Oral history interview with Tia Ka'auamo conducted by Jerwin Tiu and Stefani Evans on April 28, 2023 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islanders Oral History Project. In this interview, Tia Ka'auamo recalls her childhood in Hilo, Hawai'i, and in rural Makawao, Maui as the middle of three daughters born of a Korean-Japanese father and a Filipino-Okinawan mother. She discusses living in state-funded housing in Hawai'i, and with various family members due to difficult personal situations. Ka'auamo discusses earning a bachelor's degree in psychology, spending a summer study abroad in Berlin, Germany, and attending law school. She talks about learning Tagalog from her paternal grandmother, who was punished if she used her language in school, and questions the ways others use language, food, and culture proficiency to determine their identity. Ka'auamo moved to Las Vegas in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and currently works a legal records specialist for the Office of the City Attorney at the City of Las Vegas. She also recently organized the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Committee of city employees.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Melvin Eugene Serviss conducted by Juan Ortiz on February 26, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Serviss discusses his personal history in Missouri and Las Vegas, Nevada. Serviss describes going to clubs and meeting celebrities who were in Missouri for the filming of the movie
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Bill (William) Hinson conducted by Connie Dewees on February 21, 1971 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Hinson lists the addresses of where he has lived in Las Vegas, Nevada and briefly discusses his two marriages. He then goes on to discuss Block 16 Red-Light District, Helldorado, Boulder Club, and environmental changes. The interview concludes with Hinson explaining different pranks and jokes that he and his friends used to play when he was younger.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mary and Bruce Eaton conducted by Beatrice Scheid on March 8, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Mary discusses growing up in the early days of Boulder City, Nevada, specifically the influences of the churches and schools. She also talks about housing, transportation, and her career as an educator. Bruce, her husband, talks about his employment with Six Companies, Inc., the issues of worker’s compensation, and the cooling system used to cool the concrete of the dam as it was being built.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Donna and Tom Martin conducted by Claytee D. White on January 31, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. The Martins discuss moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the early 1950s as each of their parents sought new opportunities and graduating from Rancho High School in 1962. Donna Martin then discusses her career as a secretary and her volunteer work as part of a woman's group she belongs to. Tom Martin discusses working in the office of a steel company, and later running a tire store.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jay Sarno Jr. conducted by David G. Schwartz on March 25, 2008 for the Remembering Jay Sarno Oral History Project. In this interview, Sarno Jr. discusses his personal history growing up in Atlanta, Georgia and eventually moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1965. Sarno Jr. describes his father, Jay Sarno, opening Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino and Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. He recalls what it was like to live with his father and becoming involved with his businesses. Lastly, Sarno Jr. talks about the negative assumptions associated with being the son of Sarno.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with A. Henry Stevenson II conducted by Ross Ann Lee on February 27, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Stevenson discusses his personal history and living in Las Vegas, Nevada. He describes moving to Las Vegas for treatment for a medical affliction and his first house in the city. He describes his and his brother's involvement in the legalization of gambling in Nevada and the history of the Boulder Club, where he was employed. Stevenson goes on to talk about the history of the Tule Springs Ranch.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with George and Theona (Toni) Garner conducted by Rod Leavitt on March 25, 1987 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, George Garner discusses his father, who was a Boulder (Hoover) Dam worker and was one of the first homesteaders in the Ash Meadows area in southern Nye County, Nevada. George also describes the Ash Meadows Lodge, which was intended to be a dude ranch by Las Vegas, Nevada promoters. Lastly, George Garner briefly discusses his early life and education in Las Vegas, Nevada. Toni Garner briefly discusses her early life in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with James Dean Leavitt conducted by Claytee D. White on September 27 and October 4, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Leavitt recalls his role in establishing a medical school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), now known as Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. Leavitt was elected to the Board of Regents in 2004 while Jim Rogers was interim Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), and he suggested the creation of an ad hoc committee Health Science Center Committee. In 2009, Leavitt became Chairman of the Board of Regents, Dan Klaich became Chancellor, and in the following year, Dr. Mark Doubrava joined the board. In May 2014, the planning dean was hired, Dr. Barbara Atkinson, and the UNLV School of Medicine was officially established on August 22, 2014.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Helen E. La Plant conducted by Claytee D. White on October 08, 2003 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. La Plant begins by discussing her early life in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the 1920s and 1930s and joining the United States Army at the age of twenty-one. La Plant then describes serving in Okinawa, Japan after World War II as a photographer for the Signal Corps. La Plant describes her return from Japan and decision to attend photography school in New York City, New York. La Plant then chronicles her experiences moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the late 1950s to work at the Nevada Test Site as a photographer. She then recounts the shift from aboveground atomic testing to underground testing and her role as head of the photography department at the Nevada Test Site. Lastly, La Plant talks about entertainment during the 1960s in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection