On February 7, 1977, collector Enrico Messina interviewed Edith Leavitt (born April 12th, 1924, in St. George, Utah) at her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. In this interview, Mrs. Leavitt talks about teaching in Southern Nevada, including in the Virgin Valley and in Las Vegas. She also discusses the changing education system in Southern Nevada during her time as an educator.
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Oral history interview with Robert Kim conducted by Kristel Peralta, Cecilia Winchell, Ayrton Yamaguchi, and Vanessa Concepcion on March 05, 2021 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Kim describes his career in law. He talks about his Korean roots, the model minority myth, and experiencing racial discrimination. Lastly, Kim discusses the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, his involvement with the Asian Bar Association of Las Vegas, and the importance of electing Asian Americans into political positions.
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Interview with Corinne Entratter Sidney by Claytee White on June 5, 2007. In this interview, Sidney talks about growing up with privilege in California, where her father served as the attorney general. She attended school at UCLA and took acting classes and signed with United Artists. She met Jack Entratter in Los Angeles and moved to Las Vegas and worked as a Copa Girl. She discusses Jack Entratter's generosity and influence in town, and his style, and their lifestyle together. She mentions the likes of Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne and Sammy Davis, Jr. and her extravagant life living at the Sands. After Jack's death in 1971, she moved back to Los Angeles, returned to acting, and wrote a newspaper column. On a visit to Las Vegas with George Sidney after Sidney's wife Jane died, Corinne and George began dating and were married shortly after. They moved back to Las Vegas together for a slower pace. She describes her love of Las Vegas and its continued growth.
Corinne Sidney's life story makes for fascinating reading. She was born in 1937, the daughter of Alice Polk, former Ziegfeld showgirl, and Carl Kegley, an attorney. She attended U. of C. Berkeley, transferred to UCLA, and was spotted by a talent scout who convinced her to enter a Miss USA contest. Corinne's runner-up status in the Miss USA contest led to job offers in acting, so she decided to study acting. This, along with her childhood lessons in ballet, piano, singing, tap dance and horseback riding, led to a contract with United Artists, freelance work, television parts, and plays. Around the age of 18, Corinne met Jack Entratter. Their relationship brought her to Las Vegas, where she worked as a showgirl at the Sands for a few months, and where she married Jack a few years later. They lived a fabulous lifestyle which included travel, beautiful homes, and friendships with noted celebrities. Corinne went back to acting in Los Angeles after Jack passed away, but then segued into writing a gossip column and hosting a television show. She reconnected with an old friend (George Sidney) by writing the obituary for his wife, and within a few months they were married. The Sidney's moved back to Las Vegas, where Corinne still makes her home today.
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This program accompanied the performance of the Broadway adaptation of the Diary of Anne Frank by the Nevada Conservatory Theatre. The program was produced by the Jewish Family Service Agency. It includes biographies of survivors living in Southern Nevada and an educational guide.
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The Lori Lipman Brown Papers date from 1975 to 2009 and document former Nevada State Senator Lori Lipman Brown's political career. It includes correspondence and materials from Brown's service as a Nevada State Senator from 1992 to 1994, case files from her defamation lawsuit against Nevada State Senator Kathy Augustine, and papers from her work opposing the Nevada Question 2 ballot measure on same-sex marriage in 2000. The collection also contains photocopies of biographical materials and personal and publicity photographs of Brown, as well as material from her time working with local high school and commmunity theatre programs.
Archival Collection
Christopher “Chris” Maestas (1965-2009) was an engaged educator and leader within the Chicano, Latinx, and Henderson communities. As he traced back his Latinx heritage, he explored his father’s hometown in Llaves, New Mexico, where he and his family were discriminated for their non-white demeanor; and his mother’s paternal Spanish roots; his grandfather came to work in Henderson, Nevada at the Basic Magnesium Industrial (BMI) plants during World War II. The Chicano and Spanish cultures played a significant part in defining his role within the community. For Chris, Chicanos were “people that lived in the southwestern United States particularly southern Colorado, New Mexico and northern Arizona that were originally Mexican citizens before the treaty (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo) was signed and then after the treaty was signed they became Americans.” In this interview, he dives into the difference between Chicano and Spanish cuisine and gives his own tips on how to make Spanish chile relleno. Chris discussed what life was like in Henderson living in Henderson Camp when his grandfather emigrated from Spain in 1943. He described the evolution of the Henderson community in the 50s through his parents’ experiences living in the Hispanic communities of Victory Village and Carver Park. During his childhood in the early 70s, Chris recalled living in Henderson when it was known as Basic and living in a small town-site house. One of his most special recollections was from the summer of 1980, when his family purchased their first set of air-conditioning units. As a passionate teacher and 1984 alumnus from Basic High School, he advocated student engagement as Student Council Advisor. Chris was also an active member of the St. Peter the Apostle, Catholic Church, Knights of the Columbus group and LUPE (Latinos United for Perfect Equality) Club. The LUPE club promoted equality for the Hispanic community and family values. Chris described their Saturday picnics at BMI Park and the annual Henderson Industrial Days festival.
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