Walker Lake a Delicate Balance

Once Nevada, Always Nevada • Fall 2007

Top scholars shine at Nevada

StateCoe senator Swobe who made a difference Walker Lake A delicate balance

Latino business owners struggle, but thrive Mary-Ellen McMullen Alumna of the Year remembers student days Like the University’s founders who planted a quadrangle of trees BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP at the heart of campus so many years ago… your generosity and • Listing in the Annual foresight will provide for an environment where great minds will thrive. Honor Roll of Donors and other publications (with permission) • Invitation to Annual Gratitude Event on campus • Nevada Legacy Society certificate and lapel pin • As a member of the Nevada Legacy Society you can choose where funds will be applied.

Areas in need of University Quadrangle, late 1800s. support Include:

On behalf of the Foundation, we are pleased to announce the creation of the • Endowed student scholarships based on criteria set by the donor Nevada Legacy Society. • Innovative academic programs that prepare The society was formed to recognize and honor the commitment of those who have provided for students for 21st century the future support of the University under their estate or financial plans — regardless of the size of challenges the gift. • Lecture series that feature The launch of our Legacy Society also brings new opportunities to share examples of how an scientists, scholars, artists, individual can make a difference. Your confidence and investment is critical to securing Nevada’s and other leaders future, and we are grateful to be able to thank you now! • Professorships, chairships, If you have included the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation in your bequest, insurance policy, deanships and other trust or other planned gift, we would appreciate you contacting development programs us and letting us list your name in the future among others who to recruit the best faculty have provided resources to the Foundation. • Leading-edge facilities An inaugural celebration is planned for spring, so please don’t and technology that hesitate to call if you have any questions! We are always here mirror the standards and to answer your questions regarding estate planning and other practices of industry planned gifts. • An unrestricted, To learn more about options for planned giving and how you undesignated might become a member of the Legacy Society, contact Lisa endowment fund; Riley or Bob Eggleston, planned giving directors, by telephone earnings will be applied (775) 784-1352 or email [email protected]. All inquiries are as needed strictly confidential. Table of Contents Fall 2007. Vol. 24. No. 1

Features

20 24 31 Welcoming the brightest Walker Lake: A balancing act Latinization of Nevada

Departments About the cover Once Nevada, Always Nevada • Fall 2007 Christina Kim ’ 05 (political science), entering 4 NevadaScope – Water and weeds top agriculture issues freshman and National Merit Scholar Zachary Johnson, Boom – Citizen voice in community planning and Deanne Leonard ’07 (psychology/biology) who won 6 the Herz Gold Medal for academic achievement, are 8 What I’ve Learned – Coe Swobe ’54 among Nevada’s top minds. That the University not only attracts these brilliant scholars, but finds them singing its 10 Making the Argument – Improving graduation rates praises as alums, is a trend President Milton Glick wants to see continue. Donors and deans are also striving to Nature & Environment – Tahoe Summit turns 10 12 find ways to attract and keep top students, because, 14 Interview – Doctor brings HOPE to obese patients ultimately, the state is best served when our future leaders, managers and entrepreneurs stay close to home. 16 Refresher Course – Sovereign water rights Kim has begun her studies at UCLA’s law school; Johnson will study physics, hoping to become an astronomer or 18 What it Feels Like to Sing at the Met – Dolora Zajick ’76 oceanographer; and Leonard began her first semester at the University of Nevada School of Medicine this 3 9 Home Means Nevada fall. See story on page 20. University News, 36 On Philanthropy, 42 Only Online Visit our website for photo galleries, full versions of the printed stories, plus video and audio clips. You can Alumni Award Winners, 44 also access Nevada Silver & Blue archives. Visit http://www.unr.edu/nevadasilverandblue. In this issue: From the Alumni Council President, 48 Coe Swobe — An attorney, a state senator and a recovering alcoholic. Read the full interview online for Swobe’s most memorable accomplishments and most difficult struggles. Class Chat, 49 Christopher Coake — Read the title story to Coake’s highly acclaimed collection of short stories, Five Questions With Karole Morgan-Prager ’84, 57 We’re in Trouble, and listen to the podcast, too. Nature & Environment — The Lake Tahoe Summit celebrates its 10th anniversary. Check our photo Remembering Friends, 60 gallery and see who participated in the event. N

62 Tell Me How Nevada Was - The football racial barrier Walker Basin Project — Take a look at the different projects University researchers are working on to e v protect Walker Lake. S ada 64 What I’ve Done With My Life - Janet Trefethan ’71 il v & B er Look Online: l u

When you see this Look Online notice in the print magazine, it means there’s related bonus material at the website, so check it out. e • Fall 2007 • Fall http://www.unr.edu/nevadasilverandblue

