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.
Oral history interview with Danny Cluff conducted by Claytee D. White on December 8, 2017 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Danny Cluff discusses his attendance at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the evening of the October 1, 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada with his friends and nephew. He talks of finding safety in Hooters with other survivors from the concert. When speaking of gun control, he discusses his perspectives on human nature, citing his experiences during and after the concert shooting. Throughout the interview, Cluff speaks of the ways he has healed and kept positive after the shooting, such as laughing through the hard times and writing poetry, of which he gives a few samples.
Oral history interview with Carl Esteban conducted by William Bailey on December 2, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Esteban recalls growing up in Salinas, California in a predominantly Asian community before relocating with family to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2002. As a first generation Filipino America, Esteban's mother sacrificed her life in the Philippines to become the sole person in her family to immigrate to America. Esteban received his degree in Special Education and is currently pursuing to a master's degree in the same field. Esteban is currently a special education educator at the Yvonne Atkinson-Gates Center in North Las Vegas. Throughout the interview, Esteban discusses a wide range of topics spanning from his family migration story, his early childhood, his Filipino identity, Asian stereotypes as the model minority, and how his mentors helped shape him into the person he is today.
Oral history interview with José Luis Gutiérrez conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón and Barbara Tabach on October 1, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Also present during this interview is José's close friend Sergio Salgado, who was interviewed separately for the Latinx Voices project in 2018. José discusses his early life growing up in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and his migration to Tijuana and then Santa Barbara, California as a teenager. He talks about his restaurant employment history both in California and in Las Vegas, including his time working at the Jolly Parrot, the Dunes Hotel and Casino, and his own eatery: Tortilleria Los Arcos. Subjects discussed include: Tortilleria Los Arcos; Club Social Mexicano.
Oral history interview with Brendan Ly conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on March 27, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Brendan discusses his background growing up in communist Vietnam in the early 1970s and fleeing with his family as refugees; they immigrated to Hong Kong, China before moving to the United States to live briefly in North Carolina before settling in California. Brendan talks about working at a young age picking fruit, working in catering, and having positions in retail before pursuing higher education and studying pharmaceuticals. He shares stories of his work experience with Walgreens and how this led to him opening a pharmacy with his brother, which they've managed together for the past 18 years.
Oral history interview with Rodrigo Vazquez conducted by Nathalie Martinez and Barbara Tabach on May 24, 2021 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Rodrigo was raised in a mixed status Mexican family. He was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States at the age of three, later becoming a citizen when he was in the 8th grade. Rodrigo is currently a graduate student worker for the Latinx Voices Oral History Project and reflects on what he has learned. He also discusses what the past year of the Coronavirus pandemic has been like for him. Subjects discussed include: Latinx and Mexican identities, COVID-19 era, and Latinx Voices Project oral historian.
Oral history with Nympha Comacchio conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on May 09, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Comacchio recalls her childhood in the Philippines and growing up in a large family. After attending elementary school, Comacchio immediately went to work on her father's lumber farm, performing manual labor until she was seventeen. Later, she recalls finding employment as a seamstress in Manila, where she met her first husband when she left to work in Saudi Arabia for better pay. Comacchio describes how she was able to receive a student visa to finally immigrate to the United States, where she first arrived in California. Eventually, after meeting her second husband and hearing about housing prices in Las Vegas, Nevada, they purchased a house in the city in 2000. After briefly working for the New Frontier, Comacchio began working for the Wynn and Encore, where she found out about the Culinary Workers Union and became more active in that organization. Throughout the rest of the interview, Comacchio touches on the responsibilities of being a housekeeper, the current challenges they face, and how she feels about the growing AAPI population in southern Nevada.
Oral history interview with Dr. Javier A. Rodríguez conducted by Elsa Lopez and Barbara Tabach on December 19, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Dr. Javier Rodríguez, Biology Professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, talks of his personal and educational history that led him to UNLV. He discusses his migration from Puerto Rico to California where he received his PhD from the University of California Berkley and became a biological museum curator for various animal specimens. He later moved to Las Vegas to teach at UNLV where he has now been for nearly two decades; Dr. Rodríguez shares how UNLV has changed since he first started working here, including the university's increased interest in faculty research to become a Top Tier institution. Subjects discussed include: Puerto Rico; University of California Berkley; University funding; Tier 1 research institutions.
Oral history interview with Kevin Chung conducted by Cecelia Winchell, Stefani Evans, and Jerwin Tiu on December 18, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Kevin Chung discusses his upbringing in Southern Vietnam and how he and his family were forced to leave the country during the Vietnam War. Chung talks about his family's migration to Minnesota and how they adapted to American culture. He shares his educational background, his professional pursuits as a teacher, and the reasons he and his wife decided to move to Las Vegas. Chung reflects on the importance of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) in education with an emphasis on the arts and shares his teaching philosophy. He also gives details of his family's lives and talks about the importance of bringing together his Vietnamese and American cultures to connect the different generations of his family.