Oral history interview with Thalia Dondero conducted by Susan Scott on March 18, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Dondero first speaks about her background and the circumstances which led her to move to Las Vegas, Nevada. She also talks about her children, her work with the Parent-Teacher Association, and her service with the Nevada State Park Commission. She also describes the development of the Las Vegas Strip, her involvement in various organizations, her consideration in running for governor, and some of the topics she handled as a commissioner for the county.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Mando Rueda conducted by David Schwartz on September 02, 2003, September 04, 2003, September 09, 2003, September 12, 2003, September 25, 2003, October 02, 2003, October 09, 2003, October 23, 2003, and November 20, 2003 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In these interviews, Rueda discusses his career in the gaming industry. He talks about serving in the United States military during the 1950s and becoming a slot machine repair manager for Harrah’s properties in Reno, Nevada and in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Rueda recalls his relationship with Bill Harrah, being promoted to shift manager in 1970, and the methods of surveillance used before security cameras. Later, Rueda discusses the impact on casino operations after the passing of Bill Harrah in 1978, and becoming director of gaming. He remembers obtaining a gaming license to operate in New Jersey, and the opening of Harrah’s Marina in Atlantic City. Lastly, Rueda talks about the gaming industry in Las Vegas, Nevada and compares casino operations from the 1970s to the late 1990s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Thomas Cooper conducted by Irene Rostine on August 04, 2011 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN). Cooper begins his interview by describing his journey from Dublin, Ireland to Ohio, California, and eventually Las Vegas, Nevada to work for the Centel Telephone Company and Centel Business Systems. Cooper explains his job responsibilities and talks about what phone companies and telecom systems were like in the 1950s. Cooper goes into detail about the tools and equipment needed to install telecom systems in hotels and businesses. He also talks about the technology that made manual operators obsolete.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Marisa Rodriguez conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón, Monserrath Hernández and Claytee D. White for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Marisa Rodriguez discusses her childhood and living in North Las Vegas as a teenager; she was born in Chicago, Illinois, moved to Mexico with her family at a young age, and returned to the United States at age 12. She recounts what it was like acclimating to American life, learning English, and studying abroad in Spain before becoming a law student. Marisa attended the William S. Boyd School of Law and is currently a civil litigator in Las Vegas.
Subjects discussed include: La Voz Hispanic/Latino Law Students Association at the William S. Boyd School of Law; Huellas mentorship program.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Shauna Hughes conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White on August 31, 2016 and October 11, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the first interview, Hughes discusses her early life in New York and later moving to Ohio. She talks about attending John Carroll University, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1982, and being a founding member of the Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys. Hughes recalls being appointed Henderson City Attorney, the early development of Green Valley, and the rapid growth of that area. Hughes then describes the Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON) explosion in 1988. In the second interview, Hughes discusses her work as Henderson City Attorney. She describes collaborating with elected city officials, the development of the Galleria Mall, and the establishment of Nevada State College (NSC). Lastly, Hughes talks about community support for new infrastructure in Henderson.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Suzette Cox conducted by Lance Cooper on March 01, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Suzette Cox discusses working at the Las Vegas Sun, a local newspaper, as a deputy sheriff, and at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as a secretary. She also talks about living in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Las Vegas Strip, gambling, recreational activities, atomic testing, the Mormon Fort, and how Las Vegas has changed over the years.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Geri Tomich conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on May 15, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Born and raised in the Philippines, Geraldine "Geri" Tomich recalls life in the city of Manila, where her father worked as an engineer and her mother as a stay-at-home mother. Tomich attended an American school, where she learned how to speak English from a young age, and her extracurricular activities included speedreading and writing letters to her friends. After her parents divorce, her mother took Tomich and her three siblings to the United States to live with their aunt. After a brief period in California, Tomich resumed her college career in a community college in Southern Nevada, getting an associate's degree in paralegal studies before transferring to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) to earn her bachelor's degree in business management. During this time, Tomich recalls working her way up in a law firm, starting as a receptionist before moving up to a secretary and then later a paralegal. For law school, Tomich moved to Spokane, Washington, to attend Gonzaga University. Citing her family, she moved back to Las Vegas to practice law, first returning to the law firm where she got her start before moving to Marquis Aurbach in 2003. She also discusses the other organizations she is involved in, including the Nevada Community Foundation and the Baller Dream Foundation. Throughout the rest of the interview, Tomich discusses values, what it has been like balancing a family with a full-time job, and what parts of Filipino culture she has retained.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Sam Boyd conducted by John Chickering, Ralph Roske, and Mark Lilley on February 16, 1973, February 28, 1977, and May 09, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Throughout the interviews, Boyd touches on the social, political, and industrial changes that occurred in Southern Nevada pertaining to hotels/casinos, America’s involvement in wars, and political figures that shaped Nevada’s jurisdiction.
Archival Collection