Oral history interview with Mei Yang conducted by Jourdin Wilson on November 10, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) professor and graduate coordinator Mei Yang talks about her family and childhood in Shanxi Province, southwestern China. She shares her educational background pursuing her bachelor's and master's degrees in China before immigrating to the United States to earn her PhD in Computer Science from the University of Texas, Dallas. Mei Yang talks about her move to Las Vegas, Nevada, her work and professorship at UNLV, and her thoughts on pursuing a STEM (science technology engineering math) career as a woman. She shares how she raises her daughters in the United States away from her husband overseas, the Chinese community within Las Vegas, and traditions she celebrates.
Oral history interview with Ashley Nitz conducted by Claytee D. White on February 6, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Ashley Nitz discusses her experiences attending the 2017 Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada with a friend. She talks about making the weekend of the event a "staycation", where she stayed with her friend at the Trump Hotel. Nitz goes into detail on the Route 91 Harvest festival venue and the events of that Sunday night when the shooting began. She speaks of the lockdown in the Tropicana Hotel and the support given there to all of the survivors, such as water and medical aid, as well as her journey home once the lockdown was lifted. The interview ends with a discussion on life after the shooting.
Oral history interview with Mariteresa Rivera-Rogers conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón on October 24, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Mariteresa discusses her early life in Concepción, Chile. She talks about her experience moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1965, the immigration process at the time, and becoming a Spanish language court interpreter. Rivera-Rogers recalls enrolling at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' (UNLV) Sam Boyd School of Law, and her involvement with the Latino Bar Association. Lastly, Rivera-Rodgers discusses the challenges in translating Spanish language to English.
Information about the Blue Angel Motel that sits at 2110 Fremont St. Site address: 2110 Fremont St Sign owner: Bartsas Mary 22 LLC Sign details: Motel was originally constructed c. 1956. Sits on a 2.54 acre site. Property was later changed to Club 2110, but now is vacant. Sign condition: Unknown - Angel is being repaired by City Centennial Commision and YESCO, and will believed to be placed on medium of Fremont and Charleston once restored. 4 - Arches were repainted at unknown time from original blue to a deep forest green, "Blue Angel" was removed and "Night Club" was put up in blue angels place. "Motel" wording on flag portions of the sign was painted over and replaced with "Club 2110". doesn't have any form of lighting, appears to be in decent condition. Sign form: Angel - Sculpted Pole Sign/ Monument Sign, Arches: Pole sign with protruding arches on either side. Originally the left side arch would have rested on the Blue Angel motel building, but when it was torn down so was the connection, so it is free hanging off the pole support system. Sign-specific description: Angel: Pole sign with sculpture of Angel on top. Was internally illuminated, her skin, hair, halow, pole, wand, used to illuminate. Two flag signs hung off of angel pedestal, one read "Motel" other would read "Blue Angel" on opposite sides of the pole. Would of glowed with blue neon. Arches: Repainted by new owner: Arcs protruding on either side of the pole with the words "Night" and "Club" on each other arches. There are flag like components going down the pole support with stars on the opposite side of each component. Slight directional tool of the flags that point downwards to the ground. The stars do not have any lighting system of their own (no neon or bulbs). Each flag component is double sided with painted on graphics. Sign - type of display: Neon, and internally illuminated plastic Sign - media: Steel, fiberglass Sign animation: Possible rotation of the angel? Sign environment: The property is surrounded by other motels, shopping centers and gas stations Sign manufacturer: YESCO Sign designer: Betty Willis Sign architect of record: C. 1956 Sign - date of installation: C. 1956 Sign - date of redesign/move: Angel - 2014 repaint, 2017 refurbishment, c. 2014 repaint of arches Sign - thematic influences: Believed that angel was modeled after Marilyn Monroe Sign - artistic significance: 1950s pop culture themes - Marilyn Monroe and Disney-esque angel Survey - research locations: Motel site, www.roadarch.com, UNLV photo collections, assessor's website Surveyor: Danny Jacobs Survey - date completed: 2017-08-12 Sign keywords: Sculptural; Neon; Steel; Fiberglass; Pole sign; Internally illuminated; Incandescent
Information about the Neonopolis sign that sits at 450 Fremont St. Site address: 450 Fremont St Sign owner: Rohit Joshi leases the building from Wirrulla USA Inc. Sign details: This building was originally constructed in 2001 as a retail store center. This location currently holds a Denny's, a vintage toy store, the Telemundo station office and an international food market. This location also held a movie theater until 2009. Sign condition: 4.5- Sign still in relatively new looking condition Sign form: Entrance sign Sign-specific description: Above the main entrance way into the mall there are the letter "NEONOPOLIS" in plastic back lit signs. Each letter has a lime green border with white strip and then purple for the main color of the block letters. The letter "O" in "polis" is actually an orbit shape that is orange and purple to double as the "O". Portions of the building have neon tubes, some illuminating blue and others are purple, green, red and yellow. There are also different colored shapes of neon spread throughout the building such as yellow triangle as well as orbits showcasing red and yellow neon tubing. Many of the companies in this location have their own signs as well. Sign - type of display: Plastic back lit sign and neon Sign - media: Plastic and steel Sign - non-neon treatments: Plastic back lit portion Sign environment: This property is on Fremont in between 4th St. and Las Vegas Blvd. Right in front on the building is the Slotzilla machine where people get onto the zipline. Sign - date of installation: 2002 Sign - date of redesign/move: When the movie theater portion of this location closed in 2009 part of the signage was taken down and in recent years with different companies settling in there have added their own signs. Sign - thematic influences: The name and the theme of this location being neonopolis showcases the downtown neon vibe particularly since there is a wide variety of neon display surrounding this property. Sign - artistic significance: Showcasing the different designs with neon shows how true of an art it still is, particularly with the triangle designs and the orbits Survey - research locations: Asessors page, https://neonjoshiassociate.wixsite.com/mysite-1 Neonopolis website, https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/food/neonopolis-theaters-to-go-dark-thursday-night/ Review Journal article discussing the closure of their movie theater, https://lasvegassun.com/news/2002/may/03/long-awaited-neonopolis-opens-in-downtown-vegas/ Las Vegas Sun article talking about their opening in 2002 Survey - research notes: There used to be an 18 theater movie theater located there which shut down in 2009 and was renovated into clubs, the most recent one to open is called the Nerd. Surveyor: Emily Fellmer Survey - date completed: 2017-09-08 Sign keywords: Plastic; Backlit; Neon; Steel; Fascia
On March 2, 1980, Dennis Hunt interviewed his mother, Catherine Hunt (born August 25, 1932 in Palmyra, Missouri) about her life in Southern Nevada. The two discuss Catherine Hunt’s work as a secretary before becoming a housewife. The interview concludes with Catherine Hunt’s thoughts on population growth, women’s rights, and the Equal Rights Amendment.
Oral history interviews with Olivia Díaz conducted by Nathalie Martinez and Barbara Tabach on August 31 and September 14, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In the first interview, Díaz gives her family and personal history, growing up in Las Vegas but often visiting her family in Durango, Mexico for extended stays. She recalls her matriarchal upbringing, particularly while living in Mexico, and what life was like growing up and going to school in East Las Vegas and at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). Subjects discussed include: Mexico; Latina identity. In the second interview, Díaz talks about her English language education career for the Clark County School District (CCSD) and the events that led her to run for Nevada Assembly and Las Vegas City Council. She is presently Nevada's Assemblywoman for District 11 and Las Vegas' Councilwoman for Ward 3. Olivia concludes her interview with insights into her political and educational goals for the community and the initiatives she has focused on in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.