Oral history interview with Rose Miztri and Rachel Parker conducted by Claytee D. White on March 07, 2016 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Miztri discusses growing up in La Puente, California and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1978. She describes her experiences in the United States Army and talks about being involved in a motorcycle accident. Parker talks about her upbringing and describes her experience being transgender while attending high school in Chicago, Illinois. Parker then recalls her first impressions of Las Vegas, Nevada in 1990 and why she was unable to get a job because of her sexuality. Later, Miztri and Parker discuss assisting transgender youth with housing, employment, and becoming comfortable in a society where tolerance and understanding of different sexual identities are constantly evolving. Lastly, both explain their involvement with Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), an international educational organization aimed to bring awareness on sexual identities.
The Robert L. Forbuss papers (1945-2011) are comprised of the personal papers of Las Vegas, Nevada educator and businessman, Robert L. "Bob" Forbuss. The collection materials include photographs of Forbuss throughout his life, including his early childhood, as well as some photographs of his mother, Marjorie Forbuss, during the 1940s and 1950s. The collection documents Forbuss's early childhood through adulthood and includes materials such as personal correspondence and Forbuss's baby book. There are also papers documenting Forbuss's professional life including his involvement with local politics and businesses. The collection includes records for J&B Strategic Alliances, LLC., a consulting company that he co-founded with former Las Vegas mayor, Jan Jones.
Jon Sparer is an architect in Las Vegas, Nevada who has worked on numerous hotels and casinos. He moved to Las Vegas in July 1981 and worked for the architecture firm Rissman and Rissman before joining Marnell Corrao. After briefly retiring in 1999, Sparer opened his own architecture firm and was contacted by Congregation Ner Tamid (of which he was a casual member) to design their new temple in Green Valley. He was also the architect for the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada (“The Center”) in Las Vegas.