Oral history interview with Marihka "Minddie" Lloyd conducted by Kristel Peralta and Stefani Evans on June 15, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Minddie talks about her upbringing in Manila, Philippines by her paternal grandmother and sisters (her Lolas) and her immigration to the United States at a young age. her personal history and childhood, including abuse that she suffered and her time in foster homes and a girls' home, Olive Crest. Minddie discusses the mentors she met through Olive Crest and her move to Las Vegas as an adult where she met her husband, an undercover Las Vegas Metro officer. Minddie talks about her employment with Hawaiian Air Lines, her support of the Injured Police Officers' Fund, and the creation of "Bamboo Bridges," a nonprofit organization based in Henderson, Nevada that aids abused, trafficked Asian women. Minddie also shares how she and her husband both contracted COVID-19 in 2020, and the untimely death of her spouse the day Minddie was released from the hospital. She shares how this event caused her to convert from Catholicism to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the religion of her late husband.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Estelle and Julia Elliott conducted by Vanessa Concepcion and Stefani Evans on December 2, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Twins Estrellita "Estelle" and Julieta "Julia" Elliott share their personal histories growing up in Cebu City, Philippines with their grandparents. They discuss moving to the United States to live with their parents after the death of their grandfather, and how they preserved their "tricultural" Castilian Spanish, Filipino, and American identities. After graduating from Stevens College, an art and academic school in Missouri, Estelle recounts marrying her husband and moving to Las Vegas where she gave birth to her daughter. Julia shares how she followed Estelle a few years later to Las Vegas, and the two women share their experiences as entertainers on the Las Vegas Strip. Both Estelle and Julia joined Minsky's Burlesque before becoming a permanent act in Siegfried and Roy's show at the Frontier Hotel. They also discuss their performances with Kirby VanBurch at the Aladdin's Abracadabra Show, dancing at the Playboy Mansion, and how Siegfried and Roy helped to diversify Las Vegas entertainment by incorporating dancers and performers of color, like the King Charles Troupe, into their shows.
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Oral history interviews with Rozita Lee conducted by Stefani Evans, Cecilia Winchell, Kristel Peralta, Vanessa Concepcion, Jerwin Tiu, and Su Kim Chung on June 1, 2021, April 12, 2022, and May 18, 2023 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Rozita shares her experiences growing up on a sugar plantation with her family in Hawaii. She talks about the benefits her family received and the "privileged" life she led with her father as the plantation boss, allowing her household to have electricity, plumbing, and a telephone. Rozita discusses her use of Pidgin English amongst her peers and "good English" in her household, and the roles and responsibilities her parents had working on the plantation. She shares what life was like day to day and what she remembers growing up during World War II including hearing air raid sirens and hanging blackout curtains in her home. Rozita also talks about meeting her husband, Clifford Lee, in high school, their marriage in 1979, and how the couple came to move to Las Vegas. In the second interview, Lee discusses pursuing a bachelor's degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), working with Governor Miller and Bob Bailey, and her involvement in a Polynesian show at Imperial Palace for eighteen years.
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Oral history interview with Sarann Knight Preddy, Elizabeth Warren, and Woodrow Wilson conducted by Porter Troutman on July 19, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this forum, Knight, Warren, and Wilson discuss the history of West Las Vegas, Nevada. Knight recalls arriving to Las Vegas in 1942 and describes the African American experience at that time. She talks about being the first woman of color to receive a gaming license, dealing cards, and the city ordinance which banned African American dealers. Wilson remembers the living conditions before federal housing and race restrictive covenants in housing. Then, Warren talks about the city's early years, the history of discrimination against African Americans in the city, and the significance of the railroad in Las Vegas. The group answers questions asked by audience members throughout the duration of the forum.
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Oral history interview with Gene Noboru Nakanishi conducted by Ayrton Yamaguchi, Cecilia Winchell, and Stefani Evans on April 2, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Gene Nakanishi shares his detailed family history from both his father's and his mother's families. He discusses his paternal grandfather's work on the Union Pacific Railroad, the family's internment in Wyoming during World War II, and his father's release from the camp by joining the United States Army Signal Corps. Nakanishi also talks of his maternal grandfather who was of the Bushido ("warrior") class in Osaka, Japan, and his grandfather's work with Christian missionaries. He shares details of his mother's restaurant employment in Los Angeles and her opening of Osaka Japanese Bistro in Las Vegas in 1969. Nakanishi also talks about being born and raised in Las Vegas, his musical schooling at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and his graduate education at Harvard University. He discusses his work as a band teacher for the Clark County School District, his involvement in the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program band camp, and his interests in jazz music.
