From the Roosevelt Fitzgerald Professional Papers (MS-01082) -- Drafts for the Las Vegas Sentinel Voice file. On Black individuals serving in the U.S. military historically and now.
Sandra Peña’s story begins in East Los Angeles, where she spent her first fifteen years with her parents (both from Michoacán, Mexico), and her younger sister. The father's managerial position at Master Products allowed the family to live rent-free in a company-owned house behind the main factory, because he collected the rents for the company's two other dwellings. In this interview, Peña recalls the family move to Porterville, in California's Central Valley, her return to Los Angeles at nineteen, and her work with Parson’s Dillingham, a contractor for the Metrolink rail system. She draws the link between the Los Angeles and Las Vegas construction communities by describing her husband's move to Las Vegas to find work; a chance Las Vegas encounter with a friend from Chino, California; her ability to gain employment in Las Vegas at Parson’s, a company that had joint ventured with Parson’s Dillingham, and her move from there to Richardson Construction, a local minority-owned company. As Peña says, "It's kind of all intermingled. Even if you go here and you go there, it's like everybody knows everybody." Throughout, Peña weaves her family story into the narrative as she describes her youth, the birth of her son, the illness and death of her father, and her family's participation in her current employment with Richardson. As she remembers the people, places, and events of her life, Peña speaks to the ways one woman of color built on her interstate construction connections and rose in a male-dominated industry.
A black and white image of U.S. Marshal Claude Williams and his family in front of his office. The words "U.S. Marshal" are spelled out in white rocks in front of the building.
This photograph has three images. The first one, (0272_0011) depicts two people. It reads, "Georgia and I at entrance to top of dam. Head tower of massif government hi-line, to handle 50 ton sections of pipe," as a handwritten inscription. The second one, (0272_0012), also shows two people and reads "York and Georgia." The third one, (0272_0013) that's rotated reads "Another view of head tower of government line; notice large 6 cables it uses," as a handwritten inscription.
This photograph has three images. The first one (0272_0017) rotated to the left reads, "High mixing plant (blending and mixing plant," as a handwritten inscription. The second one (0272_0018) reads "Shay engine used at mixing plant. Instead of pistons or drivers, wheels are turned by screws; screw driven," as a handwritten inscription. The third one (0272_0019) is a picture of two people, and it reads, "York and Georgia at screening plant,"on the back.
This photograph has three images. The first one (0272_0093) is an upside-down picture that reads, "York, nice friend with a car. We would drive around and take some pictures." The second one (0272_0092) shows John Kizziar (left) and York (right). The third image (0272_0091) is a picture of John T. Kizziar.
Sign animation: Chasing, flashing, oscillating Notes: All of the bulbs, which reside in the fascia signs which designate entrances, oscillate rapidly. The entrance sign a bit closer to the north end of the property also contain the pan channel star shapes, with incandescent bulbs in the center. The bulbs which, reside on the widths edge of the small pole sign at the south end of the property, oscillate giving a twinkling effect. The main pylon's animation is rather simple considering the amount of lighting. Bulbs which create the dazzling background chase each other upward to the very point, then once they reach the top, each letter light up from left to right, one at a time, then off one letter at a time. The letters all turn on simultaneously while, while the background chases up, leaving the lights off in its trail. The text then shuts off as well. The small incandescent bulbs lacing the background of the main body of the sign oscillate subtly, twinkling themselves. Each letter of the text contains a single row of incandescent bulbs, just inside the border of the red neon. This row is always on in a chasing animation from left to right even when the letters are dark. The animation for the three sided, pole sign, at the north end of the property is adorned with sparkling animation as well. The purple bulbs, which create the border of the main base, chase each other from bottom to top, and the star shape in the center is filled with oscillating incandescent bulbs. The bulbs, which also encrust the bottom surface of the cabinet, oscillate as well. The incandescent bulbs, which adorn the background of the text portion of the sign, also sparkle with a soft random oscillating pattern. The stars which sit on top of the cabinet, animate in a random, non descriptive fashion. The inner star shaped pans oscillate with incandescent bulbs, and the neon borders flash on then off, in a clumsy random order. The three-sided sign also rotates, one of the few animatronic signs on the Strip.