Oral history interview with Julian Eusebio conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on June 01, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Eusebio discusses his childhood in the Philippines countryside, helping his parents farm and harvest rice. After moving to Manila for college, Eusebio studied architecture and illustrated for comics and magazines. After moving to Los Angeles, California, Eusebio started a construction business, doing landscapes and constructing swimming pools for celebrities such as Michael Jackson. In 1992, he opened another branch in Las Vegas, Nevada. After retiring in 2010, Eusebio took up painting again and cites his favorite artists as Norman Rockwell and Rembrandt. In the remainder of the interview, he discusses his drawing process and how he started showing his artwork throughout the Las Vegas Clark County Library District.

A loose paper version of "Law School Study for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas" by Willard H. Pedrick and Lorne Seidman, photocopied from the Southwestern-Nevada Law Review, Volume 10, 1978. From the University of Nevada, Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law Records (UA-00048).

Not many sixteen-year-olds assume the roles of father and mother to three younger siblings (one an infant), graduate from high school on time, and earn a full-ride scholarship (plus a loan) to a prestigious university. One such sixteen-year-old was Washington, D.C., native DeRuyter O. Butler, Executive Vice President of Architecture, Butler/Ashworth Architects, Ltd., LLC, and formerly Executive Vice President, Architecture, of Wynn Design & Development, LLC, and Director of Architecture, Atlandia Design & Furnishings, Inc. Determined to do right on behalf of his siblings and himself, Butler recruited his grandmother and enrolled in Catholic University, earning his B.S. in Architecture in 1977 while working overtime at the U.S. Post Office, buying a house in Maryland, and supporting his family. His first professional job in Philadelphia required him to rethink his living arrangements. Partnering with his sister, who assumed childcare duties during the week in Maryland, Butler lived in New Jersey during the week and commuted to Maryland on the weekends. After four years in that position and a short stint of being unemployed, in 1982 he became a draftsperson for Steve Wynn's Atlandia Design in Atlantic City. After he had worked with architects Joel Bergman and Paul Steelman in Atlantic City for four years, Wynn moved Atlandia Design to Las Vegas. Butler followed in 1986, bringing with him his grandmother and his youngest brother. In this interview, Butler discusses his unusual career path; the challenges of responding to and anticipating entertainment and recreation market trends; Wynn's insistence on always striving for "better"; and the importance of concealing service infrastructure in order to create the ultimate guest experience. He emphasizes Wynn's leadership in the gaming industry and with Clark County and the City of Las Vegas. He speaks to lessons learned from designing The Mirage, Bellagio, the Wynn, Wynn Palace, and Encore. Finally, he describes real-world limitations to building such as drought and historic water rights; traffic patterns, ride-hailing companies, and parking restrictions, and flight patterns and building heights.

Ron Lawrence is one of the busiest people in the gay community, so I want him to know how much I appreciate his reserving time for me so that I could complete this oral history interview. The importance of his work toward the well-being of the gay community in Las Vegas cannot be measured, and much of what he's accomplished and otherwise made possible will live long after he leaves us. With Ron's consent to this interview, our knowledge of Nevada's gay history is greatly enriched and our record preserved.