Oral history interview with Denise Lutey conducted by Barbara Tabach on February 27, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, University of Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV) campus officer Denise Lutey gives an account on the night of the October 1, 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. She discusses the campus security measures taken at UNLV in order to keep the campus secure and create a safe space for any survivors. She mentions the people who were involved in providing safety and resources for the survivors, including the officers and student workers. Officer Lutey also discusses the general campus response as well as the various resources offered to citizens to help them be prepared for an emergency situation, such as the Active Shooter Training provided on campus.
Ellen Barre Spiegel grew up in Jericho NY, a predominantly Jewish town in Long Island. Her ancestors had migrated to the United Sates prior to the outbreak of World War II. And for much of life her exposure to cultural diversity was limited. Ellen was born in 1962. She attended Cornell University, located in upstate New York, and graduated in 1984. Though the student population was 30% Jewish, the university expanded her knowledge of the world: her Protestant roommate explained that she had never met a Jew and Ellen replied, I have never met a WASP. Her college studies centered on consumer economics and she was a public policy major. Ellen was an early adopter of technology and her career path included positions at American Express, Prodigy (a joint venture of IBM and Sears), the Weather Channel, and Manufacturers Hanover Trust. Each company used her increasing experience with using technologies to improve connections with consumers. Ellen describes her Jewish identity as conservative and is a member of Midbar Kodesh Temple in Henderson. She talks about her bat mitzvah and her move back to New York to recite the mourner’s Kaddish for the year following the passing of her father. Later, she moved to Santa Monica, where she met Bill, her husband, using a new dating site called Luvitt AOL. After marriage, the couple saw financial advantages to living in Las Vegas and relocated their business and home to the valley in 2001. Soon Ellen noted that there was no active Democratic Club in Henderson and it became her mission to reignite the club. This launched a long list of political and civic accomplishments for Ellen. She has been an assemblyperson in the Nevada legislature (2008, 2013-2017). Her list of accomplishments and affiliations are on pages 46-47.