Interviewed by Maribel Estrada Calderón. Farmersville is described as a small town between, Exeter and Visalia, California populated by Mexican American farm workers. It is in this small town, where UNLV History Professor Maria Raquél Casas spent her childhood raised along with her sisters and brothers. In her interview, Dr. Casas describes how growing up in this small town with her traditional Mexican family influenced the person she is today. While working alongside her family in the fields, Dr. Casas decided that she would strive to obtain an education. Through hard work and constant support from her sister, Dr. Casas attended Fresno State, where she discovered her love for history. Upon completing her undergraduate program, Dr. Casas made the decision to further her education by pursuing a master's at Cornell University. At Cornell, she faced discouraging professors who believed she would not be able to complete the master's program let alone pursue a PhD program. Despite these demoralizing professors, Dr. Casas completed her program and was admitted into University of California Santa Barbara's history program. Dr. Casas never forgot her roots or the significance of her presence in the majority white academic spaces she attended during her academic journey. When she arrived at UNLV, she continued to strive for more Latino representation in both the student population and in the school faculty. During her tenure at UNLV, Dr. Casas has served as an advisor for multiple Latino student organizations including MEChA and SoL. Dr. Casas has witnessed much progress in Latino representation at UNLV, but she believes there is still much work left to be accomplished.
Oral history interview with Flora and Stuart Mason conducted by David G. Schwartz on February 27, 2010 for the Remembering Jay Sarno Oral History Project. Flora Mason begins by discussing the relationship between her family and the Sarnos. Mason describes that she and her husband socialized with Jay and Joyce Sarno in the 1960s because they lived on the same street in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stuart Mason recounts how the Sarnos were incredibly friendly and Jay occasionally invited him to play golf. Mason then chronicles his role as a contractor and the work he did for Jay Sarno throughout his career. He talks about how many of the development ventures of Sarno's were funded by Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamster’s Union. Lastly, Mason discusses how Sarno understood the gaming industry more than any other casino operator and how that was attributed to the success of Caesars Palace.
The Hazel Baker Denton Photograph Collection (1910-1961) is comprised of photographic prints and one negative of the Denton family and friends, primarily taken in Nevada and Utah. Many photographs depict life in small Nevada towns, particularly Caliente. Photographs also depict Utah, Oregon, Washington D.C., and California, and unidentified desert and forest landscapes throughout the American West.