Oral history interview with Christian Giovanni conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on May 17, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Giovanni describes her early life being born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She discusses her mother, Oywan, who first worked for the casinos before turning her focus to community building. Throughout Oywan's life, she did everything from start the first temple in the city to the first Thai newspaper, Las Vegas News. Giovanni mentions having what she considers a normal childhood, especially because of her more Western appearance, and did not embrace her AAPI identity until much later in life after she started helping her mother with different organizations. Currently, Giovanni is involved in many organizations, from the AAPI County Commission to the Thai Culture Foundation.
Oral history interview with Casiano Corpus Jr. conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on February 14, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Corpus Jr. details a difficult childhood in the Philippines, where society is highly socioeconomically stratified. He recalls his parents working a number of jobs to support their large family, and as soon as he finished his primary schooling, he also started working in construction. When his father was finally petitioned by his uncle to move to the United States, Corpus was at first reluctant to go, since he had a familiar life in the Philippines, but has come to love the United States and the life he created for himself. Immediately after moving to the United States, their family landed in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Corpus began working a number of jobs. He started out as a busboy at a Chinese restaurant before deciding that he wanted to work in a casino and moved to Union Plaza. His current job is as a porter at Palace Station, where he has been for the past 31 years. He has also been working to unionize Palace Station and Station casinos with the Culinary Union for the past twelve years. He talks about the hunger strike he organized, why he organizes with no fear, and what he hopes to see out of his efforts throughout the interview.
Temple Beth Sholom invitation and program for the building dedication includes a guide to the Judaic art in the synagogue and a list of past presidents.
In this essay, Jerry Countess provides narrative context for a demographic study of the Jewish population in Las Vegas, and addresses the services and community needs revealed by the study and the growing Jewish population.
Oral history interview with Brandon Snook conducted by Barbara Tabach on March 14, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Colonel Brandon Snook describes his military career as a trauma surgeon and his job at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he has been stationed since 2004. He shares details about Sustained Medical and Readiness Trained (SMART), a program that brings physicians, nurses, and technicians from the around the world to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada (UMC) for intensive medical training. Snook also discusses the night of the October 1, 2017 mass shooting when he and others from Nellis were called in to UMC to treat the injured.
On February 26, 1980, Yatska Aldarondo interviewed psychiatric counselor, Dr. Nell Jeffers (born in Houston Texas) about her life in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dr. Jeffers discusses her work as the student and faculty counselor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The two also discuss some of the hardships of living in a desert, as well Dr. Jeffers’ plans to move into private psychiatric practice.
On March 1, 1980, Ken Pyatt interviewed his grandmother, Merna Dennison (born September 9th, 1917 in Blanding, Utah) in her home in Henderson, Nevada. During the interview, Merna pinpoints Cashman Field as a landmark of Las Vegas. She recalls the Helldorado Parade as one of Nevada’s biggest annual celebrations in which her family attended and participated on numerous occasions. She mentions serving on the Clark County School Board and discusses the growth of the city of Las Vegas, particularly the development and expansion of both McCarran Airport and the Strip.