Oral history interview with Martin Lopez-Castillo conducted by Nathalie Martinez, Elsa Lopez, and Barbara Tabach on January 11, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Martin Lopez Castillo was born in a small town in the State of Mexico. He immigrated to Phoenix, Arizona in the early '90s where he worked in construction and landscaping. Eventually, he made his way to Colorado where he began working as a cook. He moved to Las Vegas with his family in the early 2000s where he arrived in Las Vegas’ Downtown. He worked in the mine by Primm, Nevada before becoming a gardener. His work has allowed him to see the changes that have happened in Southern Nevada, and he recounts the changes that have happened in Downtown Las Vegas since the 2008 recession. He is a self-taught English speaker and an avid chess collector. Subjects discussed include: Immigration, Chess, Landscaping, Teaching, and Downtown Las Vegas.
Oral history interview with Kelly Benavidez conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón on January 29, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez also participates in the questioning. Kelly Benavidez is originally from San Francisco, California. Benavidez arrived in Las Vegas after her family spent two years in Mexico so her and her brother could learn Spanish. Benavidez and her family have remained in Las Vegas ever since. Kelly attended Area Technical Trade School for hotel management, and was then recruited by Mesa State College in Colorado. She currently works for Commissioner Lawrence Weekly. Her list of community involvement is extensive: Las Vegas-Clark County Library District Board, the Fernando Vargas Foundation, Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, Hispanics in Politics, Latina Network, among others. Subjects discussed include: Las Vegas, Commissioner Weekly, New York New York construction accident, and Spanish Language.
The Walter Cartier Papers (1962-1998) primarily contain materials collected by Walter Cartier during his time working as company manager of Bal du Moulin Rouge at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada. Materials include posters, show programs, and costume drawings as well as photographs, and slides of the show's opening night performance. Other images in the collection include reference photographs of performers in costumes. Other materials in this collection include show costumes designed by French costume designer, Edward Piekny, various costume designs created by Cartier, and a copy of his curriculum vitae from 1987. Programs for shows performed in 1962 at Casa Mañana Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas are also included in the collection.
Oral history interview with Dick Franco conducted by Su Kim Chung on July 14, 2021 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Richard Francis or Dick Franco, his stage name by which he is more commonly known, has been juggling for over 50 years, having learned the art while he was still in high school. Taught by prominent juggling legends in Vaudeville and Las Vegas, Franco would go on to perform all over the world. He began as an opening act with the Harlem Globetrotters in the US, but he then traveled Europe and was featured in variety and production shows in Blackpool, London, Monte Carlo, and Berlin among others.
Franco won specialty awards in Monte Carlo and Paris for his juggling prowess. In the US, Franco performed extensively in Las Vegas at the shows Hallelujah Hollywood, Lido de Paris, Folies Bergere and Jubilee. He then performed many shows in Branson, MO before becoming an entertainment agent and producer in Las Vegas. His wife and daughter traveled all over the world with him and both would perform in his acts.
Oral history interview with James Harris Johnson III conducted by Claytee D. White on May 6, 2021 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Johnson was born in Las Vegas where his father landed as a result of his Air Force career. His mother's work as a short-time horticulturist at the MGM Mirage led to a scholarship for his higher education at University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV).
After graduating, Johnson left Las Vegas to advance his career, working as an anchor in Laredo, Texas; Bakersfield, California; and Omaha, Nebraska.
Racism in Omaha was more overt and damaging than in other cities, thus prompting Johnson and his family to move back to Las Vegas and resume the work he loves. To his credit, Johnson has earned three Emmy Awards because of his artistry in anchoring, reporting, editing, shooting, interviewing, producing, and writing. James Johnson presently works as a cameraman/photojournalist for Channel 3 CBS News.
Subjects discussed include: Channel 3; Fox 5; Emmy Awards; Bakersfield; and MGM Scholarship
Oral history interview with Elgin Holbert Jr. conducted by Claytee D. White on April 28, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Elgin Holbert Jr. discusses growing up in the Westside community of Las Vegas, the activities he participated in as a child, community leaders he admired, and his observations of mixed family life (as his father was Black and his mother was white). Elgin also speaks of his work as a Red Cap on the Union Pacific Railroad (UPR), his time at Nevada Power, and his experience dealing cards at various Las Vegas casinos including the Riviera Hotel and Casino (for 15 years), the Tropicana Las Vegas (for 15 years), and the Treasure Island Hotel (for 20 years).
Subjects discussed include: Viola Cunningham; Union Pacific Railroad; Riviera Hotel and Casino; Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel Casino; Treasure Island Hotel; Cotton Bowl; Jimmy Gay; Jefferson Recreational Center; and Eleanor Walker
The Elizabeth and Charles Pratt Personal Papers consist of correspondence, travel information, and photographs from the Pratt family dating from 1895 to 1953. The majority of correspondence in the collection is between Charles Pratt and his wife, Alice Elizabeth Margaret "Diane" Pratt. The collection also contains correspondence between Elizabeth Pratt's parents and her literary journals from her time attending Swarthmore College, in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
Oral history interview with Yvanna Cancela conducted by Monserrath Hernández and Barbara Tabach on February 27, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Yvanna Cancela, Nevada State Senator, discusses her personal history growing up in Miami, Florida and her studies at Northwestern University. She talks of working for Senator Harry Reid's campaign in Las Vegas, which led to her organizing efforts for the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Yvanna recalls being appointed to the Nevada State Senate in 2016 as the first female state senate majority. In addition to fulfilling her duties as the Co-Majority Whip, she worked on the Joe Biden campaign and is the Executive Director of the Citizenship Project. After this interview was conducted, Yvanna received her Juris Doctorate from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Subjects discussed include: Miami, Florida; Nevada State Senate; The Citizenship Project
Oral history interview with Sandra Candel conducted by Elsa Lopez, Monserrath Hernández, and Barbara Tabach on October 03, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Sandra Candel talks of her childhood growing up with her grandparents in Guadalajara, Jalisco after her mother immigrated to America. She moved to California to attend university before moving to Salt Lake City, Utah, where she raised her children and began homeschooling them. This path led to Sandra opening a Montessori school, igniting her interest in education. She talks of her pursuit of both a Masters Degree from Drexel University and a Doctoral Degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Sandra concludes her interview with discussion of her research and current employment as a part-time instructor for the Department of Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies at UNLV.
Subjects discussed include: Guadalajara; Salt Lake City, Utah; Sensitive Teaching Practices; Multi-generational families
The Dennis McBride Collection on Las Vegas, Nevada LGBTQ Organizations (approximately 1984-2008) contains photographs, magazines, and documents relating to various LGBTQ organizations and events in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photographs of prominent community members, including Strutt Hurley, William "Bill" Schafer, Rob Schlegel, and Dennis McBride attending events such as National Coming Out Day and pageants organized by the Southern Nevada Association of Pride, Inc. (SNAPI). Also included in the collection are magazines, newspaper clippings, and documents relating to various issues such as Nevada's "Question 2", a ballot measure that prevented same-sex marriages from being conducted or recognized in Nevada; offical reports on the AIDS epidemic; and student organizations like Students for an Equal America (SEA) and Human Understanding Despite Differences Lifts Everyone (HUDDLE). This collection also contains digital scans of some of the photographs in the collection.