Veteran's Affairs Plus W/ David L. Washington

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Good morning Las Vegas. This is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5, jazz and more. I'm Dave Washington, your host I got West keeping me on track years engineer, Producer Director, keeping them Washington on track. I am pleased to be here this morning. Pardon me? A little frog in the throat. You know with this medical issue I got going on. I started want to acknowledge a couple of friends John rose Mujahid Ramadan who been kind of coaching me in moving me along. And then also I got you know, since I've had this issue, I've not been emotional about it at all. Until last week, I got a call from one of my colleagues over in San Diego Russell step. And he told me he said you have no idea how much you and Marsha mean, to us, particularly in the Forest Service. You guys have been tremendous role models, long time married together. In fact, I think we're coming up on 53 years if I'm not mistaken. But anyway, just want to acknowledge those folks. And also key John Herndon, grandson, he graduated from our review, and he's a great student athlete. And we he's talking about becoming a barber and owning his own studio, you know, barber shop, if you will. So we wish him well and ask that you guys keep the young man in prayer because he is an outstanding individual. With that. I'm going to bring on our first guest. That is Miss Vicki Richardson. Hey, Vicki, how you doing?

Unknown Speaker 1:53
I'm doing just fine. Thank you. Great, great, great.

Unknown Speaker 1:56
Vicki has been a staple in our community forma, if I remember correctly, Vicki, as we age, I believe you were a teacher, art teacher at Rancho High School.

Unknown Speaker 2:06
I sure I did. I started off at Rancho High School and then moved on to Cheyenne when it opened.

Unknown Speaker 2:13
So particularly tell that tell our listening audience a little bit about you where you're from and that kind of thing.

Unknown Speaker 2:22
Okay, I'm originally from Wilmington, Delaware, I got my high school educated through my high school education there. And then I was very involved in my last two years of high school and did a lot of writing that actually made it into the local newspapers. They're about different civil rights issues. And I picked up Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee to attend because they were so involved in the black community and involved in civil rights, advocacy. And I thought I could learn a lot there.

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So you say you're from Delaware? Is that where our current president is from? If I'm going

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to ask me, where are we from? And I would say Delaware. And I say, Well, what state is that? So pretty obsolete. I

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didn't mention but Vicky is the owner of left of center art gallery. And I want to ask her questions that centered around it. In fact, why did you decide to open an art gallery making

Unknown Speaker 3:37
art gallery I opened on a smaller version of it. But I've always been interested in art. I'm an artist myself. I studied art under Aaron Douglas, who is a very, very famous Harlem Renaissance muralist and has his work in a lot of public buildings, as well as doing a lot of private art too. But he was really my mentor at Fisk. And then I went on to the University of Chicago on a forge fellowship. After doing some studies at Vanderbilt, they're in Nashville, Tennessee, and I followed art and I got also involved in the community and I wanted to work in art in some way promoting it in the community. And so that's how I got involved in the gallery business. And when I came here to Vegas, we did it on a very small scale. The gallery was in a home, and the living room in the dining room or the gallery and the other spaces in the house were Art Studios, where I sort of collaborated with Sylvester Collier and Harold Bradford. And the three of us just saw this as a necessity for our community here. And I reached out and did some exhibits with Benny cosell, who also had a community art gallery, and bookstore. And he was a very big influence on me, I still have this picture on my desk. And he was sort of spearheaded me because we were of the same mind as far as promoting minorities and black art in the city. And so it just grew. And finally, I got some space overall and GAO when, and it was just a room at once. And then it just, we just expanded we just grew every year, right?

Unknown Speaker 5:46
Yeah, I remember the Nubian convinced a cultural community. Later on did business as a West Side Art Gallery and bookstore, as you mentioned, under the leadership of Binney conceal, or Landau, Hogan, yourself came through and was teaching art, etc, to the students that will come in. And also, on a broader sense, Vicki, what do you think about art as it relates to history?

Unknown Speaker 6:10
Well, I think art and history are sort of one in the same, you know, because we can, we can start back from our roots and African art, and we can see the different designs and the level of color and trying to be expressive in our art from that time. I think when I talk about my teacher at Fisk University, if you look at his name was Aaron Douglas. And if you look at a lot of the murals that he did for public spaces, and the artwork in the Renaissance, you can see the African influence in it, you know, very strong, abstract figures. So I think that I think that everything can be taught through art, everything you can teach you math, you can teach history, you think to science. I felt that I could do anything through that particular lens. Right. Excellent,

Unknown Speaker 7:16
excellent. You know, I mentioned my grandson, KJ, I got two grandsons that are that are very, very good. Artists kJ. And also Karen armagard. And I've been trying to get them over to your, because I know it's your gallery. You sometime teach his class to have classes taught by others. And we want to pray for brother Sylvester. That's the best. Graphic graphic. Yeah. Because I saw Harold is having some some medical issues. So let's keep that brother in prayer. Yeah. So Vicki, how often do you do right? Yes. How often do you have shows at the gallery?

