married her husband, Albert and moved to Boulder City, Nevada in 1933. Because her husband worked for the California-Nevada Power Company, the couple had difficulty finding a place to live, moving eight times in the first two years of their marriage and including a several months stay in the men's dormitory constructed by the power company. She explains what Boulder City looked like when she arrived and her shock at the hot, windy weather in southern Nevada. Later, she discusses the various jobs she held, the first bank in the city, and the process of bi-monthly payroll brought in from Las Vegas in cars for distribution to the dam workers. Finally, she gives her opinion on the process of city incorporation and what she thinks Boulder City and Las Vegas will look like in the future.

Archival Collection