Oral history interview with Sanje Sedera conducted by Kristel Peralta, Cecilia Winchell, Ayrton Yamaguchi, and Stefani Evans on April 16, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Sanje Sedera discusses growing up in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, with his family. He shares his educational history, moving from Sri Lanka to Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia as a high schooler to learn English before immigrating to the United States to attend Idaho State University. Sedera discusses the political unrest and civil war that took place in Sri Lanka between the Tamil and Sinhalese people, and how he grew to appreciate political activism instilled in him by his paternal grandparents. Sedera shares his employment history working as a manager for K-Mart, an opportunity that brought him to Las Vegas, as well as his entrepreneurial pursuits of owning a mortgage business and becoming a realtor. He talks about the financial crisis of 2008 that led to losing his business, his attempts to run for public office, and how he helped to form Nevada's Asian American Democratic Caucus. Sedera concludes with a discussion of his Buddhist practice and how these philosophies have shaped his life.
Oral history interview with Chet Buchanan conducted by Barbara Tabach on November 28, 2017 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. Chet Buchanan begins this interview with a discussion of his move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1999 after he was offered a job as a radio show host for 98.5 KLUC. He talks about the specifics of his job, including his career background as well as the Chet Buchanan Toy Drive. For this interview, he specifically goes into detail on his coverage of the Las Vegas October 2017 mass shooting and discusses being in San Diego, California at the time, yet still striving to reach people through his broadcast with the help of CBS San Diego. Throughout the interview, Buchanan examines his desire to make a difference in the community with his show and his interactions with the public.
Oral history interview with Isaac Barrón conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón and Claytee D. White on March 27, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Isaac Barrón was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. His father entered the United States as a Bracero. Barrón attended Rancho High School and earned his bachelor's degree in secondary education from UNLV. He currently teaches history at Rancho High School and serves as North Las Vegas' Councilman. In this oral history, Barrón recalls his youth in North Las Vegas, navigating the presence of gangs, and his path to being a community activist and advocate for North Las Vegas youth. He has led volunteer efforts for community improvement projects, including the plans for a new public library. He holds the distinction of being the first Latinx member of the North Las Vegas City Council and Southern Nevada's first Hispanic Mayor Pro Tempore. In 2013, he was elected to represent Ward 1 and was reelected for a second term in April 2017. He discusses being Mexican American, the Coalition of Pan American Organizations, the Hispanic Student Union, the Bracero Program, and Rancho High School.
Brad Friedmutter is the architect behind a number of Steve Wynn’s prominent casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada and Atlantic City, New Jersey. He obtained his degree in architecture in 1973 from the Cooper Union School of Architecture in lower Manhattan and worked on a number of smaller projects before connecting with Steve Wynn. After meeting the famous Vegas tycoon, Friedmutter built a number of well-known casinos, like the Golden Nugget and the Mirage. In this interview, he discusses the development of his numerous projects, explains his process for starting and completing architectural projects, and the future of urban planning and casino design.
On March 12, 1981, Kim Rhodes interviewed Mario C. Monaco (born in Italy) about his life as an educator in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the interview, Monaco speaks about his various teaching positions, how he ended up in Las Vegas, the changes seen in the Clark County School District and how it compares to educational districts throughout the nation. Moreover, Monaco discusses wages and teacher education opportunities, sports and extracurricular activities in school, community involvement, and racial integration through busing. Lastly, Monaco talks about his appointment to Director of Vocational Education in the Clark County School Districts, the programs offered by the vocational center in the valley and the importance of education.
Emilie Wanderer was the first woman to establish a law practice in Las Vegas. She also helped to start a family court in Nevada with a social worker and a marriage counselor on staff. She and her son John were the first mother-son team to practice law in Nevada.
An oral history statement conducted by herself. Lucile Whitehead Bunker (b. 1907 in Overton, Nevada), at the request of Doreen Day, provides an oral history statement about her experiences growing up and living in Southern Nevada. Bunker recalls her first experiences in Las Vegas and Overton and talks about her family, specifically about her mother, an ice cream maker, and father, the first assessor of Clark County. She then speaks about her various positions, including being a secretary at a school and law firm, a schoolteacher, and a deputy county clerk. She also describes her experiences as the wife of former Senator Berkeley Bunker, particularly living in Washington, D.C. where she met several presidents and attended several events with other lawmakers’ wives. Bunker additionally talks about her missionary work in her church and the various locations to which she travelled. She concludes the statement by talking about her interests in china painting, the early above-ground atomic testing, and the building of Hoover Dam.
From the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas, OH-00822. On March 10, 1981, Joseph L. Erb interviewed Ruth E. Hazard (born June 25th, 1907 in Marshall, Michigan) in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the time of the interview, Ruth had lived in Nevada for over forty years. Ruth discusses living and working in Las Vegas and Carson City, Nevada. She also covers various subjects including: the atomic tests and the growth of the hotel industry.