Veteran's Affairs Plus W/ David L. Washington

Speaker 1 0:00
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Speaker 2 0:08
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Speaker 1 0:41
You can see what's going on what's going on? What's going on?

Speaker 2 0:54
Good morning, once again, in Las Vegas. This is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5, jazz and more. I'm excited with the guests that we will have in a few minutes. But however, as I always try to do provide a few announcements. First of all, I want to wish our eldest daughter of April, Happy Birthday she'll be I forget what a tube, she'll be this month but a couple of days, April we'll be celebrating her birthday. So she is our firstborn, and kind of known about the Save the Children with respect to her shields to keep the sun out of the car, but tell kit people to get the kids out the car on leave in the car. And also she's known for her teacakes she's been doing those see cakes for a number of years as a doctor right. So it's a recipe for marshes. I think someone back in Louisiana. Yes. But anyway, look on a lot of condolences, I want to say condolences to the family of Miss Johnny Harris. She's a longtime resident of our community and want to, again express condolences to her family. And muda he Ramadan as we know, formally eterna his mom passed away Elizabeth Harris. she transitioned and she was 105 years old. You talk about lived a good life and I was from what I understand she was still in control of her. Her mental faculties and her services will be held today this morning at 10 or 1030 down at bunkerville. So please stop by those who know Ramadan and his family. But again, condolences on behalf of the Washington's. And then one other person that I'm aware of passed away. Gertrude would call a bird Harris. She lives right next door to my grandmother at 1921 Walker Street. Over in Sunset Manor. She just recently passed away. Her services are pending. So just wanted to get those announcements to you all now. I'm very excited. In fact, this gentleman I have known for many many moons we go way way back and way back we talked about Vegas heights way back. Dr. Wright how're you doing? Sir?

Unknown Speaker 3:11
I'm doing great cheap. How are you doing? Hey, man,

Speaker 2 3:14
I'm so pleased that you taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us here this morning on 91.5 Jazz and more. And this is a veterans affairs show. But I know that your school, the community college you do a lot of thing for vets. And I got a few questions or really more of a conversation but certainly tell us born and raised

Speaker 3 3:35
were born and raised in Las Vegas. 1952 Okay, I just had my 71st birthday. All right, cool out it. I was born out of Nellis Air Force Base. My father was in the in the Air Force and what his job was to box. Is that right? He was a boxer

Speaker 2 3:57
born out of Nellis Air Force Base. So brothers and sisters, how many brothers and sisters three brothers and two sisters. Okay. Yeah. Were you one brother. I know very, very well. Larry. Brother Larry. Yeah, there was a heck of a football player in TrackSTar. Yeah. In our community. Now, you grew up in a community where

Speaker 3 4:21
you just said the biggest heights we started on a street okay. Right across from the old review journal. Okay. Right across from the railroad tracks all right. You don't about I know

Speaker 2 4:35
you know Snyder's Oh please. Please. Snyder's was the ice cream shop in the community.

Speaker 3 4:42
I tell you what about Snyder's when I think about this, I think about those hot dogs. Yes. That he was split in fries and put them in a bunk bed coming from from swimming. That was a that was a

Speaker 2 4:57
real delicacy banned in another day. kissy as you may recall the circus room downtown Hall please man roaches be crawling up the

Unknown Speaker 5:05
wall flat

Speaker 2 5:09
you know what when he gets to burning them? Burgers, man. Oh yeah, no. Ain't gonna be netting that's gonna hurt you. Yeah. Now you were an athlete what sports student athlete I should say absolutely.

Speaker 3 5:23
I I played football and basketball and also ran track the high hurdles and couldn't couldn't be brother cook No. Man portrait in motion. Yeah, yeah, he takes first all the time. But I had more football scholarships than I did basketball. Really? Yeah, I was a split in you know, when one of those big guys you just stood up, you know, I got my bell rung. Jumping up there, but ended up playing with UNLV had had a few other basketball scholarships. So

Unknown Speaker 6:07
where did where do you go to elementary? Junior High in high school. Okay,

Speaker 3 6:14
I started off my father. We drive his way out to Henderson to go to St. Peter's. Okay, you know, I'm a you know, I grew up in a Catholic situation echo spirit to two older Ramos no one has fought disability to spirit to Santos Belcampo. I knew all of that. Right. I was an altar boy back in those days. But I went to first time I went to public school was Garside. Okay. Garside junior high school. And I tell everybody when I can that the gladiators came from my home room. And it was my suggestion. Oh, really? The gladiators?

