Santo was born in the Bronx, New York in 1937. Santo’s family includes his father who was a butcher, and his mother who mostly stayed at home to raise the children, as well as a brother who currently lives with Santo. Santo recalls that it was great growing up in the Bronx, and he spent most of his life there until he joined the Air Force when he was 17. Santo’s immediate family was not musically oriented, but he learned to play the drums from a cousin. Music came easy for Santo, and he started getting paid for playing when he was 12. At 17, Santo joined the Air Force with a group of friends. He auditioned for and was accepted into the Air Force band where he played drums for four years. Santo was married with a child and another child on the way when he ended his military career and moved to California. After jobs working as a security guard and on an assembly line, Santo knew he just wanted to play and came to Las Vegas in 1960 to play with a band. It took several years before Santo was able to get on with a permanent band. Once Santo broke into the scene in Las Vegas, he played for six years at the Flamingo. Following that he was on the road for a couple of years with Paul Anka. Upon returning to Las Vegas, Santo worked for 14 years at the Sahara. Santo talks about when “the boys” had the hotels before the corporations came in and how everything changed. Currently, Santo does a lot of work with trumpet player Carl Saunders, frequently traveling to Los Angeles to do recordings together.

Ethiopian business owner Mahamed Youssouf became an American citizen in 1986. Born in Harar, Ethiopia, he recalls the hardships he had to endure during the Ethiopia-Somalia conflict. Coming from a family of tailors, he began making clothes with his father at a very early age. Mahamed’s recollections concerning his journey from political refugee to successful businessman demonstrates his resilience and determination to overcome obstacles and achieve his goals. Mahamed moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1985, where he rented a storefront in North Las Vegas. The name of his store was Uniform Plus and he focused mainly on making children’s clothes. His efforts proved lucrative as he began buying wholesale in Los Angeles, California, and selling clothes in Las Vegas on the weekends at the outdoor Swap Meet. After a fateful encounter, Mahamed became business partners with Eugene Hoffman, owner of Village East Cleaners. Mahamed firmly believes that communication is the key to socio-economic success. He views education as an investment and states that, “to have dialogue means better relationships.” When the Ethiopian government was overthrown, Mahamed returned home to Africa for a visit. He met his wife while there, got married, and started a family. Mahamed returned to America and bought a family home in Las Vegas. He dedicated his time to teaching his American born children more about Ethiopian culture and taught himself more about American culture— including the African-American experience in Las Vegas, racism, the Moulin Rouge, and the Westside.

Tower of Jewels is one of those iconic Las Vegas businesses that continues to thrive. At the time of this interview, Jack Weinstein is in his nineties and “retired.” With him is his daughter Polly Weinstein, who in addition to being involved in the business management has her own custom designed jewelry line, aptly named The Jeweler’s Daughter. As the youngest of six children born to Jewish Russian immigrants Joseph and Pauline (Polly is named for her grandmother), Jack was raised in a dangerous neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. His youthful enterprise included collaborating and then splitting up with his brothers in a jewelry business, before eventually moving west to Los Angles in the early 1960s. On his own, Jack became a wholesale salesperson representing lines of watches to other businesses. Included in his list of clients was Al Sanford’s Tower of Jewels in Las Vegas. The two became friends and Al suggested setting up a partnership between Al’s son and Jack in 1964. Eventually

At the time of this interview, Shecky Greene (1926 - ) is energetically snuggled into his modest Henderson home. His wit and signature sense of humor are at in full swing. Shecky sees a joke in every nook and cranny of a conversation and seamlessly spins the moment with a tune or voice characterization. A native of Chicago, his given name is Fred Sheldon Greenfield. His Jewish parents, Bessie and Carl Greenfield raised Shecky and his older two brothers in a secular but kosher setting. He recalls honing his humor as a child and creating his path to a decades-long career in comedy lounges and in film. His narrative glitters with names of Las Vegas entertainment history. He also talks about his passion for the St. Judes Ranch in Boulder City.

In his lifetime, Eleazar Martinez has climbed both literal and figurative mountains as an avid outdoorsman and social justice advocate for Latinx issues. Born in Sweetwater, Texas, Eleazar (Al for short) grew up connected to the land and his family. Al comes from a large family with strong ties in Texas and Mexico. His mother worked the fields and his father was a construction worker who instilled in their children the importance of a strong work ethic and the pursuit of an education. Al shares about growing up during a time when Spanish was banned from schools and children would get punished if they were caught using their home languages. His experiences developed his aspiration to serve his community and fight for people’s rights. After a short stint in the Navy, Al followed his instincts and sought out a college education and majored in sociology. His interest in social issues lead him to serve in a range of roles from psychiatric support, community education outreach, and counseling. At one point, Al even helped mediate tensions between gangs and law enforcement in order to prevent violence from erupting. Since arriving in Las Vegas in 1998, Al has been working alongside diverse communities to build solidarity. Today, he works as a supervisor for the Whitney Recreation Center and leader in Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO). As Al would describe himself, he is “a proud Mexican Latino American, a Tejano with a Chicano attitude”.

Interviewed by Claytee White. Mario and his six siblings were reared by a single mother who taught him all of the family recipes. Moving to Las Vegas at four years of age Mario remembers moving into a black neighborhood where the family was not welcomed. All windows in their home were broken into the first night. The family moved the next day. Though the new house was still in an African American neighborhood, they were protected by Vera, their black babysitter. Mario developed the intense work ethic of his mother, and after working in several strip casinos, found his home at the Horseshoe, today's Binion's. He has been there for 33 years; first as a busboy and then becoming a waiter. He is a Culinary Union trained shop student who picketed his beloved work place for ten months during a 1980's labor dispute. His work in life and union benefits have made his a very good life.

Interviewed by Marcela Rodriguez-Campo. Laurents Bañuelos-Benites, Maribel Calderón, and Barbara Tabach also participate in the questioning. Moises "Mo" Denis is a Cuban American born in Brooklyn, New York. He served as the first Latino Majority Leader in the Nevada State Senate and has been involved in public service for over 30 years. As a leader in the Church of Latter Day Saints and his involvement with supporting Latinx initiatives, Mo has been able to increase the representation of Latinos in politics and support educational reform. While early on his family moved around a lot, they finally settled in Las Vegas and have continued to grow their family. Mo is a Rancho High School alum and went on to graduate from Brigham Young University as a music major. He first started his career by opening a music store, but later began working in the tech industry. Eventually, through his involvement in the PTA, Mo was appointed to serve on the Clark County Library Board. There he was involve