Unknown Speaker 7:53
Well, we, we have shows like, usually every two to three months, we try to actually not lock ourselves in too tight. But we're really try to bulk about two years in advance. And we try to select people from different ethnicities, because we can learn a lot about them and their culture too. As well as having the the African art display that they use to grow with. And we have an art exhibit up now. And that's called hanging by a thread. And that art exhibit was the idea of two of our local artists, Diane bush and Denise do art. And this is a social justice exhibit. And we're pulling from people all over the country. And not only the USA, but outside of the country, there was a call for artists that really had something to say about the survival of our culture. And so it will be up for another month. But it's a very strong show. And it's it's really designed to, to pull a lot of people in and like I said, the artists here in Vegas can learn from seeing what artists are doing all over the world. Excellent. So we welcome anybody that is interested in art or interested in social justice, to come in and take a look at that particular exhibit that we have. Right.

Unknown Speaker 9:32
Now as far as classes are often in what kind of schedule you have, as far as that's concerned.

Unknown Speaker 9:38
Well, as far as classes are, are used. They're sort of by you know, when we can get people that are organizations or teachers, school teachers, and things that are willing to bring them in. Then we have classes and we have docents there that can and lead them through the history of African art and show them the current exhibit that's up. And we also have a room where we've had some very good donation. And aborigine art, which is very close to African art. And so our classes are really by appointment right now, partially due to the fact that we don't have the buses that used to bring the students through now through our school system. So, but we do get some students and the classes are based on the exhibits that are up so that they can learn a little bit more about the objectives of the artists. Okay,

Unknown Speaker 10:47
very good. We got about two more minutes, Vicki, gosh, I could have done a whole show with you. I got another guest. That'll be on shortly. Mr. E had me. Let me ask you this. So do you have a membership type program, and what are the hours of the gallery

Unknown Speaker 11:06
we do have members, we do have a membership. And if you come in to the gallery, or go on our website, we have a website where you can sign up for a membership on the website and you can also come into the gallery and and pay for a membership. Please, please come and see the gallery we are free and open to the public, right? Did you please get involved and get an or a newsletter and a lot of other information and not a lot of other activities that are from members only, then a membership would be you know,

Unknown Speaker 11:42
so give us the website, the website to our listening audience, if you please.

Unknown Speaker 11:48
It's left the center. All they have to do is look up left to center. And it ought to pop up. Okay,

Unknown Speaker 11:55
great. Well, Vicky has been a pleasure. And we'll get you back on again. Because I think it's very important to continue to spread the news about the left of center Art Gallery, and it's, I'm glad that you're holding on and always condolences on the loss of your husband, our good friend, Luke, which isn't what a great guy he was and how he never leaves my man because I think about him all the time for the work that he did and and tried to teach me construction. He's a man this dude. Oh, you know how to read a doggone ruler. So I don't know, because he thought that I will become a superintendent got you got another guy who knew more and more about that bit. Vicki, we appreciate you. We love you and tell the family we said hello and congrats and keep doing the great work that you're doing for our community.

Unknown Speaker 12:37
Well, thank you very much. And thank you for bringing up Lou. And he's been very instrumental in that gallery to absolutely. And so I really appreciate you having me on today.

Unknown Speaker 12:49
All right, we love you, Vicki. Take care yourself and we'll be in touch. Take care of yourself. All right. This is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5 Jazz and on the other side. We have Mr. Ed Wayne May.

Unknown Speaker 13:08
Good day once again, good morning. This is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5, jazz and more. As I mentioned, as we close the first segment, we have Mr. Ed Wayne may as I guess, pleased to have you here. How you doing this morning?

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I'm doing wonderful this morning. Great, great. Great. And

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I certainly think it's important for I know most folks know you, but we do have a few folks out there who probably don't. So please give a little background on yourself. How long in Las Vegas, high school attended. Brothers and sisters.

Unknown Speaker 13:40
All right, great. I'm a native from Las Vegas. My parents are from East Texas. And I'm the oldest child of five from Ed and Rosetta Mae. And I graduated from high school I was actually born here in Las Vegas, Nevada. Graduated from well went through elementary at Matt Kelly Madison, Kid Carson. So I saw the

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in the neighborhood in the neighborhood.

