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Leain Vashon educated his three children, taken care of any family medical challenge, purchased property, and lived the American Dream because of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. As a dedicated union man, he has volunteered as shop steward, committee member, organizer, volunteer organizer, and Vice President, an elected position. His children have walked picket lines since five and six years of age. They know the value of their father’s job and his activism in the labor movement. They know that they can be anything they desire. Vashon sees the future as: “The pension that we're going to have is going to be the best pension in the United States. The livable wage we have is going to be some of the highest. The healthcare that we have is going to be one of the best. We are going to insist on those things. We are not going to go backwards. We're not going to go anywhere. The jobs that we do inside the hotel are going to continue to carry dignity. We are going to continue to be the best workers and we are going to give the corporations and the hotels the best that we have to offer. We're going to be great workers. And by having great workers, you are going to have guests who are satisfied because that's the link, how satisfied your worker is and how satisfied your guest is. If every CEO up and down the Strip knew that our fights would be minimal. You take care of the worker; they'll take care of your guest, …and you're going to have the best thing that you can have, which is return guests.”

Roger Pettersson graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1996 with a degree in hotel administration and thereafter started in the gaming industry as a pit clerk at The Mirage. He went through the slot Management Associate Program which led him to becoming a supervisor at that property and later an assistant shift manager at Bellagio. After becoming a shift manager at that property, Pettersson went to Boulder Station in 2000 to become a slot operations manager and eventually director of slot operations in 2004. He then became the slot director at Red Rock Resort before working with a slot vendor for several months. Pettersson returned to Station Casinos to become the corporate director of gaming and was later promoted to his current position of vice president of slot operations. The interview with Pettersson begins with a description of his background and his experience in the various positions he has held. He then describes what he believes makes a good slot manager and conversely what makes a bad one. Pettersson later explains what he believes customers are looking for in slots before providing his perspective on what he believes makes a good slot floor. He then describes the process of the dealing with vendors and how the slot industry has changed over the years, particularly with the use of free play. Pettersson then describes how he believes slot machines will continue to change and what the future of the industry holds. The interview concludes with Pettersson’s description of his personal gambling preferences and his advice to young people who want to go into the field of slot operations.

John Foley is the youngest of five sons bora to Roger T. and Helen Foley. John's grandfather, Thomas L. Foley was an early transplant to Nevada when he headed for Goldfield in 1907. By 1910 Grandfather Foley had persuaded his son Roger T. to move west - it was a boom time. Roger who was finishing law school in Chicago passed both the Nevada and California bar exams in 1911. Two years later he married Helen who he knew from Chicago and with that launch a legal dynasty in southern Nevada: Roger, Thomas, George, Joseph and John. Each son would enjoy participating successfully in the history of Las Vegas. In this series of interviews, John shares his personal accomplishments as well as mentions his brothers contributions and service to the community. He talks about being young men, his brothers going off to war, the part-time jobs made available by the ever changing landscape of the area, new jobs and growth. He attended Fifth Street Elementary School and Las Vegas High School, actively encouraged the creation of the Boyd Law School at UNLV, and was elected a Nevada State Senator among many other activities as well as being father to his six children. John witnessed Las Vegas outgrowing its "little sister to Reno" role and now enjoys bragging that a fourth generation of Foleys lives in Las Vegas, many of whom carry on the family tradition of being lawyers.

The population of Lancaster, New York shrank on Christmas Day 1959. That was the day young Mary McCoy and her eight siblings relocated to Las Vegas. In this interview, Mary recalls highlights of the move to dusty southern Nevada; her family's first plane trip; and what it was like to grow up in a large family. After graduating from Basic High School, Mary immediately enrolled at Nevada Southern University which was in the midst of growing into UNLV. During the summer of 1967 she worked at the university's library moving books into the expanded facility. Though she altered her studies program from education to English, she continued to work at the library and continued the job after graduation. Mary describes some of the dynamic changes that were occurring to UNLV campus at the time. In 1975, Mary and her husband Duncan McCoy moved to Bloomington, Indiana, so that Duncan could pursue his graduate studies and take a Book Mobile librarian job. For the next fourteen years the couple followed a variety of opportunities guided by Duncan's career.[He is a retired director of Boulder City, NV, Library.] In 1989, they returned to Las Vegas. Mary had agreed to the move—as long as it was to a city where she could find a college library position. Mary speaks of her enjoyment of working at the UNLV library until her retirement in 2009. Among her favorite UNLV library memories is a story about a ride in the book lift, as well as how her library roles ranged from acquisitions to Special Collections to documents.

From the Clark County Economic Opportunity Board Records -- Series I. Administrative. This folder contains memos, agendas, and minutes from meetings of the Clark County Economic Opportunity Board from February 1971 through January 1973.