Oral history interview with José Luis Meléndrez conducted by Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez on November 20, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Meléndrez discusses his family background and early life in Baja California. He talks about his father's decision to migrate to the United States, and attending Catholic schools in California, Nevada, and Texas as the family moved around the country. Meléndrez recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1990, enrolling at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and his involvement with the Boy Scouts of America affiliated program, Learning for Life. Later, Meléndrez describes attending the University of Michigan, earning a master's degree in social work, and becoming executive director for the office of Community Partnerships in the UNLV School of Public Health. Lastly, Meléndrez discusses the future of the Las Vegas Latinx community, and becoming a founding member and chair for the Nevada Minority Health and Equity Coalition.

Tony was born the only son of the only son in Beloit, Wisconsin. Following his parents divorce when he was 12, he and his father went to live with his grandparents who, he admits, spoiled him. While neither of his parents played a musical instrument, Tony’s grandmother was a professional organist. In addition, Tony had an uncle who was a professional saxophone player and who was an inspiration to him. Tony’s dad was very supportive of his decision to learn trumpet and rented Tony an instrument, took him to his lessens, and sat with him while he practiced. Tony was firm in his convictions by the 9th grade that he was going to be a musician. Following high school, Tony was awarded a full scholarship to the Berklee School of Music in Boston which was a very prestigious music school. Tony repeatedly left school to go on the road which the school fully expected of their students. The last time he left the school he never went back. Tony states he got his degree on the road with experience from playing in bands like Stan Kenton, Tommy Dorsey, and with his idol Harry James. Tony took his career abroad when he took up residence in Cologne, Germany to play with a band there. Tony came to Las Vegas to play in a band with Buddy Rich which turned out to be of a shorter duration than he expected. Tony then played in Las Vegas and Reno for a time before going back on the road after realizing he preferred playing jazz on the road as opposed to playing in show bands. After eight years on the road, Tony returned to Las Vegas, got married, and settled down. Aptitude tests proved accurate when they showed Tony had a talent for things mechanical and metal as Tony went on to manufacture trumpets in addition to playing them. One can feel the love Tony has for his trumpets as he describes the process of creating them. After playing trumpet for almost 30 years, Tony decided it was time to concentrate on his photography for a while. Tony does not consider himself retired, but rather he likes to play, take pictures, and, of course, he practices the trumpet every day.

Joanna Kishner epitomizes the native Southern Nevada who was raised in both a Jewish and secular world of Las Vegas. A daughter of Ellen Neafsey Jobes and Irwin Kishner, she was born in 1964 and graduated from Clark High School in 1982. As she recalls, the halls of Clark High School witnessed a stellar cast of characters in the early 1980s, from future casino executives, to additional judges, to comedian Jimmy Kimmel. Judge Kishner earned a double major in Political Science and Psychology from Claremont McKenna College (1986) and graduated from UCLA School of Law (1989.) She remained in California and worked as senior counsel for Warner Brothers, a division of Time-Warner Entertainment Company and was also an associate with the multi-national firm Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker. In time, she felt the tug to return to her childhood roots in Las Vegas. She and her husband were married at Temple Beth Sholom, where she had her bat mitzvah and raises her own children in the Jewish tradition. Judge Kishner has been recognized for her legal work throughout the years, this includes pro bono work for disadvantaged children through the Children’s Attorney Project. When she set her sights on becoming a judge, she was joined by her young family as she knocked on thousands of doors to introduce herself and her passion for justice. In 2010, she was elected to Department XXXI of the Eighth Judicial District.

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.