Speaker 2 6:58
Yeah, the Garside gladiators. Yeah, that's where I think Lani Hogan went to Garcia Lani. I went to Roberto Gibson and Hyde Park. Jr. has same the same layout. Yeah. Oh, yeah, same layout. All schools is made pretty much made the same. So then for high school,

Speaker 3 7:15
I went to move to Los Angeles. You know, something I did go to a semester I was going back and forth from LA to Vegas at one time, I went to Autobahn Junior High School. After I started, I moved back to LA and went to autobahn and the eighth. And then I went to Dorsey High School. And when Crenshaw opened up around the corner from my house and 48th and Sixth Avenue, I went to Crenshaw High then I came back to Vegas and graduated from Western High School. Yeah.

Speaker 2 7:58
So was you there is that same age or a little older than moose? Morris arbor?

Speaker 3 8:04
I think moose is a little younger than me. Like I said, I turned 71. moose. Moose. He might be Yeah, he's a little young man. Yeah, he's still in his 60s. Yeah, he's in good shape, though. Oh, yeah.

Speaker 2 8:18
So you were recruited? Or received some offers for basketball and football? Yes. And you decided on basketball as decided

Speaker 3 8:28
on the Running Rebels man. I you know, a lot of people don't know this. You know this, but a lot of people don't know that. The Running Rebels was running before tart got here. He was running. They were running with Coach nonton trying to think his name. He. He had him running before. Torque got here. So I got recruited to play on the freshman team. Okay. Remember that was back in the days when freshmen couldn't play varsity? Exactly. You know, they had their own freshman team, even even Kareem Abdul Jabbar had to play freshmen. The freshman team has to beat the varsity, right. But yeah, I played here under three coaches. I was recruited by Roland Todd. That's the name that's the name I was thinking. I was recruited by Roland Todd, he went to the pros. After after he signed a few of us. We kind of felt like he you know, he knew he was going to the polls, but he did a good job in signing us. Harry Shaw myself, I remember her Yeah, Harry was a good defensive specialist mine and man and man could play some defense. Anyway. And then we had we had to play for John bear. Had to make his team a loser scholarship. Right, right. Me and Harry made his team and then Tark came in. We had to make his team. So it was a tumultuous time and you know, having three coaches in four years, and I could have played another year, but I, I kind of got burnt out with that. So I opted to graduate, I was wanting to talk, first of all pleased to graduate on time, not because I was so smart and intelligent. I give credit to the upper bound program that I went to upper bound for two summers staying out of the dorm and I had 18 credits to the good before I was a freshman. Oh, wow. college courses. upper bound is still around. Yes. still around. It's a great program. Yes. I tell you what it did, it really got us ready for college because we lived in the dorms during my junior and senior year at at Western. So and we took college

Unknown Speaker 11:01
courses. Right. So what was your bachelor's?

Speaker 3 11:05
my Bachelor's was in Hotel Management. Okay. And then my master's was in post secondary, secondary ed and my doctorate is in instruction and curriculum.

Speaker 2 11:17
Wow. That's an interesting track. Yeah. I mean, you get the basis of it all, not only from your bachelor's degree in the hospitality hotel industry, but you also had work experience.

Speaker 3 11:30
Oh, absolutely. I, you know, I teased my students I, you know, I said, I've done everything from front of the house to back in the house. And, you know, when I do orientation, I show him you know, when I played for the Rebels, you know, and I said, I could have been a cocktail waitress because, you know, I got two legs. So I teased with my kids like that, but I've you Right, I've done almost everything you can think of, you know, my size. I was a security guard and did everything in the casino. Dealt all the games. Also, on in the back of the house, I was a busboy and I mean you name all the position I was a house Porter you know a dishwasher. It seizes man when they used to have those. They had Oh, show breaks in dishes cupboard. Ocean, baby. I

Speaker 2 12:26
mean, Caesars I think was my second job. I was a junior in high school, busboy worked graveyard got off and headed to class. No, we were crazy Dave

Speaker 3 12:39
You know, you know our parents. Especially my grandfather's a water Breaking Bad. Either make you or break you, but it was right. It was. It was hard work. But but it at a young age man. He really didn't notice it. But I tell you what, we knew that we didn't want to do that forever.

