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Theresa Thomas interview, March 13, 1995: transcript

Date

1995-03-13

Description

Thomas discusses her early life in Thistle, Utah before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in approximately 1931, where her father worked on the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam) construction. Thomas then talks about her early schooling in Boulder City, Nevada, her experiences as a swing and dance band musician, Block 16 in the Clark Las Vegas Townsite, and her memories of Las Vegas hotels and casinos. Other subjects Thomas covers include Las Vegas entertainers, entertainment venues, and women in the music industry during the 1930s.

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Interview with Bennie Reilley, Sr., May 10, 2004

Date

2004-05-10

Description

Narrator affiliation: Downwinder (Western Shoshone); Security guard; Protester
Access note: May not quote in any form without written permission from interviewee

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Cecia Alvarado oral history interview: transcript

Date

2020-09-15

Description

Oral history interview with Cecia Alvarado conducted by Barbara Tabach on September 15, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Cecia describes her personal history, moving to the United States as a teen in the year 2000. She talks of immigration, education, and her work as the State Director of "Mi Familia Vota."

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Nathalie Martinez oral history interview: transcript

Date

2021-06-24

Description

Oral history interview with Nathalie Martinez conducted by Rodrigo Vazquez and Barbara Tabach on June 24, 2021 for Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Nathalie Martinez, one of the original members of the Latinx Voices project team, dicusses her personal history and the history of her parents who immigrated to the United States from Colombia and El Salvador. She shares her educational background and experiences working as an interviewer for the Latinx Voices project before its culmination and her graduation in 2021. Nathalie also talks about her work on the project's podcast and her work linguistically translating the interviews from Spanish to English.

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Edith Fernandez oral history interview: transcript

Date

2018-09-27

Description

Oral history interview with Edith Fernandez conducted by Marcela Rodriguez-Campo and Claytee D. White on September 27, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Fernandez discusses her upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada and growing up in the Charleston Heights neighborhood. She recalls living in a predominantly white community, and the growth of Latinx families in that area. Fernandez talks about her educational experience in the city, her father's involvement with Culinary Worker Union Local 226, and identifying as a Chicana American. Later, Fernandez remembers her involvement with opening the Cambridge Center, working with the Latino Youth Leadership Conference (LVLC), and becoming the District Director for Representative Steven Horsford. Lastly, Fernandez discusses her role as the Associate Vice President at Nevada State College (NSC).

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Economic Opportunity Board of Clark County (Nev.) financial and budget reports

Date

1968-01 to 1968-06

Description

From the Clark County Economic Opportunity Board Records -- Series I. Administrative. This folder contains financial memos and reports of the Clark County Economic Opportunity Board from January 1968 through June 1968. 

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Transcript of interview with Liliam Lujan Hickey by Layne Karafantis, March 18, 2010, & March 25, 2010

