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Oral history interview with Rosemary Ruymann conducted by Bruce Kraft on February 16, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Ruymann discusses her career as a teacher and life in early Las Vegas, Nevada. Ruymann also describes the excitement surrounding the construction of Hoover (Boulder) Dam and the kinds of people it would attract, such as the president, engineers, and dentists concerned with the amount of fluoride in the proposed area for Lake Mead.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jo Mueller conducted by Claytee D. White on August 26, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Mueller discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband, Hal Mueller, in 1956 so he could work for the federal government as a meteorologist and was involved with nuclear testing. She also discusses raising their two children and her involvement in the Parent Teacher Association, Weight Watchers, and the League of Women Voters.
Archival Collection
In this clip, Raymonde "Ray" Fiol talks about visiting the town in which she and her family were interned in France during the Nazi occupation, and the local woman who helped her tell her story.
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Session 1: Interviewed by Marcela Rodriguez-Campo. Barbara Tabach also participates in the questioning. Session 2: Interviewed by Rodrigo Vazquez. Monserrath Hernandez also participates in the questioning. Patricia Vazquez was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV and shares her experiences growing up in the Valley as a Queer Latina. At a young age, she remembers traveling back and forth between Mexico and the U.S. to visit family. When she started school she shares how her home language, Spanish, became her family's "secret language" as she began to learn English. During elementary school Patricia was tracked into the special education program, and remove from the mainstream classroom. She would find her love for learning in books and libraries as she taught herself how to read in English. Despite being tracked into less advanced courses, Patricia would end up taking AP/ Honors courses in high school after forging her favorite teachers signature, which changed her educational trajectory. After coming out to her family, Patricia went nearly a decade distanced from her mother and continued her college education at Arizona State University. There, she would complete a bachelors in painting and a masters in comparative literature. Her work with the Chicano Studies program at ASU helped her develop her Chicana identity and begin her involvement in social activism. In Las Vegas, she worked to fight for marriage equality and LGBTQ rights with the American Civil Liberties Union , and later with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. She also conducted several lectures for the Latino Youth Leadership Conference on sexuality, gender, and homophobia for over a decade. She has served as an English Professor at the College of Southern Nevada for the last 20 years and is an avid hiker, traveler, and painter.
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Series of two color Polaroid photographs of Marzette Lewis with her students in the band room.
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Congregation Ner Tamid (C. N. T.) preschool "memories" yearbook from 2000.
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On December 30, 2015, a few months after her 100th birthday celebration, Gertrude Rudiak, with the help of her son Richard Rudiak and granddaughter Dani Ramage, reminisced about living in Las Vegas since 1946, nearly eighty years. They explore the ancestral roots of Gertrude (n?e Rightman) and of her deceased husband George Rudiak. Their courtship and marriage at the brink of World War II and George?s enlistment in the US Army Corps is what brought the couple to Las Vegas and the gunnery school which is now Nellis Air Force Base. After his tour of duty, George settled into a law practice where he specialized in quickie-divorces, but also carved out a reputation supporting civil rights and working for legislation to eliminate working and living discrimination of blacks in Nevada. Gertrude was an active member of Las Vegas. She played the pipe organ, hosted large Seders at Passover and managed the Rudiak household that grew to include five children. Over her long life, Gertrude embraced many positions on community boards, including being Temple Beth Sholom?s first female board member. She was also a teacher in both secular and Jewish education. Her efforts have been recognized by the Jewish National Fund, the United Jewish Appeal, and the Anti-Defamation League. Additionally, Mayor Carolyn Goodman presented Gertrude with the distinguished honor of a key to the city of Las Vegas in 2014. The city declared August 2, Gertrude's birthday, Gertrude Rudiak Day in recognition of her long-standing commitment to Las Vegas.
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