Oral history interview with Greta Peay conducted by Kali Woods on November 11, 2015 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Peay, a school administrator with the Clark County School District (CCSD) discusses Las Vegas education experiences in Nevada that are relevant to racial inequities across the country. Peay also comments on studies that show Nevada schools at the bottom of national rankings when comparing Black graduation rates, the school-to-prison pipeline, and low enrollment in college-prep courses for Black high-school students.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with David Parks conducted by Dennis McBride on February 16 and 21, 2000 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In the interviews, Parks talks about his early life in Boston, Massachusetts, his education, and his service with the United States Air Force, where he was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1967. Parks then recalls understanding his sexuality during his military service and policies regarding gay military personnel. He remembers coming out as gay in 1972, when he attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and worked for the City of Las Vegas as a computer operator. He then talks about getting involved with politics, his involvement with gay support organizations including Aid for AIDS of Nevada, and his experiences running as the first openly gay Nevada State Assemblyman in 1996. Lastly, Parks discusses same sex rights legislation that was brought forward during his time in office.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Marty Walsh conducted by Suzanne Becker on July 19, 2007 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood Oral History Project. Walsh discusses living in a home in the John S. Park Neighborhood that was built in 1941 with her husband. She also discusses her work as an artist and her husband’s work as a carpenter.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joanne Ullman conducted by Jerwin Tiu, Cecilia Winchell, and Stefani Evans on April 21, 2023 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Ullman describes her childhood in a close-knit family in New Jersey. She discusses having a balance of Filipino culture at home, while also experiencing the impact of growing up in both an ethnic and socioeconomic minority. Ullman discusses studing molecular biology at Montclair State University, and upon graduating, researching at a science museum under a breast surgeon, where she also met her husband. Shortly after, she began consulting work and relocated with her family to Las Vegas, Nevada. Ullman went on to pursue a masters degree in data analysis at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and then eventually her Ph.D. in psychology. Currently, she spends her time as a full-time professor at UNLV teaching statistics. Throughout the interview, Ullman reflects on her career with fondness, having achieved many feats in research, publishing, and is proud of the way she has raised her family.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Lucille Matyas conducted by Irene Rostine on November 18, 2010 and December 02, 2010 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Matyas opens her interview by discussing her family's move to Las Vegas, Nevada and her mother's turbulent marriage to a Las Vegas constable in 1935. She then describes working at the phone company after school to avoid the dangers of her home life. She discusses learning to repair switchboards, saving equipment parts during wartime rationing, and listening in to the private conversations of repairmen. Matyas then describes family gatherings in Ohio before her family's move to Nevada. She later returns to talking about working at the telephone company and describes the issues customers had with party lines and the lack of telephone lines to serve the growing population of Las Vegas. Matyas ends her interviews discussing other memorable experiences she had working at the telephone company.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with David L. Stevenson conducted by Charles Jackson on February 26, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Stevenson discusses his upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stevenson discusses his early education and later working at chemical plants in Henderson, Nevada during his teens. Stevenson continues by recalling his career as a chemist at the Nevada Test Site, the purpose of the nuclear tests he was involved in, and the fallout that was carried across the country due to the testing. He also describes the growth of Las Vegas and its economy. Finally, Stevenson talks about being a real estate agent in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Chris Tonemah conducted by David Schwartz on June 08, 2015 for the Table Games Management Oral History Project. In this interview, Tonemah discusses her upbringing in Flagstaff, Arizona and attending dealing school in Las Vegas, Nevada. She remembers the switch to corporation ownership of Las Vegas casino properties, auditioning to deal at the MGM Grand, and the increase of women dealers during the 1980s. Tonemeh describes the MGM Grand fire and becoming a dealer at Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino. Lastly, Tonemeh discusses the opening of The Venetian, transitioning to the roll of pit boss, and changes she has experienced in card dealing.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Javier Barajas conducted by Laurents Banuelos-Benitez, Marcela Rodriguez, and Barbara Tabach on November 20, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Javier Barajas describes his cultural upbringing and his Mexican heritage. He explains how he helped his grandparents in their restaurant, La Flor Michoacan, and learned how to cook during his time in seminary. He eventually moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to pursue his career. Barajas mentions that his first opportunity to practice cooking was when he worked as an executive chef for the owner of the restaurant Viva Zapata. After the restaurant closed down, Barajas went on to open his own restaurant, El Lindo Michoacan, and it became a popular place to enjoy Mexican cuisine in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Donna Rodriguez conducted by Justin Burrows on November 24, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Rodriguez discusses her personal history and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1993. She describes her first impressions of the city, her employment at McCarran International Airport, and working as a security dispatcher for casinos. Rodriguez then talks about the development of security surveillance at casinos, discrimination towards African American gamblers, and recalls the training she received. Later, Rodriguez discusses her church involvement, teaching at her church's Sunday school, and shares how she managed to raise her children on her own. Lastly, she talks about the role that politics had on minority communities, the importance of education, and changes in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sonny V. Mallari conducted by Chanele Mallari on November 26, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Sonny Mallari talks about his childhood in Masantol, Pampanga province, Philippines with his five siblings. He discusses his family's immigration to Salinas, California and details of his life and parents' lives in the United States. Sonny shares stories of being bullied in school and what the immigration process was like from his point of view at the age of seven. He also talks about his professional work as a cook, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada for work, and becoming a Culinary Workers Union member.
Archival Collection