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And I also graduated from Clark High School in 1973. went on to attend UNLV and graduated with a bachelor's in 1977 and a Master's in Public Administration. I also had the privilege of receiving certifications and labor negotiation from Harvard University and certification for principal negotiation from Cornell University, along with internal investigator supervisor certification from the public agency Training

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Council. Wow, man, you have pretty an extensive educational background in the venue that you were For many years in over at telephone companies I recall,

Unknown Speaker 15:05
absolutely I did 22 years with the phone company. Even though I'm still young, I actually started off in human resources with the phone company. And I had an opportunity to be with that company here in Las Vegas, and had the risk. I was actually the first African American Chief labor negotiator for the company. And so I, our corporate headquarters at that time initially was with fantail was in Chicago, and later on, sprint took over. And I continued in that capacity, and became the regional HR person for Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Texas. I oversaw that region, and was the chief labor negotiator for all of those states, along with handling the responsibility here based out of Las Vegas all along, but it did quite a bit of traveling.

Unknown Speaker 16:12
You know, what did you know I can imagine you in a negotiating room, because one thing I've watched you over the years, your mannerisms and your temperament. You're pretty even keeled. Now, all this Cornell and all these other training institutions that you went to, I can tell you were well, molded man. But we are very, very proud of you for the work that you've you've done in this community. Now, when you left the telephone company, where do you go, I

Unknown Speaker 16:39
left there, and I went to the clerk's office with Clark County. And so I spend time with with the next 24 years, I was with the county and mainly with the court for the majority of the time with district court. And I was the head of HR for them when I left, and also the assistant court administrator reporting into the court executive officer, when we put it into the chief judge. And so I had a responsibility of overseeing human resources, internal affairs, payroll benefits. And actually, I was on basically at the beckoning call for any of the judges, and which was 58, elected officials, along with any of the, what I would refer to as administrative law judges, we call them hearing masters.

Unknown Speaker 17:46
Cool. So it says, Since being retired, have you put yourself on any particular schedule? Are you still trying to find your way?

Unknown Speaker 17:55
By interesting I, I actually was retiring, I had some plans, that I was hoping I was gonna be able to go with my father. But as I mentioned, with the last show, I unfortunately lost him. And so I now have, will soon be in, sort of fit filling it out. I've been approached about consulting, I used to work with my church. I'm a charter member of victory Missionary Baptist Church. So they've asked me to come and help out with their HR matters. So that's, you know, that's keeping me sort of in the loop and going still researching. I've been volunteering doing that. But I'm, I'm really considering a few options right now. Still making sure you know, I've always had a strong belief in the man above it to family and to the youth in this community, and never forgot where I was raised and came from

Unknown Speaker 19:05
where you are, you have been a great jedna mentor to many. And I can tell you that. And I would urge those in our listening audience. And I don't recall the actual show number, but you can go and check it out on checkout a podcast, and I'm sitting here, not remembering how to get that done. But I can tell you that it was a tremendous show. And its father was a tremendous man, you have no idea. The things that this man did, man. In fact, I think we dedicated that entire show to your dad, and you express your appreciation for him and what he taught you in the rest of your siblings man. Just like just you know, one of these kinds of people man, unlike the Washington around here, rattling my mouth and protesting this debt and the other is what I do as Ramadan say, Man, you never stop protesting. Do you hear I am 73 And I'm protesting something or another, but for sure. If you can do A check that show out as I'm speaking now to the listening audience. It did a tremendous job and expressing his appreciation for his day. So it. Let's talk a little bit golf. I know we got a few more minutes yet. And I know that's one of the things that you've done in a leadership role for the WS GA the Western States Golf Association.

Unknown Speaker 20:18
Absolutely. I currently I'm the I oversee the budget chairperson for the Western State Golf Association, which includes a variety of states, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, a part of Texas, Colorado. And we have you know, that's an organization that was established, and the around 55. And I actually was the our local club here. I was a club president for nine consecutive years was Valley View golf club. That Club was actually established in 1958. And it was a time when Black golfers were not getting opportunities to golf at various golf courses all over the cities when it was initially established. And so I really had an affinity for that I didn't know that much about golf when I first started, but I have absolutely grown to love it. It promotes meaningful and golf competition, and helps black officers united and actually people of all colors that belong to Valleyview golf club. But it's been recognized that particular club has been recognized by Nevada's Golf Hall of Fame. Yes. And as you know, one of the things that I've really, I'm proud of, and I always take a leadership role I have for many years. With Valley View golf club for many years, I left that particular club scholarship efforts, along with those of my attorneys and other other organizations.