1 From the President

Graduation rates matter Dear Colleagues: his fall we are pleased to have a very strong showing Tof National Merit Scholars as part of the incoming Once Nevada, Always Nevada freshmen class. Attracting bright and talented young men and women, such as these scholars, is important. They inspire and encourage one another, and they en- www.unr.edu/nevadasilverandblue ergize faculty. However, as important as those we enroll are, the roll call of those who graduate is even more Nevada Silver & Blue is published quarterly by Development and Alumni Relations important. University of Nevada, Reno. This year, we will heighten our focus on a culture of completion. We want students to come to campus, to © 2007 by the University of Nevada, Reno. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. stay, and to finish their degree. We want them to graduate

and we want them to do it in four years. I believe this is Photo by Jeff Ross Contact us by mail, phone or FAX: delivering what we promise and it’s in our students’ best Morrill Hall/0007 University of Nevada, Reno interest to complete their degrees in a timely manner. Reno, Nevada 89557-0007 There are barriers to this effort, though — barriers we are working diligently to remove. Some (775) 682-6022 are self-imposed, such as the increasingly common decision for students to take only 12 credits FAX: (775) 784-1394 per semester. There are many reasons why this has become common practice but in almost all For address changes: cases, it is a bad decision. Being a college student requires one’s full intellectual, emotional and University of Nevada, Reno Foundation/162 social engagement. It’s a full-time job, one with an incredible payoff. The college degree is an -ex Reno, Nevada 89557-0162 (775) 784-1587 ceptional investment and results in increased earning power — it also provides choices. It opens email: [email protected] doors to fulfilling careers that might not otherwise be possible. Most importantly, if we are to build the Nevada, the nation, and the world that we want, we Class Notes submissions: [email protected] Letters to the Editor: [email protected] need more college graduates. We need to open our doors to as many students as we can. There are few stories as touching as that of a student who is the first in their family to go to college — Editor John K. Carothers the embodiment of the collective hopes, dreams and hard work of parents, grandparents and art Director Claudia Ortega-Lukas associate Editors Pat McDonnell often siblings. It is humbling and awe-inspiring — and it is a reason to get up every morning and Melanie Robbins ’06M.A. work on problems that often seem insurmountable and unsolvable. John Trent’85/’87,’00M.A. As I meet with members of the community and tell the stories of this University, I am struck Photographers John Byrne; Jean Dixon; Theresa Danna-Douglas by the way that we quietly go about our work — we are too quiet! Students are successful here Website Designer Jake Kupiec and are having a great college experience. We need to share those experiences. Our faculty are conducting important research from Lake Tahoe to Mars — research that will advance basic science and improve the quality of life in Nevada and beyond. We need to broaden awareness of this research, too. The University leads the way in creating a better understanding of the impact of wildfire on Lake Tahoe: in the wake of the Angora Fire, research done by Wally Miller, professor of soils and hydrology, has moved front and center with Tahoe Basin managers. Finally, as we prepare to celebrate the opening of the new Joe Crowley Student Union, I ask you to continue to make this your University. Thank you again for making me feel welcome here Milton D. Glick • President — and for making me part of the Wolf Pack family. Jannet Vreeland • Interim Provost John Carothers • VP, Development and Alumni Relations Sincerely, Bruce Mack • Assoc. VP, Development and Alumni Rel. Amy Carothers ‘01M.A. • Director, Alumni Relations Juliane Di Meo • Alumni Program Manager • Fall 2007 e Christy Jerz ’97 • Alumni Program Manager l u Lindsey Harmon ’06 • Alumni Program Coordinator Milton D. Glick Hope Hepner • Administrative Assistant III

er & B President

v Keiko Weil ’87 • Director, Donor Relations il Elizabeth Welsh ’99 • Manager, Donor Relations http://www.unr.edu/president Ken Kempcke • Writer, Donor Relations ada S v e N 2 Letters to the Editor

