Oral history interview with Dr. Linda K. Miller conducted by Claytee D. White on July 10, 2019 for Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Dr. Miller discusses her early life in Kansas City, Kansas and arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2002. She talks about Helen J. Stewart, the Old Mormon Fort, and the significance of that area. Later, Dr. Miller explains the importance of teaching local history to people in Las Vegas. Lastly, Dr. Miller discusses the process of writing a book about Helen J. Stewart.
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Oral history interview with Leslie Mujica conducted by Barbrara Tabach on June 2, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project and The Great Pause: Las Vegas Chronicles of the Covid-19 Pandemic. In this interview, Mujica talks about her childhood growing up in Guatemala and immigrating to Southern California with her family in 1980. She discusses her move to Las Vegas in 2005 and her employment history both in nonprofit work and in construction, which led to the pursuit of her current position as the Executive Director and Chief Marketing Officer of Las Vegas Power Professionals. Leslie also shares her educational history with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It is where she obtained her Master's Degree in Public Administration and where Leslie currently serves as a board member of the Latinx Voices Project and the Alumni Legacy Board.
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Oral history interview with Juan Saa conducted by David G. Schwartz on November 21, 2016 for the Slot Operations Oral History Project. Saa discusses his start in the technical side and his eventual move into an operational role in the casino industry. He talks about his experience as a director, specifically the responsibilities involved, and the type of staff being supervised. Saa then describes what he believes are the biggest changes in the slot industry, specifically with ticket-in, ticket-out (TITO); and slot analysis.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Junior Fonotisatele conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on November 10, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Junior discusses his Samoan background and the importance of strong family values. He talks about his early years in Utah and California before moving to Las Vegas where he attended and graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Junior shares his employment history as a bodyguard for Floyd Mayweather, an entrepreneur of a clothing brand, and an investor into a range of ventures including security, solar energy, and mental health. He concludes with a discussion of Samoan cultural celebrations, his religion, and the significance of his tattoos.
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Oral history interview of Brian Shepherd conducted by Claytee D. White on July 13, 2020 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Brian Shepherd, Chief of Staff of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1107, represents health care and public sector employees across the state of Nevada. SEIU advocates for fair wages, quality health care, and the "secret ballot" for all union employees. Shepherd discusses his work with the union, racism, discrimination, inequality, organizing protests, the Black Lives Matter movement, and social justice.
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Oral history interview with Donna George conducted by Barbara Tabach on May 14, 2012 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, George discusses growing up in Las Vegas and the changes in the city. She then talks about her husband, David George, and his employment at the Nevada Test Site. George recalls David’s transportation to and from the test site, how the two would communicate when David was working, and concerns about exposure to radiation. Lastly, she discusses the change from aboveground testing to underground testing.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Charles West conducted by Perry Kaufman on April 19, 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. West discusses the African American community in Las Vegas, Nevada and what the living conditions were for them. West then explains how the Nevada Voters League changed the way politics played out after more African Americans went out to vote. He also discusses his work as the first African American Doctor in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Michael Arage conducted by Dalton DuPré on November 12, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Michael Arage discusses his upbringing in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ontario, Canada with his sister and his Filipino-Palestinian heritage. He talks about how his parents immigrated to the United States, his life and education in Toronto, and his relocation to Los Angeles, California where he married his wife. Michael Arage shares how the couple moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2012 when his wife started a job at Zappos. Because he lacked a work visa, Michael Arage began playing poker and working in sports betting. In 2019, he founded a community organization to support the people of Palestine, called Nevadans for Palestinian Human Rights. Michael Arage talks about his activism efforts, anti-Arab racism, his cultural upbringing, and of Filipino and Arabic foods and customs. He also shares his views of living in Las Vegas, the difficulties of raising a child away from her cousins, and differing governmental policies and healthcare between Canada and the United States.
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Oral history interview with Christian Chan conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on May 06, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Chan begins by describing her childhood in Hong Kong and later moving to San Francisco, California with her family, then to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1965. She recalls attending Sunrise Acres and Roy Martin Middle School before graduating from Valley High School as valedictorian. In college, Chan attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and graduated with a degree in engineering. After college, she found work in the Las Vegas Valley Water District and became the first woman engineer. During her five years there, she excountered subtle sexism for the first time. Chan continues the interview by describing her work while she lived in California, as well as her years internationally living in the Philippines as well as Ecuador. Throughout the interview, Chan touches on topics ranging from identity, to her impressions of the different generations, discrimination, and the growth of Las Vegas.
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Oral history interview with Ernest Oon conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Stefani Evans, and Jerwin Tiu on February 16, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Oon recalls his childhood in Singapore, where his father worked on the Health and Sports Council for the Singaporean Government and his mother worked as a television assistant producer. Growing up, Oon recalls being very active, participating in everything from soccer to Tae Kwon Do. In an effort to continue his education without being being interrupted by Singapore's civil service program, Oon applied to college in the United States and ended up attending California State University. Although he was on the medicine track in Singapore, he switched to finance. After a series of jobs within credit banking, he is now a chief credit officer for Bank of Nevada. Throughout the interview, Oon reflects on the changes in his life living in different places, the street food from Singapore, and his unique tennis game.
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