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Oral history interview with Miriam Shearing conducted by Claytee D. White on August 15 and September 6, 2017 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
Justice Miriam Shearing is the first female member of the Nevada Supreme Court. She talks about her move to Las Vegas in 1968 and the difficulties she faced early on as a woman in the profession of law. Shearing shares how she successfully became a Justice Court Judge and recalls memories from her time on the Supreme Court. She also talks about her husband, Steven Paul Shearing, an ophthalmologist who invented the lens necessary for Lasik eye surgery.
Subjects discussed in first session include: Jim Joyce; Helen Foley; Board of Pardons.
Subjects discussed in second session include: Judge Guy; President Carter; child abuse
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Oral history interview with Alan Stock conducted by Barbara Tabach on December 27, 2017 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Alan Stock discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1999 for his job as a radio talk show host for KXNT. Stock describes the broadcast that covered the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting from 11 PM on that night until 9 AM the next morning. He talks about some of the calls the station received from various members of the community, including survivors of the shooting, families of those at the event, people on lockdown in the nearby hotels, doctors, and general listeners. Stock describes some of the topics discussed on the broadcast, such as what was currently happening on the Las Vegas Strip, stories of the aftermath, and the support needed from the general public. Other topics include gun control and conspiracy theories. He discusses the impact this and other shootings would have on public affairs, including tighter security in daily living and public gatherings. He compares security in the United States to security in Israel and other countries, focusing on the idea of unconcealed guns worn in public. Throughout this interview, Alan Stock explains that the radio station's goal was to provide accurate information to the public during the aftermath of the October 1, 2017 mass shooting.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Ruby Amie Pilot, Eva G. Simmons, Melvin Sanders, Jarmilla McMillan-Arnold, Hannah Brown, Sonny Thomas, and Claytee White conducted by Vegas PBS on April 01, 2013, April 02, 2013, April 12, 2013, and November 19, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In these interviews, the participants discuss their early lives and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. Pilot talks about segregation on the Las Vegas Strip, integration, and the importance of church activities in the African American community. Simmons describes her career as a teacher, the schools on the Westside, and businesses on Jackson Street. Thomas describes the funeral industry and his role as a funeral director. McMillan-Arnold talks about segregated Las Vegas, African American entertainers, and the issue of homelessness on the Westside. Brown remembers growing up on the Westside, segregated schools, and her role as President of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women – Las Vegas chapter. Lastly, Sanders discusses his childhood in Las Vegas, being the son of a preacher, and the redevelopment of the Westside.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jill Roberts conducted by Barbara Tabach and Claytee D. White on March 20, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Jill Roberts discusses her position as the CEO of the Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) of Southern Nevada. She also delves into her part-time work at the coroner's office as a death investigator and discusses her personal background in Las Vegas, Nevada after she moved to the city in 1977. She describes the role TIP had during the aftermath of the October 1, 2017 mass shooting, where well-trained volunteers were dispatched to hotels, hospitals, and anywhere else the survivors reached in order to provide emotional and practical support. Throughout the interview, Roberts emphasizes that the assistance provided to those in a traumatic event depends on each individual's needs. She shares a few examples of what the TIP volunteers had helped with after the shooting, including listening to the survivors' stories as well as providing information on the situation, helping separated loved ones find each other, arranging travel for some survivors to go back to their homes, and procuring clothes and shoes for those who needed them. Roberts also discusses the gratitude TIP had received after the shooting, including the thank you cards sent by Sandy Hook High School.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews of Westside School alumni conducted by Claytee D. White on March 20, March 29, April 27, and June 22, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
Alumni of the Historic Westside School of Las Vegas, also known as the Las Vegas Grammar School, gathered in 2010 to celebrate the official registration of the school as a historic site in the city. These alumni discussed their education, what they remember of the school, their teachers, and what life was like in Las Vegas at that time.
The individuals interviewed are: Jackie Y. Brantley, Eugene Buford, Margaret (Addison) Coleman, Regina Cone, Shirley Edmond, Frank Harris, Otis Harris, Tisha Harris, Willie B. (Jones) Jackson, Jerry Neal, Sadie Marie Prentiss, Calvin Wallace Jr., Nathaniel Whaley, and Cleophis Williams.
Archival Collection