Oral history interview with Alber A. Mora conducted by Rodrigo Vazquez and Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez on December 7, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Alber Mora talks about his life growing up in Cuba with his family and the circumstances of their departure from the country; his brother faced pressures to join the military, which led the Mora family to immigrate to the United States by way of a fishing boat in 1994. Alber discusses the family's lives in Houston, Texas and how he met and married his wife, Rosemary, before the couple moved to Los Angeles and Alber began working at Porto's Bakery, a famous Cuban eatery in L.A. Alber shares how he and his wife eventually moved to Las Vegas, where he works for Caesar's Palace and for the Culinary Workers Union as a Shop Steward.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Herbert Wells conducted by Patricia van Betten February 24, 2005 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Wells discusses his personal history and being drafted to the United States military in 1945. He describes military life, his education in mining, and his career mining in Blue Diamond, Nevada. Wells discusses managing shifts for the miners that lived in the Blue Diamond village and describes the infrastructure at the village. Later, Wells talks about his employment at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as a civil and environmental engineer professor.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jack Wesley Day conducted by Claytee D. White on August 19, 2015 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Day begins by discussing his upbringing and his service in the United States Army. He describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1961 to work as a teacher at Rancho High School before joining the Clark County School District administration in 1963. Day talks about race relations at Rancho High School, life in Las Vegas during the 1960s, and being the coordinator for manpower development training classes between the Nevada Department of Education, the federal government, and the Clark County School District. Day also describes the early years of Vo-Tech High School and other aspects of the history of Clark County School District, as well as his experiences working for the district.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Faye Rhea Porter conducted by Barbara Tabach on June 13, 2012 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Porter discusses her father's employment at the Nevada Test Site. Porter talks about her father being unable to describe the type of work he did with family or friends and tells anecdotes about the secrecy of the test site. She then recalls her sister and her employment at the Nevada Test Site until an accident on the way to the site resulted in her death.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with America Recinos conducted by Marcela Rodriguez-Campo on December 7, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
America discusses her family history and life in El Salvador, where her father was a union leader and organizer at the height of the country's civil war. She talks about the difficulties of leaving El Salvador with her children and reuniting with her husband in the United States, as well as what brought her family to Las Vegas. America, like her father, is also a union organizer for the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, and she shares her experiences organizing at hotels across the city including the Riviera Hotel and Casino, Sahara Hotel and Casino, Circus Circus, MGM International, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, and various Station casinos.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mariano Minero conducted by Laurents Banuelos-Benitez on December 6, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada: An Initiative of the UNLV University Libraries. Minero recalls his early life and childhood in El Salvador with his family. Minero discusses the political climate of El Salvador after the Salvadorean civil war, his family's involvement in the coffee industry, which influenced his family's choice to immigrate to the United States in the 1990s. He talks about what brought him to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2004. Finally, he talks about his experiences working in Las Vegas and his experiences in the local Culinary Workers Union 226. He describes the importance of the union to his own life, as well as to the larger community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Vassili Sulich conducted by Gerald A. Villa on March 23 and May 4, 2002 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In these interviews, Sulich recalls his upbringing and his experiences as a child during World War II, his study of ballet, and the beginning of his professional life with several ballet companies in France. He then recounts his move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1964 to produce the Folies Bergere (Las Vegas) at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino, a position he held for nine years. In 1972 he began teaching ballet at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and formed the Nevada Ballet Theatre. He continues talking about his philosophy of dance, the changing perspective of male ballet dancers, and the process of working as the artictic director of a ballet company, and the extreme toll constant practice and performance have on the physical and emotional state of dancers. Finally, he discusses his resignation from the Nevada Dance Theatre and a ballet he choreographed in his mother's memory.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Tancy and Richard Leonard conducted by Barbara Tabach on September 18, 2012 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, the Leonards discuss their respective parents' employment at the Nevada Test Site. Frances’ father, John Elmgren, was the liaison between Reynolds Electric and the Atomic Energy Commission. Tancy describes the difficulties that came with having a parent working at the test site, the Huntridge Movie Theater, Vegas Village, and living in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s and 1960s. Later in the interview, Richard discusses his father’s employment at the test site, observing the detonation of bombs, and the secrecy surrounding his father’s work. Lastly, the two describe the Westside and the historical significance of that area.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mike A. Foster conducted by Heather Christopherson on March 20, 2002 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Foster reflects upon his 25-year career as a teacher and administrator with Arizona’s Douglas Unified School District. He discusses the process by which he became an administrator, and describes training and experiences that he feels were most useful for his career. He describes his approach to education, his regular responsibilities, and challenges that he faced as a principal. He also provides his opinion on student ethics and discipline, school overcrowding, teacher evaluations, and dismissals.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joseph and Mildred Kine conducted by Jay Brewer on April 29, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. The Kines discuss Boulder City, Nevada and the construction of Boulder (Hoover) Dam. The interview concludes with discussion surrounding Army camps and living conditions.
Archival Collection