Mustangs watering holes so that loving algae south of Reno. “Nevada’s Mustangs: roughing up the range” many other animals, who We went on the field trip, but by Archie Murchie, (Summer 2007) gives a very could not otherwise obtain the girl didn’t come along. biased description of wild horses from an old access to such, can drink. On the way home Professor U.S. Forest Service employee, who maintains Like many with his negative Cooney reached in the back the same old anti-wild horse tradition that views, Murchie overlooks the seat of his auto and under almost eliminated the mustangs. Murchie’s obvious problem: humanity’s a blanket there were two bias becomes plain when he describes the tampering with the natural beers. What a surprise! Sad to wild horses at the water hole. He should have balance here in the West. lose someone who did have mentioned how it is cattle who camp on the Craig C. Downer, ’76M.S. (biology) some measure of influence; he’s why I took the riparian areas and how the wild horses quickly Author: Wild Horses: Living Symbols of Freedom road I choose. drink their fill and redisperse away from the Warren Sandau ’54 (botany) water sources to cover a much broader area Professor Cooney than do livestock in their procurement of food. Your article sure brings back memories: Editor’s note: Donald Cooney ’47 (biology), Also he should have mentioned how the wild Professor [Donald] Cooney [’47] was a fine biology professor emeritus and department horses’ pawing at seeps serves to enlarge professor. In spring 1949, I was taking a lower chairman, died Jan. 11, 2007. See Summer 2007, division botany class from him and there was Remembering Friends. WRITE US: Send your letters to Nevada Silver & Blue, only one other student in the class, a girl. One University of Nevada, Reno, Morrill Hall/0007, Reno, Look Online afternoon he advised me that the next day we Nevada 89557-0007 or email us at [email protected]. To read complete letters, go to our website: Letters may be shortened or edited. were going on a field trip to collect thermal- http://www.unr.edu.nevadasilverandblue/letters

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3 NevadaScope

SURVEY Profile ofN evada Water and weeds Agricultural Producers

top Nevada agriculture issues Age respondents Percentage ater and weeds are top concerns for Nevada agriculture producers, according to a 25-34 1.4% Wstatewide survey conducted by University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. 35-44 11.5% “Agriculture producers have set the agenda for Cooperative Extension’s agriculture 45-54 26.0% research and educational programs for the next few years,” said Lyon County extension 55-64 28.7% educator and University professor Loretta Singletary, who conducted the survey and analyzed the results. 65 plus 29.% Did not answer 3.4% Top priorities in order of importance were: 1. Legal considerations for water rights protection (91%) 2. Impacts of water transfers within and outside basins (89%) Educational Attainment Percentage 3. Impacts of water rights sales (87%) Less than 12th grade 3.0% 4. Impacts of environmental regulations on water use (83%) 5. Noxious weed identification and control (83%) 12th grade 19.8% Some College 30.4% The results of the 2006 Nevada Agriculture Producer Statewide Research and Education Needs Assessment are available free on the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension website at: http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/ag/2006/eb0602.pdf. Technical/Associate 10.0% College Degree 25.3% Graduate Degree 10.3% Did not answer 1.2%

Gender Percentage Male 80% Female 18% Did not answer 2.0%

Photo by Loretta Singletary Ethnicity Percentage White 91.3% Nevada’s capital gains American Indian 2.6% Total acres in operation Percentage Current income from agriculture Percentage Hispanic .02% including public land allotments $1,000-$9,999 32.9% Asian/Pacific Islander .02% 1-20 acres 18.4% $10,000 to $49,999 24.5% Multiethnic/Other 3.3% 21-160 acres 24.5% $50,000-$249,999 21.7% Did not answer 2.4% • Fall 2007

e 161-1,000 acres 19.9%

l u $250,000 to $499,999 5.6% 1,001-60,000 acres 19.9% SOURCE: 2006 Nevada Agriculture Producer Statewide Research 500,000 or more 8.4% and Education Needs Assessment, conducted by Loretta Singletary, er & B Ph.D., Professor and Lyon County Extension Educator, and Marilyn v 60,001 or more 8.9% il Did not answer 7.0% Smith, Professor and Area Specialist, University of Nevada Did not answer 8.4% Cooperative Extension. ada S v e N 4 NevadaScope

#85’s Sweet & Spicy TONIGHT’S HOMEWORK Kahlua Baked BBQ Beans Charlie Lee, ’76 (journalism), ’85 (criminal justice), Bradenton, Fla.