Speaker 2 13:00
Right? You're You're 100% right? Because again, I did the busboy thing but also did pot washing dishwashing and housekeeping pool Yeah. And for me I got drafted into the Army where I ultimately became a cook because I didn't want to be what they call the well I wanted to be added you know, it was it's called should I forget the doggone thing but missile crewmen Oh, I had a marijuana possession he said are you not get a top secret clearance. And I know our radio audience has heard this before. But nevertheless, for the sake of this, what we're discussing here is important just to note, so from there from the military, when I got out I went to gourmet cook school because I wanted to be a gourmet cook. But some things interests me and Oh, no a friend of mine and he told me say man, go down because I had taken pre apprenticeship carpentry before I got out of the service. So they say the city is hiring apprentices apprentice carpenters. I said, Okay, go down. You missed it. That close just say what do you mean close? She said, that means you can't apply it. No more. But come in here. Dorothy Smith, Dorothy Collins at the time, okay, come into my office. Say Why don't you become a firefighter? I said no way I'm not gonna stay with my family three or four days in a row blah, blah, blah. She showed me the opportunity calendar. Dr. Wright work 10 days a month. Oh, I think I'll say that. So that's how I became a firefighter. But to your point on on just the the work experience, which is very important, but something inspired you to pursue the whole hospitality industry. Now your education. On the front side, the bachelor's was in the hotel type administration. And then you did for your masters, post secondary secondary as well. So you teach you learn to teach better, learn to teach better,

Speaker 3 14:51
and my wife and I own our own post secondary school that we did. Yeah, that we do. I think your wife knows this. where we train disenfranchised populations, people in prison, men and women, we've been in the prisons here in Southern Nevada, right? Up in Spring Mountain youthful offenders who've been up there for about 10 years. Jack Martin and yeah, we try and we, yeah, we trained homeless vets to, we train homeless. We've hired a homeless vet, we hired a vet who went through our school, and she was an asset to us. And then she she moved on to the big facility, veteran facility as, as a I think she was the head cook or something like that. Wow. Really a great person. So

Speaker 2 15:48
so your aspiration to, to move into just being a total part of this whole industry came from where, you know, we,

Speaker 3 15:57
I was exposed, just like you we were, we were exposed to Las Vegas. And, you know, I was one of the first waves actually the second wave of African American dealers. And we, you know, we, once you live in this town, and when you and I was growing up, everybody knew everyone else. I don't care if you went to Rancho or That's right, or Vegas. All of us lived on the west side. So we knew each other. We knew everyone. Yes. And, and the town was small. And we had a lot of opportunity. If you wanted to work, you can work. That's right. You can work and and that's what you know that that was the sort of legacy of my grandparents who raised me, because my my mother was only 15 years older than me. And 14 years older than Larry, wow. When, you know, she told the field to my father. She was 18. Back in those days, they get married. Oh, yes, I had to get married to get married. And so so my grandparents kind of raised me with that old school. Mother with you know, if your audience understand mother with, you know, common sense.

Unknown Speaker 17:22
out there. Yeah, sure. They do. Right. So,

Speaker 3 17:24
so that's that, you know, that work ethic got me involved, and then I didn't when I started working in getting those those paychecks as a young kid, I just fell in love.

Speaker 2 17:38
Yeah, yeah, my brother buddy. He went to Leon Washington brother. But he went to went through CIP and became a crap dealer. And he and I still buddy, because he was working down at lady look. I mean, I used to call the strip the highway. Yes. I mean, you need to get on highway. You're gonna make more money. That's right. And he went out there before he retired from Paris. I think he he had been out there probably 20 years or so. But he said the money was show yeah,

Speaker 3 18:06
it was reference. Yes. You know, and what people don't know. All of us old school knew that we would get our money. Our tips every day. Oh, yeah. And that was a beautiful thing. You get that blue envelope man. And sometimes you can touch it if you stick man, you know, it's a good day.

