Oral history interview with Tia Ka'auamo conducted by Jerwin Tiu and Stefani Evans on April 28, 2023 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islanders Oral History Project. In this interview, Tia Ka'auamo recalls her childhood in Hilo, Hawai'i, and in rural Makawao, Maui as the middle of three daughters born of a Korean-Japanese father and a Filipino-Okinawan mother. She discusses living in state-funded housing in Hawai'i, and with various family members due to difficult personal situations. Ka'auamo discusses earning a bachelor's degree in psychology, spending a summer study abroad in Berlin, Germany, and attending law school. She talks about learning Tagalog from her paternal grandmother, who was punished if she used her language in school, and questions the ways others use language, food, and culture proficiency to determine their identity. Ka'auamo moved to Las Vegas in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and currently works a legal records specialist for the Office of the City Attorney at the City of Las Vegas. She also recently organized the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Committee of city employees.
Fred Gibson was born on May 24, 1927 in Golden, Colorado. He studied Japanese at Yale University and he went to the University of Nevada, Reno. He ran Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada and was a trustee director of the Nevada Development Authority. He was very involved in the development of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas College of Engineering.
Oral history interview with So Ping "Suzy" Chan conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on May 20, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Wai-Mei Borgel served as an interpreter. In this interview, Chan describes her early life in Toisan, China, where her father owned a jewelry store but soon joined her grandfather in the United States. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chan recalls one of her brothers dying, and after the war their family left for Hong Kong, where Chan would grow up and finish her education. In 1963, Chan immigrated first to San Francisco, California, before moving down to Los Angeles, California, and working in a kitchen at a restaurant named Food to Go. After working various jobs in Los Angeles, Chan and her family eventually relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she would continue to work various culinary jobs and as a Pai Gow dealer. Chan discusses venturing into real estate and tells stories throughout the interview that reflect the hard-earned but fun-spirited life she has led.
Oral history interview with Elaine Newton conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Kristel Peralta, and Vanessa Concepcion on May 19, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Elaine Newton shares her family's history living in Hawaii and Japan, and memories from her childhood growing up with her six siblings in Honolulu. She talks about becoming a flight attendant for Pan American World Airways and how she met her former husband, Wayne Newton, after a stop in Vietnam. Elaine recalls their courtship and marriage as well as what Las Vegas life, fashion, and entertainment were like during the 1980s. She also speaks about racial discrimination and anti-asian violence in the past and present.