Ingredients for a four- person serving: Preparation: Help lead One (1) 28 oz. can of Bush’s Maple Cured beans Drain and strain 1 can of beans and remove any (or beans of your preference) fatty pieces of bacon ½ cup of cooked, diced bacon Pour beans into Pyrex bowl a Wolf Pack 1 cup of sweet BBQ sauce (Sonny’s sweet, Add diced bacon, onions, peppers, cheese (and carolina Honey or similar) diced chicken or beef, if any) to water ½ cup of Kahlua Sprinkle one half of the listed spices over beans ½ cup of diced sweet onion or a blend of Gently mix all ingredients rank Lloyd Wright was quoted as saying, preferred onions) Pour Kahlua and BBQ sauce over the beans F“Nothing more powerfully creates heri- ½ cup of diced bell peppers (green, yellow, red, Sprinkle remaining spices over the beans tage than the imaginative use and stewardship orange or any combination) Gently mix all the ingredients again and cover of land.” In arid Nevada, the driest state in the 1 teaspoon of dried mesquite spice the bowl with its lid nation, unprecedented growth and natural 1 teaspoon of season-all spice disasters can strain our water resources. As 1 teaspoon of garlic-herb spice or garlic salt Baking: August faded into September, the Reno- 1 teaspoon of either chicken mesquite or beef Bake the covered beans for at least 30 minutes Sparks area was experiencing one of its 10 mesquite spice at 350 degrees longest dry spells on record. ½ cup of finely grated smoked cheddar cheese After 30 minutes, remove cover, gently stir beans For our fourth Tonight’s Homework con- ¼ cup of finely diced jalapeno or banana and bake at least another 30 minutes test, we’re looking for your best ideas for con- peppers (or adjust to preference) uncovered. After this additional 30 minutes, serving water in Nevada. Think beyond the 1 covered Pyrex or baking bowl remove beans to serve hot or continue to bake tried and true water-conservation methods. If Optional: you may add smoked or spiced-diced until the desired consistency is achieved (and your idea involves a novel way to collect chicken or beef feel free to mix more Kahlua as needed for and reuse water, that’s fine. taste) The best ideas will be listed in the Winter 2007 issue and on the maga- Tailgate M Serve hot or cold zine’s website, http://www.unr.edu/ Carrie Thorpe enu nevadasilverandblue. Contest winners 1) Chili-cheese hot dog loaded with cheddar will receive a certificate good for a WIN THIS SWEATSHIRT! cheese, $6.25; optional onions/and sour cream for Nevada sweatshirt courtesy of the As- 50 cents more, piled on top of some french fries. sociated Students of the University of 2) Blue Moon beer with oranges: Nevada bookstore. The deadline for for $5 or $3.50 for home brew from an approved 1 bottle the contest is Nov. 23. community organization affiliated with the school. Submit ideas to silverblue@unr. 3) P eanut Butter R edu, or mail them to: Nevada Sil- organization (Wolf Pack/orice K rispiesapproved Treats®: community) ver & Blue MS 0007, University of who wants to make 20 percent for fund raising. Any Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557. $2.50 per large square in plastic bag (non-seal Include a phone number where type), silver or blue frillies tied onto bag to close it. you can be reached and tell us your sweatshirt size (S, M, L, Use your brain, win a sweatshirt. If N e XL) and hometown. If you’re an the design shown here is not available at v S ada alum, please include graduation-year infor- the time of judging, winners will receive a

certificate good for the sweatshirt of their il mation and major in your letter. v & B er You’ll recall we asked for your most mouth- choice of a comparable price. Submissions not used will be posted online at watering tailgate recipes in the Summer 2007 Look Online l u

To submit your entry, or to read the last issue’s contest entries, visit http://www.unr.edu/nevadasilverandblue/ e issue. After all, the Homecoming game is Oct. 2007 • Fall our website, http://www.unr.edu/nevadasilverandblue. online/index.html 6. Take a look at the responses on this page.

5 Boom By Vikki Ford

Citizen voice in community planning

Whether a major employer closes, growth reaches 2,400 percent or new volunteer citizens need leadership training, Nevadan’s call on University of Nevada Cooperative Extension expertise to help with community development.

When boom goes bust hen southern Nevada’s Mohave Generating Sta- Wtion closed last year — a major employer with more than $20 million in payroll — it eliminated 350 jobs with an average wage of $70,000 a year. The area faced a potential economic disaster, according to Buddy Borden, Cooperative Extension economic development specialist. He had already been working in southern Nevada with University of Arizona Cooperative Extension helping the Colorado River

region develop a comprehensive community economic Lincoln County tourism photos by Don Shanks of Pioche development plan. Stone Cabin Trail in Spring Valley State Park “These are the most progressive communities I’ve ever worked with,” Borden says. “What Cooperative Extension does is far from traditional classroom teaching — we help citizens’ wishes to create a desirability index. Once completed, that will community leaders and citizens make educated decisions and become direct communities in attracting businesses with matching goals. self-sufficient.” Borden and Tom Harris, Cooperative Extension population growth community development specialist, helped the com- Nearby Lincoln County is facing a munity apply for an economic adjustment develop- vastly different problem. A projected ment planning grant, and then assisted in planning to 2,400 percent growth rate — unprec- mitigate the economic loss of jobs. edented in the United States — means “Rural communities are often strapped for funds and the county is struggling to expand its looking for efficiencies,” Borden says. “They cannot- af governing system and concerned about ford to chase a business without knowing whether there the future of its treasured rural lifestyle. is a fit. We offered them a way to match community “Lincoln County residents cher- desires to business needs.” ish their quiet lifestyle, yet they want As part of the Mohave plant project, Borden and enough jobs to keep their young people Harris offered the new Community Business Matching here,” says Holly Gatzke, Cooperative program that is being pilot tested in Montana, Hawai’i, Extension educator for Lincoln County. New Mexico, Nevada and Wyoming. “Fear of change and lack of knowledge “With the Community Business Matching program, and communication often inhibits the we gathered lots of community input,” Borden explains. planning process, especially in a rural “Over two days, focus groups presented thought pro- community that has changed little over • Fall 2007

