Oral history interview with Stella Kalaoram conducted by Kristel Peralta and Cecilia Winchell on August 2, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Stella Kalaoram discusses her childhood in Singapore, the occupations and ethnic diversity of her family, and the four languages she speaks: English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil. She shares her immigration journey to the United States with her husband, from Singapore to San Bernardino, California in 1990, and their move to Las Vegas in 2000. Stella also shares her employment experiences as a dental assistant, a housekeeper for the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino, and as a shop steward for the Culinary Workers Union. She also talks about contracting COVID-19 and her hospital experience, her family's differing religious faiths, and her translation work to empower the Asian-American community. Subjects discussed include: insurance benefits; Volunteer Organizer (VO); mask mandates; vaccine hesitancy; food traditions; language barriers; Baba and Nyonya cultures.
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Julia Payne, the Executive Director of the Nevada Treatment Center, talks about Las Vegas from the 1960s to the time of the interview.
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On March 7, 1975, collector David R. Patt interviewed dairy and vegetable farm owner, Mary Habbart (born January 1st, 1719 in Boothwyn, Pennsylvania) in her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview offers an overview of life in Las Vegas in the early days, which included: atomic testing, floods, prostitution on Block 16, early Fremont Street and Duck Creek. Also discussed during this interview: Sunset Park, The Roosevelts, Bugsy Siegel, local government and the Hoover Dam.
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Oral history interview with Dianna and Gerald Davis conducted by Claytee D. White on May 6, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Gerald Davis was falsely arrested on a Sunday afternoon in October 1969, leading to a three-day riot in the Black Westside community of Las Vegas. The Davis' discuss this event as well as their respective backgrounds and past experiences living in Las Vegas, including the businesses they supported, the places they visited, and their employment history.
Subjects discussed include: 1969 riot; Jackson Ave; Officer Arrington; Westside School; and Charles Wyatt
Archival Collection
On April 1, 1976, Frank Vivirito interviewed John E. Jeffrey (born July 20th, 1938, in Sioux City, Iowa) about his life in Southern Nevada. Jeffrey discusses his occupational history and the disparity of work conditions and opportunities for Black and Mexican workers in the Henderson plant. The interview concludes with a brief description of Jeffrey’s family’s medical history.
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Handwritten description provided on back of photo: " Rochelle Hornsby, Muriel Stevens, Sara Saltzman Planning Israel Independence Day 25 years 1973."
Oral history interview with Harold Rexford Adams conducted by Jan West on April 28, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. They discuss recreation, employment, construction, the railroad, unions, the influx of black people settling in the Las Vegas area and the Westside.
Archival Collection
On March 2, 1976, collector Debbie Nesbit interviewed Joseph Kine (born November 16th, 1906 in Elkhart, Iowa) in his home in Boulder City, Nevada. In this interview, Mr. Kine discusses working at Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam) as a high scaler. He also speaks about living in Boulder City in its very beginnings as a town.
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