Oral history interview with Juliana Chen conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on March 21, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Juliana Chen shares her upbringing in Hunan, China and her experiences as a teenager training to become a professional ballet dancer. She discusses her rigorous training and troupe career that ended when Chen sustained a knee injury. With a desire to try something new while still being able to perform, Chen immigrated to Vancouver, Canada and began practicing magic. Chen shares that although she didn't know anyone or speak English, she practiced her craft and broadened her knowledge by joining professional organizations including the International Brotherhood of Magicians. After winning several magic competitions, Chen performed on the Las Vegas Strip at Caesar's Palace and the Riviera Hotel and Casino. She shares her current professional pursuits, her connection to the Las Vegas magician community, and her thoughts on Chinese culture and cuisine.
Oral history interview with September Sarno conducted by David Schwartz on October 06, 2007 for the Remembering Jay Sarno Oral History Project. In this interview, Sarno discusses her early life and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of five. She remembers living at her father’s hotels growing up, the lifestyle she was born into, and the final months before the passing of Jay Sarno. Lastly, Sarno talks about the impact that her father has had in Southern Nevada.
Oral history interview with Frances Faye on December 30, 1974 with an unknown interviewer for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection.
In this interview, Frances Faye shares memories of performing as a cabaret singer in the 1930s. She talks about her entertaining career at several clubs in New York and various other locations including the Yacht Club, the Hickory House, Club Calet, and other venues. Faye recalls songs she wrote and performances across the United States including those in Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; Las Vegas, Nevada; and various locations within California. Faye reminisces with the interviewer about people they know in show business and briefly recounts a hip injury she sustained at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, causing her to stop performing for over nine years.
The Barbara Cloud Personal Papers date from approximately 1880 to 2004 and consist of Cloud's personal research into her family history, as well as her early work as a graduate student at the University of Washington. The collection contains Cloud's thesis manuscript, published doctoral dissertation, and an award given to Cloud by Washington State Historical Society. Materials also include reproductions of family photographs, research files, copies of J. A. Slover's autobiography later published by Cloud and her mother, and Slover's original handwritten autobiography from 1907.
The Las Vegas LGBTQ Community Center of Southern Nevada Audiovisual Collection contains seventeen VHS tapes which contain recordings of "Beyond the Rainbow" a Gay and Lesbian Center of Southern Nevada Cable show; the LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada 1998 and 1999 Honorariums; and news program relating to "Pride Ride 2000." "Beyond the Rainbow" was a weekly cable show sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada created not just to reach the LGBTQ+ community, but anyone interested in learning more about the community and the issues faced by its members. Programming explored a number of topics including employment, personal safety, families, relationships, diversity, and spirituality.
The Catherine Compton Scrapbook Pages (1945) contain pages from Catherine Compton's scrapbook documenting the period of time she lived in Las Vegas, Nevada from April to July 1945 with her husband Ross when he attended the B-29 Flexible Gunnery School as part of his training assignments with the U.S. Army Air Corps. The materials include a postcard and dinner menu from the Hotel Last Frontier where the Comptons celebrated their first anniversary dinner. The scrapbook pages include postcards for locations the couple visited around Southern Nevada including Fremont Street, the Union Depot, and the Boulder Dam. Also included is a newspaper clipping and ribbon from the annual Helldorado Days Parade and two photograph reproductions of the Comptons.
Oral history interview with Avril "Juanita" Simmons and Fred "Bubba" Simmons conducted by Claytee D. White on May 21, 1996 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection.
In this interview, husband and wife Bubba and Juanita Simmons talk about their separate moves from Fordyce, Arkansas to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s and their impressions of the city after moving. Bubba shares stories of his employment at the Basic Magnesium, Inc. plant in Henderson and his experiences living in tents on the Westside, traveling to work with the help of Red Mitchell, and sharing living spaces with nine to ten other men. Juanita discusses her work as a family's caregiver and speaks to the kinds of occupations Black women obtained in Las Vegas at that time. The couple share stories of city life and the clubs, eateries, and shops that were present in the area.
Oral history interview with Tina Kwan conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Stefani Evans, and Jerwin Tiu on March 19, 2022 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Tina Kwan memorializes her late sister, Wendy Kwan, sharing stories of Wendy's life and experiences as the oldest child of first generation immigrant parents. Wendy helped complete her family's paperwork to open a restaurant at the age of 13, worked at the restaurant on weekends, and babysat Tina throughout the week. Tina shares Wendy's aspirations to become a fashion designer and the circumstances that led to Wendy's death. Tina also discusses how her sister's death impacted their family and her own life journey, her grieving process, and some of her favorite memories with Wendy.
Oral history interview with Geraldine Kirk-Hughes conducted by Claytee D. White on April 28, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
In this interview, Geraldine Kirk-Hughes discusses her educational background, previous occupations, and her decision to attend law school in Reno, Nevada in 1984. Kirk-Hughes shares details of passing the bar exam in 1988, opening her one-woman law firm shortly thereafter, and her affiliation with the National Bar Association (NBA). She recalls how she met Charles Kellar, various cases she represented, and her experiences with racism both directed at herself and her clients of color.
Oral history interview with Freddie Sarno conducted by David Schwartz on February 09, 2010 for the Remembering Jay Sarno Oral History Project. In this interview, Sarno discusses his earliest recollections in Las Vegas, Nevada and the lifestyle he had growing up. He talks about the divorce of his parents, living in a Circus Circus Hotel and Casino suite, and the initial planning for The Grandissimo. Lastly, Sarno describes his father’s legacy in Las Vegas and his passing in 1984.