e voking ideas about the trade-offs between economic A contest was held for elementary school the years and suddenly faces phenomenal l u development and community resources.” children to draw pictures of their favorite growth.” things to do in Lincoln County. The

er & B Followed by a telephone survey of 3,000 businesses While Borden and Harris help county v

il across the country in 80 private sectors, they are using contest promoted awareness and pride in commissioners and staff plan for upcom- the survey results and matching business needs with Lincoln County’s natural assets. ing growth, Gatzke helped develop an ada S v e N 6 enthusiastic new group called the Lincoln Communities Action Team. She facilitated the team meetings as residents began to find common goals. Using Cooperative Extension’s interactive videoconferencing for meetings cut travel time and involved more people. Rural tourism is the solution team members agreed to pursue. This fall several communities are scheduling day-long events with historically based activities geared for families. “Better communication revealed that we already have great attrac- tions and combining them might entice tourists to stay longer,” Gatzke says. “With advance notice, businesses can better plan to serve tourists.” Photos Courtesy of University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Pyramid Lake teens use a GPS unit to build a community pathway. At right, Marlene Who will lead? Rebori, Cooperative Extension community Training civic leaders is an educational program also offered by and organization development specialist. Marlene Rebori, Cooperative Extension’s western area community and organizational development specialist. Her six-week training, originally designed for Washoe County Citizens Advisory Board members, is now available to all volunteer members of the county’s boards and Pyramid youth civic engagement commissions and has expanded to other Nevada communities n the face of a national crisis in civic engagement, Marlene including Fallon and Carson IRebori, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension community City. and organization development specialist, started addressing the “In business, you do things problem locally by teaching youth at Pyramid Lake Paiute Reserva- one way,” says John Jackson Sr., tion northeast of Reno. Washoe County volunteer on “Youth today are disconnecting at a higher rate than previous the Sun Valley Citizens Advi- generations,” she explained. “Civic habits are formed during the sory Board. “In government, early teen years, so we only have a small window of opportunity to Holly Gatzke. Buddy Borden. you do things another way. influence how engaged the future generation will be.” Marlene’s training was very in- Rebori teamed up with Dehan Dominguez, Cooperative formative and taught us how to do things the way government requires Extension’s community-based instructor at Pyramid Lake Paiute and still use each person’s experience.” Jackson especially appreciated Reservation. Rebori and Dominguez recruited seven Pyramid Lake learning how to run a meeting effectively and stick to the agenda, a Junior–Senior High School students to join an after school program. requirement of Nevada’s open meeting laws. They loosely modeled their program after an international program, Cooperative Extension’s engaged leadership program teaches skills Project Citizen, which is a five-step program where youth: in working with the government and the public, decision-making, time • identify a problem in their community and meeting management, conflict management, leadership charac- • gather and evaluate information on the problem teristics and facilitation skills. Also, Michael Havercamp, Cooperative • examine and evaluate alternative solutions Extension’s group facilitation and mediation specialist, leads one ses- • develop a proposed public policy to address the problem, and sion on community visioning and action planning. • create an action plan to get their policy adopted by government. “The course reviews have always been top notch,” says Bob Webb, The teens at Pyramid Lake identified six public issues and voted planning manager with the Washoe County Department of Commu- to work on a paved pathway that was needed through their com- N e nity Development. In addition, Rebori works with individual advi- munity. The students developed a questionnaire and interviewed v S ada sory board members and teaches an introductory session during the representatives from each group along the walkway to determine il county’s new citizen advisory board member orientation. and develop community support. Results showed that everyone v & B er “Two main objectives of the Engaged Leadership program are for was supportive of the idea, so the students began planning the citizen volunteers to gain a sense of efficacy, that their engagement in actual physical location of the walkway, using survey wheels and l u e the community will have an impact, and civic skills so that participants GPS units to map the proposed 1.25-mile path. 2007 • Fall acquire the building blocks to engage effectively,” Rebori says. nN

7 What I’ve Learned

was a class move by a classy University president, who realized that even if you have a problem with a nation’s policy, you Coe don’t penalize the people who are simply doing their job.

