Oral history interview with Jennifer Lanahan conducted by Jerwin Tiu on September 11, 2023 for Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Born in Daegu, South Korea, Jennifer Lanahan fondly remembers her childhood growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Lanahan had been adopted at a young age and grew up aware of this fact, but never felt different from her family because of it. Her father, with Irish roots, was a retired military sergeant for the U.S. Air Force. While her mother, with German roots, spent her time volunteering at veterans hospitals. Lanahan spent a majority of her life in Green Bay, eventually obtaining a degree at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay in Spanish with a minor in linguistics. Shortly after, Lanahan moved to Hawaii to obtain a masters degree in Spanish but pivoted to earning a degree in legal studies at Arizona State University. Growing up in a predominately white community, Lanahan recalls having complex feelings about her Asian heritage. However, after moving to Hawaii for a year and then eventually Las Vegas, Nevada in 2012, she began to embrace her Asian heritage and engage more in different aspects of her Korean culture. After obtaining her law degree from the Boyd School of Law at UNLV, Lanahan went on to work as a litigation attorney for a few years. She now works as a lobbyist and serves as a board member for the Las Vegas AAPI Chamber of Commerce.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ora Bland conducted by Claytee D. White on March 04, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Ora Bland speaks to what she knew of her husband's secretive work at Area 51 of the Nevada Test Site, businesses in the Westside community, and her work in the downtown Las Vegas post office. In addition to her life experiences, Ora shares her thoughts on her community, the state of homelessness that many experience in her surrounding neighborhood, and her activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Alma Hinds conducted by Kyle Baluyut in November 2021 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Hinds recalls her journey to the United States after marrying a U.S. naval officer stationed in the Philippines. Hinds describes her experiences settling into Las Vegas, Nevada, her second marriage, and joining a local Filipino/Hawaiaan dance group.
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Oral history interview with Lindsay Wenger conducted by Barbara Tabach on March 13, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Lindsay Wenger discusses her move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2013 for her residency at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada (UMC). She talks about her experience on the night of the October 1, 2017 mass shooting and recalls a few specific patients she treated throughout the night and into the morning. After discussing the events at the hospital, she explains how she has been emotionally affected and how her view of Las Vegas as a community has changed.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Carolyn Freeman conducted on January 30, 2006 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Freeman begins by discussing her upbringing, her father, who was the president of the Japanese American Citizens League, and her early interest in dancing. She also details her experiences as a Japanese American during World War II and being relocated by the federal government. Freeman then describes how she began her career as a dancer after getting a role in a Broadway play in New York City, New York, and her later experiences dancing in productions in Reno, Nevada and San Francisco, California during the 1950s and 1960s. Lastly, Freeman discusses the differences between living in Las Vegas, Nevada compared to California and being offered the chance to dance in a Frank Sinatra show by himself and Sammy Davis Jr.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Diane Orgill conducted by Claytee D. White on March 30, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Diane Orgill, a volunteer with Red Cross, discusses her experience on the night of the October 1, 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. She speaks of her role as a Red Cross representative at the Emergency Operations Center and the efforts of the Red Cross command center to provide a sense of order in the chaos. She describes some of the support provided to the survivors through the Family Assistance Center and the Disaster Action Team, giving an in-depth explanation of how these sections of the Red Cross function.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Charlie Lombardo conducted by David G. Schwartz on June 28, 2016 for the Slot Operations Oral History Project. Lombardo discusses working with coin wrapping machines, the 1980 MGM Grand fire, and learning the operational and technical aspects of slot machines. Lombardo also speaks about what he believes makes both good and bad slot managers, slot floors, and new slot machines. He then describes some of the changes in slots and slot management over the years, including both the Megabucks and Pot of Gold slot jackpots.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Zach Mossman conducted by David Schwartz on January 05, 2017 for the Slot Operations Oral History Project. Mossman discusses being an executive through several Las Vegas, Nevada Strip properties such as the Aria Hotel and Casino, and the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. Mossman then explains what drew him to slot operations, what guests want when playing slots, and the importance of time on device.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Elizabeth Francis conducted by Emily Powers on July 21, 2008 for the Heart to Heart Oral History Project. Francis discusses being a Licensed Practical Nurse at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital and working for Dr. Fink. She discusses teaching nursing there and at the Sunrise Hospital, as well as working for Workmen's Compensation.
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Oral history interview with Kaity Webber conducted by Barbara Tabach on November 16, 2017 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. Kaity Webber describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada and earning her degree in psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Webber discusses the excitement she had going to the Route 91 Harvest festival with a friend on the weekend of the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas shooting. She talks about her experiences from that night, including how she found shelter in the Thomas & Mack Center with countless others, as well as her process of healing from the traumatic event.
Archival Collection