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Williams, Rejoyce
Rejoyce Williams was born April 26, 1905 in Fordyce, Arkansas. She left Fordyce when she was 17 for Oceanside, California, with her husband and their two children. The family then moved to Saginaw, Michigan, and eventually had nine children, six of whom survived. In 1960, the Williams family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada for two reasons: their youngest daughter, who suffered from asthma, needed to live in a dry climate and Williams’ mother-in-law lived in Las Vegas.
Person
Poon, Percy
Dr. Percy Poon was born January 10, 1958 in Hong Kong, China, the oldest of four children. He attended Catholic school through junior high and high school, but decided to work after high school instead of going on to college. After working in banking and police forensics for a couple of years, he decided to continue his education.
Person
Ryan, George Kelly, 1911-1977
George Kelly Ryan was a geological engineer, prospector, and land use advisor who lived in Las Vegas, Nevada from 1959 until his death. He served in the Marines during World War II and was a member of the Disabled American Veterans. George was also active in the Nevada Mining Council and the First United Methodist Church. George was born June 3, 1911 in Salt Lake City, Utah. His father was Archer De Vol "Archie" Ryan and his mother was Maggie Kelly.
Person
Mortensen, Verna Calista Cox, 1904-1979
Teacher Verna Mortensen (1904-1979) was born to Frank and Elthera Cox in Bunkerville, Nevada. The family relocated to St. George, Utah in 1910. Verna Mortensen went on to graduate from Dixie State Junior College in St. George. She served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Eastern United States.
Person
Lloyd, Minddie (Marikha), 1965-
Born as one of four children in Manila, Philippines, Minddie and her siblings were raised by their paternal grandmother and her sisters (the Three Lolas) in the Philippines when her parents took jobs in New Jersey. After the children joined their parents, the family moved to California, where Minddie suffered abuse and subsequently lived in several foster homes and a girls' home, Olive Crest. It was through Olive Crest that Minddie met her mentors, Bruce Layne, Roy Woofter, and Thalia Dondero and came to Las Vegas in 1995, where she worked with the airlines.
Person
Taylor, Althia Loreece, 1948-
Shirley Edmond and Althia Taylor grew up on Jackson Avenue where their parents owned Johnson's Malt Shop. Both women worked in the postal service until their retirements; Shirley worked for 36 years and Althia for 32 years. Shirley went into management but Althia loved mail delivery even after 14 dog bites. Mackie Edmond worked for the Stardust and interacted with MOB figures like Frank Rosenthal. He explains why people thought that era was better than corporate ownership.
Person
Lee, Rozita Villanueva, 1934-
Born in 1934 in Lahaina, Maui, Hawai'i as the seventh of seven daughters of a sugar plantation crew boss, Rozita Villanueva Lee recalls a privileged life, because when her father became a boss, the family got electricity, a telephone, indoor plumbing, and fluorescent lighting in their house. The camps were organized by nationality: the Filipino workers and their families lived in one camp, and the Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and "haole" workers and their families each lived in their own.
Person
Meli Calvo Pulido oral history interview: transcript
Oral history interview with Meli Calvo Pulido conducted by Laurents Banuelos on November 13, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Pulido discusses her early life in Tijuana, Mexico and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the mid-1970s. She talks about the challenges she faced as an English as a Second Language (ESL) student, and assisting her parents who did not speak English fluently. Lastly, Pulido describes volunteering for the non-profit organization Project 150, the work the organization does for homeless youth in Las Vegas, and assisting underprivileged students.
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