’54 (politicalSwobe science/history) I was a social drinker, dating back to my days as a student at the University I got lucky when I graduated from law to go gray on my watch.” I was just lucky of Nevada and member of Sigma Nu school at the University of Denver and was that Laxalt asked me to negotiate what fraternity. When I was a practicing attorney hired as assistant United States Attorney. became the bi-state compact between and as a state assemblyman and state This was the 1950s, and there was only one Nevada and California to preserve Lake senator, I continued to drink. Alcoholism is assistant U.S. Attorney in the entire state. Tahoe. The bi-state compact was never a progressive disease. I drank progressively My case with the most notoriety occurred a sure thing. It was a very important step for 30 years. When I was 55, my family had when the government prosecuted Lavere for Lake Tahoe, and I think it’s done a lot enough. They held a good old-fashioned Redfield for tax evasion and bank fraud. of good for clarity and preservation of intervention. By then, about the only time I the lake. I was in the state Assembly for didn’t drink was early in the morning. Redfield was probably the biggest four years and the state Senate for eight property owner in Washoe County. They years. In addition to shepherding through So 13 of my family members and friends said you could walk from the Reno city the legislation that created the bi-state gathered in my home at 5:30 a.m. limits to the top of Mount Rose and not compact, I think the thing I’m most proud Each took a turn and told me how my step off his property. After he was indicted of occurred during the Vietnam War. alcoholism was destroying me, and my by the federal grand jury, it was my job relations with them. It was one of the most to have him arrested and charged with The Vietnam War was a different time. important turning points in my life. I finally tax evasion. At the time, federal prisoners There was great resentment against the admitted I was an alcoholic. A great weight were put in the county jail in Reno. I’ll veterans. When I served in the Air Force in was lifted off my shoulders. I will be forever always remember one time I went to Korea, there were such great opportunities grateful to my wife, Janet, who gathered the jail to check on Redfield. I found him for a returning veteran: the University let all of those wonderful people for that sitting behind the sheriff’s desk, calling you make up the credits you lost because intervention. I haven’t had a drink since. his stockbroker. The sheriff, Bud Young, of your service, they helped you find a told me, “Well, Mr. Redfield needed some job, and they let you go back to school. Janet (who as Janet Quilici graduated privacy and he had some business with The climate was much different in the from Nevada in 1956) and I are both his stockbroker.” Redfield was later found 1960s, and I was so disappointed that my extremely proud of our daughters, Caryn, guilty and served his time. University and some influential members and Jackie. Our three of its faculty were against offering many Look Online grandchildren are While in the state Senate, I was lucky of these educational benefits to the For full interview, visit also a source of great enough to play a role in the preservation many returning veterans of Vietnam. So I http://www.unr.edu/ pride. I’ve been very nevadasilverandblue of Lake Tahoe through the creation of introduced legislation to correct that. blessed to have such the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency in a wonderful wife, and such great children 1969. (Nevada Governor) Paul Laxalt and But luckily, slightly before it came to and grandchildren. I truly believe that the (California Governor) Ronald Reagan knew committee for a vote, (Nevada president) joy of family is how interdependent your

• Fall 2007 they had to do something to save the lake. N. Edd Miller reversed the University’s e lives become.

l u As Paul Laxalt said, “The lake is not going policy of not offering these benefits. It er & B

v From a conversation with Coe Swobe in July 2007 with University Communications senior editor John Trent ’85/’87, ’00M.A. Swobe, 78, a native il Nevadan, enrolled at the University of Nevada in 1947, and served in the Air Force from 1950 to 1952 before returning to Nevada, where he graduated

