Oral history interview with Jerome J. Vallen conducted by James Shaw on February 27, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Vallen discusses his career as the dean of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Hotel Administration College, a position he occupied at the time of this interview. Vallen discusses program funding, how UNLV's program compares with Cornell University's hotel administration program, and the difficulty the university faced establishing a program with newer educational concepts compared to some other majors which had been around for much longer, such as the math or sciences departments. Vallen then explains how they assisted students in finding jobs in the hotel industry, as well as his plans to grow the program and construct a dedicated building for the program on campus.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Brittany Castrejon conducted by Claytee D. White and Barbara Tabach on November 9, 2017 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Brittany Castrejon details her experiences during the evening of the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. She describes the Route 91 Harvest Festival set-up and details the events of that night, which she experienced alongside her 14-year-old cousin and a few friends. Castrejon tells her story of trying to find safety from the chaos during the entire ordeal, eventually finding refuge for the remainder of the night at the Tropicana hotel. She ends the interview by discussing her adjustment to life after the shooting and her post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as what she has learned from the experience.
Archival Collection
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.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Patricia Iannuzzi conducted by Claytee D. White on March 6, 2018 and November 30, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the first interview, Iannuzzi discusses her early interest in library sciences. She talks about her educational experience and becoming a reference librarian. Iannuzzi describes the development of resource repositories, education reform, and the evolution of the internet. Iannuzzi recalls the first online databases, electronic resources, and improving undergraduate education. Lastly, Iannuzzi discusses her employment at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the importance of information literacy. In the second interview, Iannuzzi discusses accomplishments from her time as Dean of UNLV University Libraries, particularly her role in the creation of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Beverly Minnear conducted by Regina Goings on April 15, 2003 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Minnear reflects upon her more than 30-year career with the Clark County School District (CCSD) as a speech therapist and school administrator from 1970 to the time of the interview in 2003. She describes the process by which she began working in special education, and eventually became principal at John F. Miller and Variety Elementary School. She discusses the responsibilities that she faced as principal, and how her school operations compared to different schools within CCSD. She discusses the importance of working relationships between teachers, administrators and parents, and how such relationships impacted the learning environment.
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Amber Allan grew up in West Virginia and moved to Las Vegas at the age of 16. She entered the gaming industry in 2000 as a change person at Arizona Charlie’s Boulder where she later held the positions of floorperson and assistant shift manager. Allan would eventually move to Santa Fe Station in 2005 as relief shift manager, later to the Texas Station as a shift manager, and then to Palace Station in 2008 into the slot operations and technical manager role. She then returned to Texas Station at the end of 2008 as director of slot operations and then moved to Aliante Station into the same role in 2009. Allan started at Konami Gaming, Inc. in 2012 where she has worked as an analyst, product specialist, and, currently, as technical sales executive. The interview with Allan begins with her discussion of moving to Las Vegas and the experiences and roles she held as she started in the gaming industry. She discusses the various responsibilities she had in those roles, the types of skills required for them, and the kinds of disputes that are handled in certain supervisory positions. Allan also mentions and discusses the topic of hold percentage as it relates to slot and video poker players. She later describes her philosophy on what makes a good slot floor and also what customers are looking for in slots. Allan then provides the details of her move to the manufacturing side of the slot industry, and she gives her thoughts on what makes both a good and bad slot manager. The interview then shifts to the discussion of free slot play; ticket-in, ticket-out; changes in slot management; and the future of slot machines. The interview concludes with Allan’s discussion of her personal gambling as well as her advice for young people who want to go into the slot industry.
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Oral history interview with David Parks conducted by Dennis McBride on January 31, 2007 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Parks, a member of the Nevada senate, discusses working on a Nevada anti-bullying bill and a family fairness bill, which stated that any two persons could have another person as a recipient beneficiary. Park describes dealing with opposition to the family fairness bill with some people arguing that it changes the traditional definition of family. Parks recalls running against a man with a similar name, David F. Parks, in a 2002 legislative assembly election.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Verna Chadwick conducted by Keri Wright on February 24, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Chadwick first talks about her early life in Utah, and some of the activities in which she took part when first arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada. She then talks about her involvement in Cub Scouts, her church membership, political involvement, recreational activities, atomic testing, the first stores, casinos, and Las Vegas utilities during the 1950s, particularly water. The interview finalized with a discussion on social changes and the changes in prices of goods over the years.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lydia Berry conducted by Kathy Zeller on February 22, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During this interview Berry discusses her experiences as a worker for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Berry discusses her progression from being a teacher in Kansas City, Missouri to moving to Los Angeles, California and then to Las Vegas, Nevada where she worked at Nellis Air Force Base and then eventually to the Fish and Wildlife Service. She also mentions some of the operations of the Wildlife Service as well as her concerns over animal life and natural resources.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Micheal Miller conducted by Broderick T. Ackerman on April 05, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Miller discusses arriving to Ely, Nevada in the 1920s and later moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the late 1920s. Miller then discusses the businesses that he invested in and other properties that he purchased throughout his lifetime. Miller speaks about his time working on ranches and as a trapper in Northern Nevada. He also speaks about his time running nightclubs in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as seeing much growth throughout his time living in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection