Search Results
José Luis Gutiérrez oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interview with José Luis Gutiérrez conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón and Barbara Tabach on October 1, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Also present during this interview is José’s close friend Sergio Salgado, who was interviewed separately for the Latinx Voices project in 2018.
José discusses his early life growing up in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and his migration to Tijuana and then Santa Barbara, California as a teenager. He talks about his restaurant employment history both in California and in Las Vegas, including his time working at the Jolly Parrot, the Dunes Hotel and Casino, and his own eatery: Tortilleria Los Arcos.
Subjects discussed include: Tortilleria Los Arcos; Club Social Mexicano.
Archival Collection
Jones, Essie Lee
Essie Lee Jones got married to Charles Jones in 1969 in Tallulah, Louisiana. Jones came to Las Vegas in 1969, and held positions at several hotels on the Strip. She went to the Culinary Union hall and procured a job as a maid at the Stardust during graveyard shift, and eventually as a bus girl in the Palm Room. Jones then worked at the Frontier for fourteen years.
Person
Thomas Rodriguez oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interview with Thomas Rodriguez conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón on September 10, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Rodriguez discusses how his grandparents migrated from Mexico to Topeka, Kansas. Rodriguez later discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to work for the Las Vegas Clark County Consortium. He mentions the Latino Youth Leadership Program and his college experience. He goes on to discuss his involvement in the Chicano Movement and Hispanics in Politics and describes the lawsuit he filed against the Clark County School District for employment discrimination. Rodriguez then talks about the Rafael Rivera Community Center and describes the growth of Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
"A Brief Look of the Development of the Black Community of Las Vegas": manuscript draft by Roosevelt Fitzgerald
Date
Archival Collection
Description
From the Roosevelt Fitzgerald Professional Papers (MS-01082) -- Unpublished manuscripts file.
Text
Gay, James A., III, 1916-1999
Alternate Names
James A. Gay III was born March 6th, 1916 in Fordyce, Arkansas. Arriving in 1946, Gay became the first African-American mortician in Las Vegas. He later worked as Assistant Manager of the Sands Hotel and Casino and Union Plaza while serving as an executive board member of the Culinary Union. Instrumental in the Las Vegas community, Gay worked to improved race relations, addressing social, economic, and civic issues. Gay was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1988.
Person
José Luis Meléndrez oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interview with José Luis Meléndrez conducted by Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez on November 20, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Meléndrez discusses his family background and early life in Baja California. He talks about his father’s decision to migrate to the United States, and attending Catholic schools in California, Nevada, and Texas as the family moved around the country. Meléndrez recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1990, enrolling at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and his involvement with the Boy Scouts of America affiliated program, Learning for Life. Later, Meléndrez describes attending the University of Michigan, earning a master’s degree in social work, and becoming executive director for the office of Community Partnerships in the UNLV School of Public Health. Lastly, Meléndrez discusses the future of the Las Vegas Latinx community, and becoming a founding member and chair for the Nevada Minority Health and Equity Coalition.
Archival Collection
Eric Mendoza oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
Oral history interview with Eric Mendoza conducted by Holly O'Donnell on November 29, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Eric Mendoza shares his family's chain migration history from Manila, Philippines to the United States and his difficult immigration and naturalization process once arriving in America in 1996. He talks about what brought him to live in Las Vegas, Nevada, his education and professional pursuits, what his life is like in the United States compared to that of the Philippines, and the lives of his eight siblings. Eric Mendoza discusses the historical past of the Philippines, the infrastructure in place there, and government corruption. He also speaks to Filipino traditions and festivals, food and customs, his cultural identity, and assimilating to American culture.
Archival Collection