ada S in 1954 with a degree in political science and history. v

e Photo by Jean Dixon N 8

Making the Argument By Milton D. Glick

Improving graduation rates ll institutions of higher education are judged on their Agraduation rates. This metric — perhaps more than any other — highlights the effectiveness of an institution to deliver on a core mission: undergraduate education. We must strive to be among the top states in educational attainment. Today, the likelihood that a 9th-grader in Nevada will achieve a baccalaureate degree by age 24 is too low. Our collective future — the health and well being of our Milton D. Glick is the president of state and nation — depends on it. It is tempting to focus all of our efforts on being highly selective; however, for the benefit the University of Nevada, Reno of our state it is our responsibility to facilitate an educated citizenry. Ultimately, the kind of student we turn out will be driven by the quality of the experience we provide, and we have identified several steps to enhance student success. We recognize that creating a “culture of completion” is a top priority. From the day students enter our doors we want them to have their sights set on graduating four years later. We want them to know that graduation rates matter. Why graduation rates matter w We are defined by whom we graduate. Because we strive to What we will do to enhance student success w Increase faculty size selectively to ensure quality education offer educational opportunities to all who seek them, we are and put top faculty in key lower-division classes. Top faculty defined not by whom we admit but who we graduate. will engage students and provide a solid foundation on w Failing to graduate comes with an opportunity cost. Students which a student can build in order to be successful in a with a college degree earn an average of a million dollars more program of study. over their lifetimes than their counterparts without one. w Enhance advising. In order to guide students through a w Stretching out one’s college education makes it harder to course of study, advising is critical, and feedback on progress engage, and engagement is key to learning. It’s harder to feel — especially in the first two years — is very important. personally invested when your attention is only partially directed w Enhance financial aid. We will continue to work to reduce at the goal. When there is a choice, being a full-time student the financial pressures that lead to students choosing a taking 15-18 credits is the ideal. job for pay over their job as a student. We can create more w We are judged by our graduation rate. For better or worse, student jobs: students who work on campus persist at higher national rankings look at both four- and six-year graduation rates rates than students who work off campus. as measures of institutional effectiveness. Our six-year graduation w Increase average class load of students. We need to both rate of 49.4 percent is similar to the national average of 52 percent educate our students on this issue and create incentives to but it is lower than other large public institutions. We can and carry a true full course load. For example, we could adopt a must do better. tuition plateau model so that it is the same price to take 15- w Time to degree matters. Students should not be deterred from 18 credits, as it is to take 12 credits. seeking a college degree — no matter how long the process w Change where students “live.” Our university has a takes. But the length of time it takes a student to complete a relatively small number of students living on campus or degree does not escape the attention of prospective employers resident students. We know that living on campus leads — and probably adversely affects younger, inexperienced to student engagement. But more important is to change workers more. College is the first job that many of our graduates where students spend their time. We don’t care where will hold and the time to degree is a reflection of their success on students sleep — we care where they live. The goal is to the job. It matters to employers. The value of the degree to our • Fall 2007

e create a “sticky” campus, an appealing environment that students and alumni is similarly affected as graduation rates affect l u draws students here to study and socialize and keeps them our institution’s reputation.

er & B engaged in campus life. We have a unique opportunity with v il the opening of the Joe Crowley Student Union this fall and

ada S the IGT-Mathewson Knowledge Center in August 2008. v e N 10

Nature & Environment By Melanie Robbins ’06M.A.

saving big blue Tahoe environmental summit celebrates 10th anniversary ally Miller remembers the first Tahoe Summit in 1997 as a coming together of researchers, insti- Wtutions and agencies with the shared intent of forging a collaborative approach to protecting Lake Tahoe, one of the world’s largest, deepest and — despite dwindling clarity in recent decades — clearest alpine lakes. It worked, according to Miller, a professor of hydrology in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, whose area of research is soils and water quality and, especially, how that quality is affected by fire. “We’ve been very, very productive,” Miller says. “We’ve made some real strides in understanding how the watershed ecosystem functions. We now know pretty much what’s going to happen following a fire. Now we need to learn how to mitigate those effects.” Former President Bill Clinton — who at- Photo by Jean Dixon tended this year’s summit, as well as the first Former President Bill Clinton stopped to greet the — issued an executive order July 26, 1997 that crowd gathered at the 10th Anniversary Lake Tahoe established the Tahoe Federal Interagency Forum at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village Partnership. The partnership brought together on Aug. 17. The gathering has been an annual event since 1997, when Sen. Harry Reid organized the a number of agency heads, including the first forum, which President Clinton also attended. secretaries of the departments of Agriculture, At the first forum, President Clinton and Vice Interior and Transportation and the U.S. President Al Gore pledged $50 million in federal Army, as well as the head of the Environ- spending for the Tahoe basin’s fragile environment. mental Protection Agency. The partnership’s mission was to coordinate federal efforts and to “ensure that Federal agency actions protect to greater collaboration between regulating its many activities is to develop a science plan the extraordinary natural, recreational, and and managing bodies such as the Tahoe that will identify needed areas of research. ecological resources in the Lake Tahoe Re- Regional Planning Agency and the U.S. Forest In terms of progress in preventing further gion,” according to the order. Service, the scientific community has come degradation of the lake’s clarity, Reid notes Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, who initiated together, as well. that “some serious steps have been taken to the first summit, says the mission has been The Tahoe Science Consortium, which reduce transportation around the lake and accomplished, but is ongoing. “Probably the is a collaboration among the University of utilize environmentally friendly means of most important thing that has happened in Nevada, Reno; University of California, Davis; moving people,” as well as “significant stream the 10 years since the first summit has been Desert Research Institute; the Pacific South- restoration and fire suppression activities.” • Fall 2007

e increased communication and collaboration west Research Station of the Forest Service; However, “We have more to do,” he says, not- l u between stakeholders, researchers and federal and the U. S. Geological Survey, was formed ing that as a result of the initial summit, some

er & B agency personnel,” he says. in 2005 following extensive discussions be- $331 million has been invested in improv- v

