John Feroah, Reno Police, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office

John Feroah grew up in Reno, where his father worked for the Reno Police Department. After high school, John joined the Air Guard and worked briefly for the City of Reno. In 1969, he joined the Reno Police Department, part-time, while working security for the Cal-Neva. In 1971, he began to work for the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, retiring in 2003. He has since worked for the Reno Police Department Reserve and the University of Nevada Police Department. Photo by Patrick Cummings

Full Oral History Transcript

Former Reno police officer John Feroah describes the old walking beats patrolled by his father, who began serving as a Reno police officer in 1949. Recorded by Edan Strekal.

Former Reno police officer John Feroah describes how the Police Department contacted officers walking the beat when his father, also a police officer, was on the force. Recorded by Edan Strekal.

Former Reno police officer John Feroah remembers two West 4th Street coffee shops that were regular stops for the local law enforcement community. Recorded by Edan Strekal.

Gaye Canepa, Co-owner, Fred's Auto Repair

Born and raised in Ely, Nevada, Gaye Canepa moved to Reno after completing high school. At the time of her interview, she and her husband, Fred Canepa, owned and operated Fred’s Auto Repair and Supply at 500 East Sixth Street. She was the longtime president of the Reno-Sparks Business Corridor Association (RSCBA), spearheading community efforts to promote redevelopment and resist efforts by the City of Reno to locate a new homeless shelter along East 4th Street.

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Sandi Sullivan, Owner, Windy Moon Quilts

Sandi Sullivan bought Windy Moon Quilts, then located in Tahoe City, in the 1980s, and moved the business to Reno—first to Kuenzli Street and then to a former bank building at 440 Spokane Street. She and her husband, Mike, were involved in the creation of the Reno-Sparks Business Corridor Association (RSCBA). Sullivan, whose family has lived in the Reno-Sparks area for several generations, also speaks about growing up in the community and the urban renewal project that targeted the neighborhood north of East 4th Street in the 1960s.

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Doug Quilici, Copenhagen Bar

Doug Quilici is owner of the Copenhagen Bar at 2140 Prater Way in Sparks. The bar was previously located several blocks to the west, and run by Doug’s father, Gino “Bear” Quilici. That location was demolished in 1966 to make way for Interstate 80. Doug became his father’s business partner even before Bear passed away in 1997. Longtime customer and bartender Ray Maldonado also chimes in with his memories of Bear and the popular bar.

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History Project4th Street | Prater Way

John Feroah, Reno Police, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office

Gaye Canepa, Co-owner, Fred's Auto Repair

Sandi Sullivan, Owner, Windy Moon Quilts

Doug Quilici, Copenhagen Bar

History Project
4th Street | Prater Way