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Katherine Neddenriep (Elko Convention and Vistors Authority) oral history interview conducted by Kelliann Beavers: transcript
From the Lincy Institute "Perspectives from the COVID-19 Pandemic" Oral History Project (MS-01178) -- Business interviews file.
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Juliana Chen oral history interview: transcript
Oral history interview with Juliana Chen conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on March 21, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Juliana Chen shares her upbringing in Hunan, China and her experiences as a teenager training to become a professional ballet dancer. She discusses her rigorous training and troupe career that ended when Chen sustained a knee injury. With a desire to try something new while still being able to perform, Chen immigrated to Vancouver, Canada and began practicing magic. Chen shares that although she didn't know anyone or speak English, she practiced her craft and broadened her knowledge by joining professional organizations including the International Brotherhood of Magicians. After winning several magic competitions, Chen performed on the Las Vegas Strip at Caesar's Palace and the Riviera Hotel and Casino. She shares her current professional pursuits, her connection to the Las Vegas magician community, and her thoughts on Chinese culture and cuisine.
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Sook-ja Kim, February 12, 1996 and April 6, 1996: transcript
The Kim Sisters, composed of three sisters, Sook-ja, Ai-ja, and Mia, came from Korea to Las Vegas in February 1959. Their first contract in America was to perform at the Thunderbird Hotel for four weeks as part of the China Doll Revue, the main showroom program. This engagement led to a successful career. Their popularity reached was at its height at the end of the 1960s when they performed throughout the United States and Europe. Sook-ja Kim is the oldest of the sisters. After his sister Ai-ja died in 1987, Sook-ja teamed up with her two brothers and continued to perform until 1989. Now semi-retired from show business, with occasional performances in Korea, she is working as a real estate agent. In this interview, she talked about her childhood, her career, and the family she has built since coming to America. Sook-ja was born in 1941 in Seoul, Korea as the third child of seven in a musical family. Her father was a conductor and her mother, a popular singer. After the Korean War, her mother arranged to send the Kim Sisters to America. When they came to Las Vegas, there were virtually no Koreans in the area. They depended on each other to take care of themselves. Some of the difficulties they had to adjust to in American were language, food, and cultural differences. Over the span of almost forty years in America, Sook-ja became acculturated without discarding her ethnic identity of family priorities. Her life-long guiding principle has been to adopt certain American values while continuing to keep her cherished Korean ethnic values. Through their performances, the Kim Sister informed the audience about Koreans and their culture. As the oldest of the group, Sook-ja was entrusted the care of her sisters, and later her brothers, the Kim brothers. Once she settled in Las Vegas, she brought more than forty members of her extended family to the city, contributing to the growth of the Las Vegas Korean community.
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Transcript of interview with Jerome Countess and Dorothy Eisenberg by Barbara Tabach, October 28, 2014
Interview with Jerry Countess and Dorothy Eisenberg by Barbara Tabach on October 28, 2014. Countess discusses his childhood and military life. He became involved in the United Jewish Appeal in Las Vegas and started the Jewish Reporter newspaper. Dorothy Eisenberg is also involved in the interview to discuss the Jewish Federation and the Jewish community.
Jerome Countess, known as Jerry to most, was born on December 22, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in the borough's Jewish neighborhood, and he developed a reputation for being a skillful handball player and a great dancer. Though he was not allowed to enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard due to colorblindness, Jerry was eventually drafted into the army during World War II. With very minimal combat training, Jerry was sent to North Africa as an infantryman, and was later stationed in Italy. After three years of service, Jerry returned home and married his childhood sweetheart, Rachel, in 1945. Using the G.I. Bill, he enrolled at New York University to study writing, though he quit just shy of graduation as his wife was expecting. After briefly working in the television broadcasting industry, Jerry landed a job with the United Jewish Appeal. In 1975, following in his desire to move west, Jerry took the job of executive director of the Combined Jewish Appeal in Las Vegas, what would soon be renamed the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas. Under his leadership, the federation started the Jewish Family Service as well as The Jewish Reporter, a monthly publication to promote engagement of the Jewish community. Jerry served as the executive director of the federation for many years, serving at the pleasure of many board members and presidents, including the first female federation president, Dorothy Eisenberg.
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Albert S. Henderson Papers
The Albert S. Henderson Papers (1879-1962), document his career and service as a district judge in Las Vegas, Nevada. Included are correspondence, a personal statement from his election campaign, certificates and proclamations, his memorial book, numerous newspaper clippings, an 1879 edition of Eureka and Its Resources, and various ephemera: union cards, name tags, and election cards.
Archival Collection
Collection on the Las Vegas, Nevada Jewish Community
The Collection on the Las Vegas, Nevada Jewish Community spans from 1964 to 2006 and is comprised of scrapbooks, genealogies, ephemera, and other material produced by or for the community. The Hadassah scrapbooks date from 1964 through 1971 and contain invitations, photographs, and records of events and fundraising efforts. Material related to various congregations includes bulletins, fliers, correspondence (form letters), photographs, newspaper clippings, and recorded media. The Jewish Genealogy Society records include bulletins, newsletters, and meeting agendas. Also included is a family genealogy.
Archival Collection
Nevada Federation of Women's Clubs Records
The Nevada Federation of Women's Clubs (NFWC) Records date from 1907 until 1999 and document the administration, activities, and publications of the NFWC. During the twentieth century, the NFWC included member clubs from throughout the state of Nevada including the Mesquite Club in Las Vegas, the Reno Women's Civic Club, and the Lamoille Women's Club. The collection includes meeting minutes and agendas, correspondence, publications, reports, and newspaper clippings.
Archival Collection
Benedict Family Papers
The Benedict Family Papers materials date from roughly 1905-1998 and are comprised of correspondence and letters (1969-1971) written to Howard Hughes by the public. The collection also contains correspondence written to Robert Maheu, former chief executive of Nevada operations for Howard Hughes. The collection also includes a variety of casino and gambling related product catalogs, gaming guides for Las Vegas casinos, and of research papers and reports primarily relating to sports betting and cheating.
Archival Collection