The Woodrow Wilson Photograph Collection consists of black-and-white photographic prints and negatives. The images depict black elected government leaders attending the first Conference of Black Elected Officials held in Washington, D.C. in September 1969. Of particular interest are images of Nevada's first black state legislator, Woodrow Wilson; Georgia state representative, Julian Bond; and President Richard Nixon.
Archival Collection
The J. Ross Clark Scrapbook dates from approximately 1897 to 1972 and consists of newspaper clippings collected by his wife, Miriam Evans Clark. The clippings relate to professional events in the lives of J. Ross Clark and his brother, Senator William A. Clark. A small number of the clippings refer to births, marriages, and deaths in Miriam Evans and J. Ross Clark's families. Also included are documents written by J. Ross Clark's grand-niece, Dorothy Murdock Dunkley, that offer additional information about the Clark and associated families.
Archival Collection
On February 21, 1972, James Hanson interviewed Mrs. Lucille Down (born December 14th, 1911 in Wellington, Kansas) in her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. The interview covers the lives of Union Pacific Railroad workers, and local education at schools such as the Las Vegas Grammar School and Las Vegas High School. Lucille discusses her first job, which was at the Southern Nevada Telephone Company. She also mentions having a swamp cooler attached to her family home. She concludes this interview with recollections on the social, recreational, religious and economic, changes that contributed to the development and growth of Las Vegas, Nevada.
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The interior of the green house at the end of the cul-de-sac envelops the visitor. Every room exudes comfort and encourages conversation even as the lake, lapping quietly on three sides of the house, beckons. Cindy Coletti revels in this house and its interiors, all of her own design, especially because they are so different from the daring, opulent, and award-winning custom homes for which she is known. Arriving in Las Vegas in 1988 as a single mother, Cindy immediately submitted a successful design for the first Southern Nevada Street of Dreams event and began networking. She established Sun West Custom Homes in Nevada by applying the design and contracting skills she had successfully honed by building nearly seventy houses in California, Florida, and Colorado—all the while grooming her son Danny—from the time he was in his teens—to eventually take over the company. In this interview, Cindy's husband, David Fordham, shares his background, his reasons for relocating to Las Vegas, work in commercial real estate, meeting Cindy, and living at The Lakes. Cindy then recalls the experiences that brought her to Las Vegas; shaped her ideas of self-help, friendship, design, and business, and instilled in her the confidence to succeed in a man's world. Cindy has retired from building and now enjoys traveling with her husband, but Sun West Custom Homes continues to thrive under the capable ownership and leadership of Daniel S. Coletti.
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First played in Las Vegas with Jack E. Leonard in 1960. Only worked at two hotels during his 24-year Las Vegas career - Flamingo and riviera
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Interviewed by Nathalie Martinez. Larry Mason is an Arizona native that moved to Las Vegas as a Higher Education Administrator. He was born in Tuscon, Arizona, but grew up mostly in East Los Angeles and his "Gramitas" ranch in Sonora, Mexico. He has a history in athletics as a basketball player in his upbringing which brought him to play at the New Mexico Highlands University and the European League. Earning a Masters in Education, Larry Mason came to Las Vegas to become the first Latino Director of Admissions at UNLV, first Latino President of the Board of Education, and first Latino Vice President of the Board of Education in the Clark County School District. He launched an incredible amount of movements within the educational field in Las Vegas including (but not limited to): the Mariachi program, the magnet school program, and the growth of the Diversity Division within the NSHE. Some of his greatest supporters and allies included Senator Harry Reid, John Lujan and Tom Rodriguez. Mason continues to work as a community leader for minority representation in STEM fields, as a board member for the Nevada STEM Coalition.
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On March 19, 1978, Russell L. Ellis interviewed former postal worker, Ray Christian (born 1927 in Las Vegas, Nevada). The two discuss Ray’s family history and his experiences as a Black man in early Las Vegas. Ray Christian compares the experiences of his childhood with that of his children in Las Vegas. The interview concludes with Christian expressing how Las Vegas has grown and that there are more opportunities available for his children to pursue.
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Interviewed by Elsa Lopez. Sam Diaz was born in Los Angeles California, but was raised in Chula Vista, California. He is a police officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and has worked for LVMPD since 2007. He has served in in the U.S. Air Force Reserves since 2008, and served in the U.S. Air Force from 2001 to 2007. Diaz describes his multi-cultural upbringing and growing up in such close proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border. He describes his passion for serving which he had since a young age. He describes his incorporation within every community he has been a part of and talks about the ways he has worked to serve the Las Vegas community since moving here in 2007. He recounts the tragic night of 1 October, the mass shooting that occurred during the Route 91 Harvest music festival on October 1st, 2017 on the Las Vegas Strip. He talks about the various changes that happened within LVMPD since 1 October, and changes that he has seen in the Latinx community throughout the Las Vegas Valley. Diaz also describes the process of adopting two children and raising a multi-racial family with his wife in Las Vegas.
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