Oral history interview with Junior Fonotisatele conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on November 10, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Junior discusses his Samoan background and the importance of strong family values. He talks about his early years in Utah and California before moving to Las Vegas where he attended and graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Junior shares his employment history as a bodyguard for Floyd Mayweather, an entrepreneur of a clothing brand, and an investor into a range of ventures including security, solar energy, and mental health. He concludes with a discussion of Samoan cultural celebrations, his religion, and the significance of his tattoos.
Shawn Willis grew up outside of Detroit, Michigan and a graduate of University of Detroit Mercy. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2004. Since moving she converted to judaism. She held the position of Director of the Jewish National Fund of Las Vegas from 2015 to 2017. She also has been a member of UNLV Foundation’s President’s Associates Council.
Oral history interviews with Sandra Blake Toles conducted by Claytee D. White on November 13, 2018 and November 28, 2018 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In the first interview, Toles discusses her early life in Enid, Oklahoma and growing up in a family of ten children. She talks about her father being an ordained bishop in the Pentecostal Church, the significance of religion in her family, and the religious community she grew up in. Toles remembers her husband’s service in the United States Air Force, being stationed at Nellis Air force Base in 1966, and purchasing their first home in Las Vegas, Nevada. Later, Toles describes the Westside community during the 1970s, and her involvement with the Las Vegas City government. In the final interview, Toles discusses local initiative programs that work towards alleviating crime, assist mothers on welfare, housing assistance, and develop employment training and opportunities for community members.
Photographs and correspondence document the history of Temple Beth Sholom, including the ground breaking and construction of the campus in Summerlin. Also included in this set of images are photographs of Rita Deanin Abbey fabricating the Wall of Creation installation for the Temple on Oakey Boulevard in the 1970s.