Speaker 2 18:25
Well, you know, I'm just not a good counter man. That's why I never pursued the gaming side of the hospitality industry. Never did you know, it was like, oh, man, it seems to count and I watched buddy how because I used to go stop by some of the place he'd be working. And just watch the action of you know, dealing with the craps I'm like, please man,

Speaker 3 18:44
crab, crab dealers. You have to be a mathematician. You have to have a knack for numbers. Yes, you know, everybody doesn't and I then did I'm gonna tell you another thing you have to be a crab dealer you have to have you have to be ambidextrous. You got to be able to get chips with both hands so yeah, man. All of that yeah,

Speaker 2 19:05
it's a skill I'm sure it can be developed man but you don't have something internally man that will tell you exactly you will well man wasn't there so I didn't even we all we all born with

Speaker 3 19:17
gifts man and sometime you you know you give and if you think that you know the number saying wouldn't For you see, that's why you became a chief man. You know, your thing is people skills rather and not a motivating and you know, and a leader that's you

Speaker 2 19:34
and God blessed me with because I had quit my job and like I say, I was working at all Bally's. And what happened was I went there after go to gourmet cook school. They place you so I'm out there food Vernam like frontman for eight hours of field a pantry for the cooks. Four hours doc I was done. They said well, Chef Pierre, he said Washington. I'm gonna give you a raise. I want you to be a dish up person out there and helps her okay, I can do that. Gamma rays already found I could flip them sauce sauce. He said, You know what we need somebody relieved to cook sounds like you're gonna give me another way. Oh, you just got a raise. You know I'm married at the time and I think we had two children. Oh yeah. I walked out the job. You know when you're when you're young man you do Wow, crazy stuff. Yeah, but I had already taken the firefighters test. And a week later I got called My blessing me that was like me I was you less be a fool to walk off.

Speaker 3 20:40
Well, you know what the old fool shoes. Don't quit unless you got something to go to. Exactly.

Speaker 2 20:45
And that's my point. But I had taken a test run. I didn't know that I was gonna I had scored. Well. One thing, even though I didn't want to go to the military, I was one of 77 of 100 drafted from Nevada. And believe it or not, in five points. They gave me four as being a veteran. Got me in the door. See, gave me a 91 almost a 92 school.

Speaker 3 21:09
does God's favor, no doubt no doubt so so you don't know what's gonna happen? That's right. But but if you just do the right things, right things gonna happen. So

Speaker 2 21:20
you got it in your blood from just all the different activities and work experience that you had. Now, moving over to the College of Southern Nevada. Now, remember,

Speaker 3 21:31
I taught at UNLV first, okay, I taught five years at UNLV. Okay, on an adjunct level. Then I got recruited to open up a hotel school in Singapore. And I went over there as the dean open up the school. And, of course, I want to come back, although Singapore is very, very beautiful, right. I wanted to come back home. Because the contract that they wanted me to sign, I could only come back to the States once a year or on or twice a year. If it's an emergency. I couldn't I couldn't deal with that man. So although like I said, it's a beautiful place, but I had no idea you had gone off. So yeah, but it started school. Yeah, open up a hotel school for the American College of Singapore. Oh, cool. Yeah, yeah, I was over there. All right. Yeah. pause for a minute. And then I got offered a job. I got a phone call. I was in Hong Kong. This is no joke back. I was in Hong Kong with the original hudco clue. And I got a call. I was laying in bed. And I think Thomas Brown called me and say, Hey, would you like to go? Yeah. And I said, Man, I'm ready. So when I got better, and, and I had to make my exit from, from the American College of Singapore, came back and been with the college going on 32 years. Wow. Yeah.

Speaker 2 23:06
So when you came back to work for the college, in what capacity?

Speaker 3 23:11
I came back as a instructor, then I became a tenured professor. Then I became a Dean, who then associate vice president chair twice on my, my division. So

Unknown Speaker 23:24
So what is your role now in

Speaker 3 23:30
Hospitality Management, I just stepped down from being the director of the program. Okay. I'm, you know, because I do things on the outside of school, so and and so

Speaker 2 23:42
you got to in quasi cruise control now. Yeah. And how many years total in the industry? Oh,

Speaker 3 23:49
totally in industry in industry. Let me see here. About a lease a half century. You know, I think no, more than half a century because I got my first job and I think 17 Yeah. 17 Wow. So So I've, I've, I've enjoyed the business I love and young people, if you don't like serving people, and all ethnic ethnicities are people because the customer you know, comes in all shapes and colors and ages. That's true. If you don't like doing that and some people don't, some people like to be on the assembly line where they don't meet anybody. You know, you put on the wheel I put on the hubcap and we never meet the customer. So, but I know I enjoyed it. I've always been a people's person, I think, yeah, almost all of us were like that.