Unknown Speaker 22:10
Excellent work. In fact, I remember we were playing at was the club that's silver, silver, silver giant, whatever, wherever that golf ball was out, way out north west. I was woofing. And, you know, it had just come back from an injury. And I'm walking and talking about how he's gonna continue to beat him down. It, birdied the last hole and knock me out the box. I say you, Jive joke. But yeah, the camaraderie and the people that you meet on the golf course is, it's a very exciting thing. And it helps you to grow to because I'm a my family tells me all the time. So I'm so impatient. When you get on a golf course man or Hirscher Clady to cease fire service Brother, he is the man you need to stop getting up off on a tee box. So early man, take your time wait, there, you get up there and get the messing around. More than likely you're going to spray the ball. And that's exactly what I do. But yeah, we appreciate you mean, you've done so much. You've been a staple in this community. And I'm talking about from a leadership standpoint. And I know that the the church there, victory Baptist Church where I was baptized, don't attend as much but Marsh is still there. Representing that I can tell you that I trust trusted. They're very, very honored to have you assisting them because I know you know that nothing goes sideways, you're gonna be on top of things and your training is very important. And again, continue to being the good person that you are. Is there any closing remarks you'd like to share? Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 23:34
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention about my involvement with the fraternity especially as it relates to our philanthropic endeavors and my role with it. I was a 76 Beta Sigma charter member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. various offices from being the postmark to long term serving president Opole mock up that chapter. And former president of the diamond Foundation which is the philanthropic arm of Las Vegas Alumni Chapter, and even right now I'm in the process this coming Sunday, writing applications, and what I really feel so strongly about, it's important that we give back to our community as much as expected and get we ever annually. And I've been the scholarship chairperson for years, I'll be able to award responsible for awarding several I mean, I've been involved in 1000s of dollars that go back into our community, and we have to look out for our youth we have to get back. We can't expect everybody else to do it. So when we talk about all of these activities that we do, I always look at whatever it is, what are we doing what are we giving back right? What and I take so much pride and trying to not only get monetary but also be there get that listening ear, like them being able reach out, I've had calls from people that even know, well, my mom or my uncle was someone that to call and talk to you, whether it's a simple thing is filling out an application, right? Make that you thero, making sure that you don't short sale yourself. But don't sit back and pick something you can explain. But if you don't know, ask somebody, take pride in who you are. Because you are a commodity, and you can accomplish anything, you just have to make the commitment and have a desire to do that. And again, Dave, I'm proud of you, and what you've done still wish you good health. And, and I really thank you for this opportunity. I absolutely love my family. I am my mom, I have a ton of aunts and uncles, one mother, and my all my sisters, my two step brothers, and grandkids and family. I'm just, well, we're close. Sometimes people don't even realize who's related to whom in Vegas, right? Because I have a huge family. And I'm just proud to be from Las Vegas and proud to be able to say, come from a family who was a Christian family. But we were taught that there's nothing we can't do. Absolutely.

Unknown Speaker 26:17
You know, I, you know, I talked to my family all the time about and April and the other children, they always come back and tell us how other children and young folks admire the Washington's, we are very, very close knit. In fact, when I got the word of my condition, everybody was, you know, all upset. And I tell them, Look, I'm 73 years old, I've lived a good life. And now I'm not ready to throw in the towel, of course. But certainly I'll be fighting for my life. And, and I can tell you, man, there are people who will continue to look up to you, and because of the work that you've done. And like I say from, you know, you just you just observed people from afar sometimes because it wasn't until I joined Valleyview golf club that that you and I got to know each other a little bit better. And I can tell you folks that and I ain't trying to put put everybody's hand in your pocket. But every time I'm doing something for young people have some kind of fundraiser. It's a here's a check, man, I can't make it. But here you go. And that's the kind of guy that you are, man because you care. And you know that we've got to do, as you've already stated, humbly, and very effectively, we've got to look out for these young folks. And I'm talking about black young men in particular. But in general, just young people, because, as you mentioned, any other race of people because and Valleyview, like you say was started as a as a club of majority blacks. But we have a number of different ethnic groups as a member of Valley golf club, and it continues to, we got to grow it with some more young people with something that I will continue to do. And I need to get the current president Cynthia Marcy, on the show. And also Jim Hart, who does a wonderful job with the young people. Once again, a quick closing remarks by sir.

Unknown Speaker 28:05
Okay, well, I think that it's one of the things that we all have to do is, first of all, never let someone take away your joy. True. And always be willing to make the commitment, but do what it takes to accomplish whatever you want. Not everything happens the way you got to be able to always think about that little train that my parents gave me when I was young. And that was one of the things that would happen is the train sometimes would run into a wall going, but it didn't stop. It just changed directions but it kept going kept kept moving. And that's bad. You're gonna run into challenges in life, you're gonna run into people telling you, no, you can't do it. But if you have your mindset, and if you're willing to do what it takes, there's nothing you can do. I've seen, I've said this philosophy with, with relatives. As you know, I have, we have some physicians in our family, every spectrum of life, right? From carpentry to to doctors, lawyers, I mean, different things, but it's by never forgetting that you don't have anything if you don't have got ahead of your life. That's right.

Unknown Speaker 29:27
Well, this is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5, jazz and more. We just had Mr. Edwin Mae on the show and again, a tremendous asset to our community. We love you, man. And we'll get you back on the show again, because it seems like you're going to be continued to do good work in our community. Once again, Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5 Jazz

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