During this episode, we celebrate the legacy of Jeanne Wier in preserving Nevada’s history. Joining us to unpack her impact on chronicling Nevada’s history is Su Kim Chung, Head of Special Collections and Archives Public Services at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Interviewing her is Claytee White, a Women of Diversity Productions Inc Board Director. Join us as we explore the long-lasting impact of Jeanne’s foundational work at the Nevada Historical Society for over 46 years and the early experiences that first ignited her passion for it. Join us as we dissect Jeanne’s personal and academic journey, her friendship and eventual enmity with feminist figure Anne Martin, and her work of pioneering the Historical Society as a labor of love. Jeanne’s work has been pivotal to all kinds of research today. Don’t miss this deep-dive into her lasting impact in Nevada and beyond.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Our guest, Su Kim Chung, offers background on historical figure, Jeanne Wier.
• Jeanne’s academic journey at Stanford as a history student and professor.
• Her friendship and eventual enmity with feminist figure Anne Martin.
• Anne Martin’s work to get suffrage passed in America.
• What was required of Jeanne to start the Historical Society as a labor of love.
• Her famous trip to Las Vegas and beyond in the summer of 1908.
• Why this work was important to the Historical Society and the people of Nevada.
• Su’s path to choosing to study Jeanne Wier’s work.
• How Jeanne’s work laid the foundation for the writing of Russell Elliott and others.
• Challenges Jeanne would have faced as a woman researching and travelling.
• Surprises Su encountered in her research: Jeanne did this work without being paid for it.
• How Jeanne went about extracting the information that constitutes our history.
• The relevance of her legacy for all types of research.
• Her love of Nevada as an ‘adopted child’ of the State.
• Quotes that demonstrate her experience and her sense of humor.
• What we can learn from Jeanne’s incredible work as librarians and archivists.
• Su Kim Chung’s projection for releasing her book in 2026.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Su Kim Chung on LinkedIn

Su Kim Chung on X

Claytee White on LinkedIn

Anne Henrietta Martin

University of Nevada

Women of Diversity Productions Inc.

Welcome to the introductory episode of The Women Who Saved History podcast, a special series that celebrates the hard work of Nevada women who have made noteworthy contributions to preserving our state’s history. This podcast is produced by Women of Diversity Productions Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching women's lives and, consequently, society as a whole, by giving visibility to women and fostering a future that values and celebrates women. Today’s panel discussion is led by Erica Vital-Lazare, a Women of Diversity Board Director and Professor of Creative Writing and Marginalized Voices in Dystopian Literature at the College of Southern Nevada. She is joined by two other Women of Diversity Board Directors, Su Kim Chung and Claytee White, along with the Women of Diversity President, Denise R Duarte. Su Kim Chung is the Head of Public Services in Special Collections and Archives at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) University Libraries; Claytee White is the Director of the Oral History Research Center at UNLV; and Denise R Duarte is a multi-disciplinary and socially-engaged artist. In today’s conversation, you’ll learn how Su Kim first conceived of this podcast, the women who inspired her, and why it’s so important to make their efforts visible, especially during this tumultuous time in our country’s history. We discuss the founding of Women of Diversity, its mission, and why the organization is so intent on embracing new forms of media, before getting better acquainted with the women we’ll be hearing about in future episodes. Tune in to discover the hard work of these noteworthy women, how we can celebrate them, and the praiseworthy efforts of our guests in creating a women-appreciated future!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing The Women Who Saved History Podcast.
• A warm welcome to Erica Vital-Lazare, Su Kim Chung, Claytee White, and Denise R Duarte.
• The founding of Women of Diversity Productions Inc. by Marlene Adrian.
• Women of Diversity’s mission, and how Marlene might have felt about this podcast.
• Understanding Women of Diversity’s willingness to evolve and embrace new forms of media.
• The importance of archiving and preserving history in the context of recent book bans.
• An overview of the historical women who inspired Su Kim’s idea for this podcast.
• Unpacking how to celebrate the hard work of these noteworthy women.
• Why Women of Diversity has both an advisory board and a board of directors.
• How Marlene and Denise went about assembling these boards.
• Highlights from the twenty women we’ll be discussing in upcoming episodes.
• Some background on Jeanne Wier, Anna Parks, and Lynn Zook.
• Insight into Claytee’s journey and how she became one of the premier archivists of the state.
• Partnerships, allies, and resources that the women we discussed engaged with.
• How to get in touch with the Oral History Center at UNLV, especially if you know a woman they may want to interview.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Erica Vital-Lazare on LinkedIn

Su Kim Chung

Su Kim Chung on LinkedIn

Claytee White

Claytee White on LinkedIn

Denise R Duarte

Dines R Duarte on LinkedIn

Women of Diversity: Board of Directors and Advisory Board

Women of Diversity Productions