Oral history interview with Patricia Lee conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee White on September 19, 2023 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Lee begins the interview by discussing her childhood in Daegu, South Korea, born to a Black American father and a Korean mother. Patricia Lee arrived in the United States with her parents as a young child when the U.S. Air Force transferred her father to Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. Lee was seven when her father left. With her mother speaking no English, Lee was responsible for her family's food stamps and social services even as they endured serial evictions and homelessness that included a stay in a shelter for abused women. In middle school, Upward Bound was Lee's "game-changer." As she had in high school, Lee immersed herself in student life and academics at the University of Southern California, while also working several jobs. After graduation, she worked at the California Science Center Museum before entering law school at George Washington University. She graduated in May 2002, shortly after the legal profession had lost several top law firms that had been headquartered in New York City's Twin Towers. When she accepted an offer from Las Vegas firm Hutchison & Steffen, she became the firm's first woman attorney and first attorney of color; seven years later, she became the firm's first woman partner and first partner of color. Lee was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of Nevada in November 2022 by Governor Steve Sisolak.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Harry Reid conducted by Claytee D. White on July 28, 2017, December 1, 2017, August 8, 2019, and September 12, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the first interview, Senator Harry Reid talks about his experiences as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981. He discusses casino decisions related to the Stardust Resort and Casino, the Fremont Hotel, the Aladdin Hotel and Casino, and the Hacienda Resort Hotel and Casino as well as the FBI requesting wiretaps and the Nevada Gaming Commission issuing gaming licenses at that time. In the second interview, Reid shares details as city attorney in Henderson, Nevada, his work with the University Medical Center Hospital Board, and case details as an attorney with the firm of Singleton, DeLanoy, and Jemison. Some of the cases he describes include litigation against Safeway stores, charges of drugs and murder, and evictions.
In the third interview, Reid discusses his term serving the United States House of Representatives and his role as Senate Majority Leader. He recalls his election to Nevada Assembly in 1968, his tenure as Lieutenant Governor of Nevada from 1971 to 1975, his position as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981, and his position as Nevada's delegate in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1987. Reid also talks about his political defeats when running for United States Senate and for Mayor of Las Vegas. In the fourth interview, Reid talks about various significant sites in Nevada including Searchlight, Yucca Mountain, and the Nevada Test Site.
Archival Collection
The Bill Hughes Photographs (approximately 1980-2012) contains negatives, slides, prints, proofs, and born digital images created by local photographer and photojournalist Bill Hughes for publications including Las Vegas CityLife, Las Vegas Business Press, Las Vegas Weekly, as well as commercial clients. A portion of prints in the collection consist of modeling photographs Hughes took as part of his business. The digital images represent a variety of clients, and feature local bands, DJs, and performers in nightclubs and bars on the Strip and downtown Las Vegas. Also included in digital files are portraits, artistic photographs and self-portraits, and material used for Las Vegas Weekly, CityLife, and Business Press.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Charles Quander conducted by Claytee D. White on October 27, 2005 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Quander, who served as a flight officer in the Army Air Corps first all-Black fighter and bomber squadrons known collectively as the Tuskegee Airmen, talks about his upbringing in Washington, D.C., his early interest in flight, and his decision to train as a pilot at the outset of World War II. Quander talks about his training and reflects on both the process of learning to fly and the discrimination that the cadets experienced from the predominately white senior officers. He then talks about his post-military education and his career with the federal government, working as an investigator for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and the United States Attorney's strike force on organized crime. He ends the interview describing his retirement and travel, his move to Las Vegas, Nevada, and his views on war, the Department of Homeland Security, and his perceptions of Las Vegas' growth.
Archival Collection
The Cliff Trenier Papers (approximately 1950-1999) document the life and career of Clifton "Cliff" Trenier, who performed with various siblings across the United States beginning in the 1940s. The collection contains photographs of Cliff with his twin brother Claude performing, documents and newspaper clippings relating to the musical group's tours and their numerous performances in Las Vegas, Nevada including at the Moulin Rouge. Also included in the collection are photographs of Cliff's wife, Bedez, and correspondence between the couple up until Cliff's illness and death in 1983.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Geri Tomich conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Jerwin Tiu, and Stefani Evans on May 15, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Born and raised in the Philippines, Geraldine "Geri" Tomich recalls life in the city of Manila, where her father worked as an engineer and her mother as a stay-at-home mother. Tomich attended an American school, where she learned how to speak English from a young age, and her extracurricular activities included speedreading and writing letters to her friends. After her parents divorce, her mother took Tomich and her three siblings to the United States to live with their aunt. After a brief period in California, Tomich resumed her college career in a community college in Southern Nevada, getting an associate's degree in paralegal studies before transferring to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) to earn her bachelor's degree in business management. During this time, Tomich recalls working her way up in a law firm, starting as a receptionist before moving up to a secretary and then later a paralegal. For law school, Tomich moved to Spokane, Washington, to attend Gonzaga University. Citing her family, she moved back to Las Vegas to practice law, first returning to the law firm where she got her start before moving to Marquis Aurbach in 2003. She also discusses the other organizations she is involved in, including the Nevada Community Foundation and the Baller Dream Foundation. Throughout the rest of the interview, Tomich discusses values, what it has been like balancing a family with a full-time job, and what parts of Filipino culture she has retained.
Archival Collection
The Clyde F. Merrick Photographic Slides (approximately 1971-1979) contain color photographic slides taken by Clyde F. Merrick, longtime resident of Las Vegas, Nevada. The majority of slides in this collection depict signs for different businesses around Las Vegas including the Las Vegas Strip and the Westside. Some of the businesses documented in this collection includes Fong's Garden, Leon's Shear Magic Beauty Salon, Lucas and Son's Antiques, Dick's Tricky Trikes, Mohan's Custom Tailors, the Twenty Grand Club, Owens TV Repair, and Caesars Palace. The collection also documents a variety of different types of businesses around Las Vegas including bars and nightclubs, beauty salons, car washes, gas stations, and restaurants. Merrick was also a car racing hobbyist and a number of slides in this collection depict what is presumed to be the Las Vegas Speedrome racetrack (later known the Las Vegas Motor Speedway). This collection also includes photographs of locations outside of Las Vegas and Southern Nevada.
Archival Collection
The Carolyn V. Hamilton Papers (1966-2024) consist of advertisements, press releases, correspondence, newspaper articles, awards, and event programs. The materials primarily document Hamilton’s work as a graphic designer and advertising executive in Las Vegas, Nevada from the early 1980s into the 2000s. Some of the materials in this collection pertain to the late comedian Cork Proctor, Hamilton’s former spouse, including performance advertisements and magazine articles.
Archival Collection
The Las Vegas Ambassadors Collection (1968-1985) primarily consists of a scrapbook, newspaper articles, and photographs documenting the activities of the Las Vegas Ambassadors youth singing group. The materials were compiled by Harry LaFavor, the Ambassadors' business manager, who co-founded the group with Norman Kaye and Richie Astone to promote a positive image of Las Vegas. The collection also includes a songbook, vinyl record and ¼” tape recording, and promotional materials.
Archival Collection
The Spencer and Georgia Butterfield Papers (1890s-1978) consist primarily of photographs and scrapbooks pertaining to Spencer and Georgia Butterfield, a prominent Las Vegas, Nevada couple involved in local business and civic activities. The collection also includes newspaper clippings of their social activities, correspondence, and assorted personal memorabilia.
Archival Collection
