Herb Jeffries, a renaissance man, loved life and lived it well. A consummate professional, Jeffries excelled as a singer, actor, businessman, and lover of the finer things in life. He appreciated good literature, art, culturally-diverse food selections, freedom, and worthwhile conversation. The pioneering black singing cowboy, was born Umberto Valentino in Detroit, Michigan on September 24, 1913. His career as an entertainer began as a teenager in Chicago, singing with Earl “Fatha” Hines. Next came the movie career and then back to the stage in 1939 with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. By the early 1950s, he had moved to France and opened a popular jazz club in Paris and another in southern France. According to this interview, these clubs drew “beautiful people” from all over the world. Jeffries’ career moved from performances in the American South restricted to tobacco warehouse and black-only movies theatres to starring in numerous movies leading ultimately to a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The most famous of his five wives was Tempest Storm the burlesque star and motion picture actress. Herb Jeffries made his transition, leaving behind his fifth wife, at 100 years of age on May 25, 2014.

Gladys Neville's story begins in Crowley, Louisiana, in 1915. She grew up as one of eleven children, graduated from high school in 1933, and entered nursing school at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. After earning her RN in 1937, she continued to work at Charity for four years, then joined the Army and served in the European Theater for three years. Gladys details her experience in nursing school, explaining that students were given on-the-job training. With that training and four years of nursing after that, she was well qualified to join the 24th General Hospital overseas deployment in WWII. It was during her stay in Florence, Italy, that she was married and not too long after that, the war ended and she and her husband were transferred back to the States. Her husband's work for Bank of America took them to Laguna Beach, Salt Lake City, and Idaho Falls. Their children were bom during this period and Gladys took a 20 year hiatus from nursing. In 1962 they moved to Las Vegas and in 1964 Gladys decided to take a refresher course at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital (now University Medical Center). After that refresher course, Gladys was hired for a full-time day shift at UMC. She and the interviewer share many details about the hospital's physical appearance, the staffing, location of surgeries and burn units, and how the RN's encouraged LPN's to continue their training and become nurses. Gladys concludes her interview with further recollections of her military nursing experience. She also gives more details about her war-time wedding. Among her final comments, she mentions the stress of working full time when her husband was ill.

Photographs from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Creative Services Records (2010s) (PH-00388-05).

Photographs from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Creative Services Records (2010s) (PH-00388-05). Client: Carrie Ahlborn, UNLV Foundation

Photographs from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Creative Services Records (2010s) (PH-00388-05).

Photographs from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Creative Services Records (2010s) (PH-00388-05). Client: Laurel Knox, Office of the President

Henry Jiminez was born in Torrance, California, in 1985. His family lived in Long Beach until he was 13, with the exception of six months spent in Mexico. They moved to Las Vegas and bought a home here in July of 1998. Henry completed middle school and high school in Las Vegas. In his freshman year, he got involved in student government, played basketball and tennis, and was in the Key Club and the Latino Club. He earned a high enough GPA to get the Millennium Scholarship. When he arrived at UNLV, Henry continued with his interest in campus politics, joined the first Latino fraternity, and developed an interest in women's studies. He was a senator for 2 years and took over the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee at one point. He served on many other committees and made time in his busy schedule to attend as many student organization meetings as he could. Henry graduated in May of 2006 and immediately left to intern in Washington, D.C., with Senator Harry Reid. His other goals included studying for the LSAT, and eventually entering law school.