Speaker 2 24:57
Okay. As we start to wind down we got to buy Another four and a half minutes look tell us about this brother here. He hasn't mentioned but I'm certainly going to ask him about it because I've seen a number of his shows he has a podcast and the last one and another thing you know I shouldn't criticize you on here but he'll you know my brother would come over me man keep it really glad Did I hit you about Jackie saw man that was so exciting and I hope that everything works well for this young man and I watched what he did he went to figure out what the finance wounds how to operate at Wall Street this debt and so I'm like, okay, he's putting all his pieces in the work man and then getting the financing man I'm hoping it comes through for him because I hope

Speaker 3 25:40
so too. A lot of people say this you know why is it taking Jackie so long? Why did it take so long for this other hotel open up doc and the Fountain Blue Fountain Blue took over a decade or more

Speaker 2 25:55
yes right you know and found Blue was so what several different several different times the economy went bad the money dropped and yes, she couldn't finish and next thing you know, sold and sold again. But it's it's on its way.

Speaker 3 26:06
It's on its way. Yeah. And Jackie's the audit arena is gonna be on his way as well.

Speaker 2 26:12
So now tell us in the short time we got left, tell us about your podcast. My

Speaker 3 26:16
podcast is named Las Vegas, hospitality, evolution. And I like to interview people like yourself that's been around Vegas have seen the changes whether it's in hospitality or the community, and because every you know a lot of people that talk about Las Vegas, they talk about the sensationalism of Vegas, but this phenomenal city started with people like us. You know,

Speaker 2 26:47
this is Veterans Affairs. I meant to say that a few minutes ago. Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5. Jasmine when I got Doctor right. Oh, yeah, dark. So

Speaker 3 26:55
it's all about celebrating this phenomenal city that we live in with the movers and shakers that that have seen the changes. I wanted to ask you something real quick. Do you fight that fire and MGM? Were you a part of that

Speaker 2 27:14
I was a public information officer city and went out and help the county's public information Council. Okay, take the present side man where we saw bodies, man oh, man. Well,

Speaker 3 27:23
we don't want to go into it. Because I knew you were a firefighter right around that time. Yes. So. But anyway, we like to have people like yourself on the show. I've had a lot of different people from senators to former Senators and the whole bottle wax. Well,

Speaker 2 27:41
one, this is brother again, being humble man, because he's had some iconic people because I've listened to. I've watched at least six or seven of your shows. And I know you got how many in the hopper. Oh,

Speaker 3 27:52
I haven't released a lot. But the next one is going to be good Jean Kilroy who was with our leave ever since he was in the, in the military Jean, Kilroy was a military officer. And he paid all the athletes and the servicemen and that's how he met a Muhammad Ali. And they were friends and business partners for years and years and years.

Speaker 2 28:17
So dark. Tell us how can folks see your show? Because I think, and I'm telling you, it's a very dynamic show. He has a lot of good folks on it until you give you a lot of history about our state about our city. And I think it's important for us, those of us who've been well, even those who haven't been around, as long as us at least get a very strong base of what has occurred in the city. They can

Speaker 3 28:42
go to YouTube, and type in Las Vegas, hospitality evolution. We're on several about another 15 platforms. I can't name them all right, right. But but but if they want to see the show, YouTube, Las Vegas, hospitality evolution. Alright.

Speaker 2 29:02
Once again in Las Vegas. This is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5, jazz and more. And my special guests and we took the full show today. This brother got a lot to say cuz he's done a lot. I love you, brother. Loan. Appreciate you, man. So look forward to having you back on the show sometime in the future. All right. Again, Veterans Affairs just said Dr. Lonnie, right on the show, talking about the good things that he's done in our community. Thank you, brother. Thank you.

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