Oral history interview with Maria Benítez conducted by Monserrath Hernández and Maribel Estrada Calderón on June 21, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Maria Benítez is the image of a hardworking and determined Salvadoran woman. After facing adversity amidst the Salvadorian Civil War she talks about her journey as a nurse in El Salvador and migrating to the United States. Here in Las Vegas, she has worked as a cook on the Strip, been an active member of her church, and supported the education of her children selling pupusas. Subjects discussed include: El Salvador, Salvadorian Civil War, Migration, US Citizenship Documentation, and Judaism.
The Katherine A. Spilde Papers on Native American Gaming include materials collected by anthropologist Katherine Spilde about Native American gaming and the greater gaming industry. The materials date from 1789 to 2015, with the bulk of materials dating from 1995 to 2010. Materials dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are reproductions of key court opinions and treaties concerning Native American rights and sovereignty. The majority of the materials document Native American gaming following the passage of the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). The papers detail Native American gaming enterprises both on and off reservations, the socioeconomic impact of gaming, and the legislative history of Native American gaming in the United States. The papers include research and subject files created by Dr. Spilde during her employment with the National Gambling Impact Study Commission (NGISC), the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), and the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development (HPAIED). The collection includes socioeconomic reports; testimonies; correspondence; memos; press releases; photographs; audiovisual materials; promotional materials from casinos and tourist attractions; brochures; fact sheets; summaries; booklets; pamphlets; advertisements; tourism materials; journal articles; legal briefs; legislative documents; court opinions; Dr. Spilde’s notes; presentations; packets, agenda, schedules, and itineraries from conferences; periodicals; Native American and community newspapers; and newspaper articles. The collection includes materials about over one hundred federally recognized Native American nations. Also included are materials that document the socioeconomic impact of gaming, the international gaming industry, criminal activities related to gaming, advertising about gaming and casinos, lotteries, internet gaming, compulsive gambling, and bankruptcy as a result of gambling.
Interviewed by Elsa Lopez. Abraham Gomez is a College Navigator for the Nevada Treasurer's Office where he is responsible for providing and distributing information on post-secondary resources that may enable Nevadans to go to college. Gomez was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada and grew up on the East Side near Desert Pines High School. He received an Associate of Arts from the College of Southern Nevada before obtaining a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies from the University of Nevada, Reno. After graduating he worked as a GEAR UP Ambassador for Nevada State College where he advised a cohort of 46 low-income students on the importance of continuing their education. He has volunteered with various organizations throughout Southern Nevada and continues to work to better his community and make education accessible to students everywhere.
Jan Kennedy was born (1924) Janet Parmelee, the daughter of a Connecticut physician and a homemaker. In high school she met Norman Kennedy, who she would marry after both had attended college and to whom she was married for 64 years. Until 1963, their roots seemed to be taking hold in the Seattle area. That is until Norm was offered an attractive career opportunity as a weather man at the Nevada Test Site. They settled in and enjoyed a zest-filled life with their four sons and a dynamic group of friends who they often entertained at their cabin in Mount Charleston. In addition, Jan managed to volunteer for a list of organizations including UMC Hospital/Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital; Clark County Museum Guild; Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary; church deacon; Assistance League; Red Hats—keeping herself ever busy and joyfully satisfied.
On March 8, 1980, Gary Wood interviewed Carl Ciliax (born 1941 in Las Vegas, Nevada) about his experiences living in Nevada. Ciliax first describes his family history, his early interests in wildlife, and his background and education in artwork. Ciliax then discusses his early experiences in hunting and his eventual interest in conservationism and preservation, including his involvement with organizations that sought the protection of desert bighorn sheep and the protection of wildlife in general. The two talk more about wildlife, the early development of Las Vegas, and the effects of the atomic testing. The interview concludes with Ciliax’s recollection of recreational activities and some of his thoughts on conservationism.
Joyce Moore's family moved to Las Vegas from Chicago in 1953, when she was eight years old. She attended Rancho High School, married and had three daughters, and currently lives in Las Vegas. Joyce's father was in the gaming industry and her mother was a nurse. Growing up in Las Vegas meant going to shows with her mother, spending summer days in the pool at the Showboat Hotel, and riding horses to the Last Frontier. While a teenager at Rancho High school, Joyce worked at several movie theaters including the Huntridge, went to school dances and marched in the Hellodorado Parade. After her divorce, Joyce returned to work to support herself and her children, first at the Daily Fax then later on the Strip at the Aladdin and Circus, Circus doing a variety of office and accounting jobs. As a lark she and a friend applied to work as cocktail waitresses at the MGM; she was hired and spent the next five years in a job that was by turns interesting, exhausting, frustrating and fun. This interview covers several periods of Joyce's life - her childhood, teen years, and early adult life - and what it was like to grow up, live and work in Las Vegas in from the mid-1950s until the mid-1970s.
Included in this oral history are reminiscences of Sonja Saltman's personal non-Jewish heritage in Austria, the importance of her grandmother in her life, and how she recalls becoming part of the Jewish community.
Sonja Saltman is a psychologist and philanthropist in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is executive director and co-founder of the Existential Humanistic Institute, a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, California that offers training in existential-humanistic therapy and theory. In 2003 Sonja and her husband Michael Saltman founded the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) William S. Boyd School of Law. The Saltman Center is focused on research, teaching, and public service related to "the advanced study of the nature of conflict and how to resolve it." A native of Austria, Sonja Saltman also serves as the Honorary Consul for Austria in Las Vegas. The Saltmans are involved with multiple charitable organizations and initiatives, both locally and abroad. Sonja Saltman has served on the boards of the Anti-Defamation League, Nevada Women's Philanthropy, and the Black Mountain Institute. Projects that the couple has supported include the rebuilding of homes and bridges is Bosnia, and Streetball Hafla, a basketball program to improve relations between Jewish and Arab teenagers in Israel. In 2014 Sonja and Michael Saltman were recognized as Distinguished Nevadans by the Nevada System of Higher Education. Included in this oral history are reminiscences of her personal non-Jewish heritage in Austrian, the importance of her grandmother in her life, and how she recalls becoming part of the Jewish community.
The Nevada Consolidated Copper Company Records (approximately 1907-1978) contain the business records of the company, including correspondence, freight bills, ledgers, maps, leaching data, and books relating to mining. The majority of the records post-date the company's name change to Kennecott Mining Company.