Date

2010-03-18
2010-03-25

Description

Liliam Lujan Hickey is best known in the state of Nevada for being the first Hispanic woman elected to the State Board of Education as well as for the enormous contributions she made while serving from 1998 to 2000. For this, an elementary school in Clark County bears her name. Despite many obstacles, Liliam has continually dedicated herself to standing up for the causes she believes in, such as providing preschool education to the underprivileged, preparing youth to enter the workforce, helping other Hispanics run for office, and proving that with enough courage anyone can accomplish their dreams. Born in Havana, Cuba in 1932, Liliam led a sheltered life that revolved mostly around her studies at a French Dominican school. She met her first husband, Enrique Lujan, when she was only sixteen and they wed soon after. Enrique was twelve years her senior, owned many casinos on the island, and provided a luxurious existence for Liliam and their three children. However, this lifestyle abruptly changed when Castro assumed power in 1959 and Liliam and her family were compelled to relocate to the United States. In Miami, Enrique assisted other refugees financially, hoping that his wealth would remain secure in Cuba. He was wrong. This left the family destitute. In addition to casinos, Enrique had been Cuba?s coach for the Olympics. He moved the family to York, Pennsylvania, where he hoped to find work at the York Barbell Company. Liliam, who had been accustomed to having maids and nannies in Cuba, found herself doing all the housework while she also worked in a factory. The change could not have been more dramatic and the living conditions became unbearable. The family chose to move to San Diego in a Volkswagen Minivan with the hope for a better life. The next few years brought many transitions. Things did turn around in San Diego, and Liliam she recalls her years in southern California as some of the happiest of her life. Liliam found a job working at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla. After a few years, Enrique found a job in Las Vegas and the family moved again. In Las Vegas, Liliam gave birth to her fourth child, Mary, and life once again became financially difficult for the family. In 1972, the situation grew worse with Enrique?s untimely death. Liliam was a widow at forty years of age. She had to teach herself how to drive a car, write checks, and perform financial tasks that Enrique had insisted on managing while he was alive. Determined not to give up, however, she worked tirelessly to keep the family together. Amidst all this, a friend introduced Liliam to Tom Hickey, and after a brief courtship they were married in 1981. Within a few years, Liliam became active in politics, running for the State Board of Education. Her campaign manager advised her that voters would not be receptive to photos of a Hispanic woman on billboards, and to capitalize on the name “Hickey,” which was a recognizable name because her husband was an assemblyman. She took the manager?s advice and was elected in that campaign and for two more terms, the maximum limit for the office. After the first race, she proudly displayed her face on billboards across the state. During her time at the State Board of Education, Liliam dedicated herself to helping all children receive a better education in Nevada, not only Hispanics. She co-founded the Classroom on Wheels [COW] program, which brought buses to poor neighborhoods to provide pre-school education. She established Career Day, which pairs high schools students with business professionals in an effort to help them make the transition into the workforce. While the COW program is no longer running, 8 Career Day still operates and awards scholarships in Liliam?s name annually, which helps youth receive the educational opportunities they need to succeed. And she involved Hispanic youth in Boy Scouts by bringing ScoutReach to the Las Vegas valley. Lujan Hickey worked in a wide array of other community organizations. In the 1970s, she began to work with Circulo Cubano, which later became the Latin Chamber of Commerce, and she would later belong to the National Chamber of Commerce. A longstanding member of the League of Women Voters, Liliam saw the need to get Hispanics more involved in politics in the state. Her story is one of great inspiration, and when asked why she does it, she simply replies with a smile, “I love life.” Hickey?s narrative offers the reader a glimpse of the experiences of the Cuban refugee experience in the U.S. in general. Specific to Las Vegas, it provides a rare story of the experiences of early Latinas in the political and economic development of Las Vegas in the last half of the twentieth century.

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The Story of Classic Las Vegas Oral History Interviews

Identifier

MS-01075

Abstract

The Story of Classic Las Vegas Oral History Interviews (approximately 1950-2006) is comprised of raw and edited video recordings of oral history interviews used for The Story of Classic Las Vegas documentary which was produced, directed, and edited by Lynn Zook. The documentary offers first person historical overviews of what it was like to live in Las Vegas, Nevada from the 1920s to the 1970s. Individuals interviewed include a wide range of community members of the Las Vegas Valley including business owners, educators, entertainers, politicians, gaming professionals, casino workers, and activists. Materials also include a media kit with promotional materials and interview transcript for one of the interviewees, Betty Willis.

Archival Collection

Bob Coffin Political Papers

Identifier

MS-01054

Abstract

The Bob Coffin Political Papers (approximately 1861-2021) document the political career of independent Democrat Bob Coffin who served in the Nevada Assembly, State Senate, and Las Vegas City Council from 1983 to 2019. Collection materials primarily consist of legislative research files associated with Coffin's committee assignments. City Council records in this collection include budget files, constituent concerns, and city project files. The collection also includes election materials used for Coffin's political campaigns and include posters, mailers, as well as newspaper clippings and information on Coffin's opponents.

Archival Collection

Thomas Hickey Political Papers

Identifier

MS-00260

Abstract

The Thomas Hickey Political Papers (1964-1996) contain the professional files of Hickey’s career as a Nevada State Assemblyman and Senator. Materials include constituent correspondence, voting records, memoranda, newspaper clippings, bills, and research documentation on topics such as the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), education, health, prisons, finance, and Nevada infrastructure. The collection highlights Hickey’s role on committees including finance, transportation, government affairs, and ways and means.

Archival Collection