il Locally, a number of institutions have an- tween the research organizations and the land ing Lake Tahoe and its watershed, and an swered the summit’s call to action. In addition management and regulatory agencies. One of additional $45 million has been identified for ada S v e N 12 Orchids’ drought resistance might help fight global warming an upcoming round of federal funding that is By John Trent ’85/’87, ’00M.A. awaiting the secretary of interior’s approval. hose pretty orchids at home could hold keys to fight against global climate change. Mike Collopy, director of the University’s T They are plants that just won’t die. And for John Cushman, Department of Academy for the Environment, estimates that Biochemistry and Molecular Biology professor, his ongoing research on plants with the out of the $331 million, approximately $20 metabolic ability to use less water than other plants could be an important step forward million has been spent specifically on research in developing new in the last decade. The money is allocated generations of plants competitively and has gone to research on that are drought- both California and Nevada sides of the lake. and global climate Miller and his primary research team, change-resistant. which includes Dale Johnson and Roger Cushman, along Walker, also professors in the Department with researchers of Natural Resources and Environmental from the Univer- Science, have garnered about $1.5 million for sity of Florida and their studies that look at water quality, nutri- the Smithsonian ent cycling and forest health in the aftermath Tropical Research of a forest fire. They have found that fire sup- Institute in Panama, pression causes not only a dangerous buildup was awarded a of fuels, but also thick organic layers that are three-year grant of nutrient rich. These nutrients, when mobilized $750,000 from the Photo by Jean Dixon by a wildfire, have the potential to seriously National Science John Cushman, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology degrade the lake’s clarity. Foundation to study professor, is making great strides in the ongoing research of plants with the metabolic ability to use less water than other plants. By studying the 2002 Gondola Fire, which the evolution of burned some 670 acres of forest on the ridge plants with a form of behind the Stateline casinos, Miller’s group photosynthesis called crassulacean acid metabolism or CAM. found that heavy rainfall and resulting ero- CAM plants take up carbon dioxide, a major part of their metabolism, through small sion about three weeks after the fire caused pores called stomata during the night instead of during the day, as plants that have C3 380 metric tons of sediment to be deposited in photosynthesis do. CAM plants then store the carbon dioxide as organic acids and intro- a riparian zone, but fortunately did not make duce them into the rest of the photosynthesis process during the day. it to the lake. Plants with C3 photosynthesis, which occurs in 90 percent of all plants, lose a great “If there had been a perennial stream deal of water by opening their stomata during the day while CAM plants lose much less such as Angora Creek, the sediment would water by storing carbon dioxide at night. have gone into the creek and right down to “CAM plants lose 10 times less water C3 plants do,” Cushman said. “It is a very ‘water- the lake,” Miller says. “We now have an idea efficient’ way of taking up carbon dioxide in a metabolic sequence.” of what the magnitude of sediment will be This type of photosynthesis occurs in about 7 percent of vascular plant species, a very following a fire. Our research will help engi- minimal amount of plants compared to the large number of species that conduct C3 neers to determine how big and how many photosynthesis. To study this metabolic phenomenon, Cushman and his colleagues are sedimentation basins are needed to mitigate studying the orchid family, 50 percent of which have CAM. potential erosion events.” Orchids are important in many other ways, according to Cushman. Orchids produce The recent Angora Fire near South Lake vanilla, a widely used flavoring, and many different species are sold as potted plants or as Tahoe, which burned some 3,100 acres of for- cut flowers. est and destroyed 254 homes, was not only far “Orchids are horticulturally significant,” Cushman said. “There are many different N e more destructive than the Gondola fire, but types and the orchid family is one of the largest families of higher plant species.” v S ada almost five times as large. The group is interested in tracking the changes that led C3 plants to evolve into CAM il

Now is the time to study the effectiveness of plants by using molecular phylogeny, a sort of family tree that traces the evolutionary v & B er the mitigation efforts that are being put into history of a group of organisms. By seeing where CAM plants occur in the tree, the play following Angora, Miller says. “It’s an op- researchers can identify the circumstances under which the switch from C3 to CAM l u e portunity to gain even greater knowledge than took place. 2007 • Fall we have in the last 10 years.” nN

13 Interview By Mark N. Levine

Doctor brings HOPE to obese patients besity is a public health epidemic affect- who have relied on non-surgical approaches Oing not only the United States, but many such as drug regimens and traditional meth- parts of the world. Evidence clearly shows that ods such as diet and exercise. Because of the obesity, with its multiple co-morbid diseases, associated co-morbidities, morbidly obese is now the second most preventable cause of individuals have difficulty complying with cardiac death next to smoking in the nation. restrictive diets, and regaining weight is typi- According to the Centers for Disease Control cal when the diet is discontinued. and Prevention, nearly two-thirds of adult Americans are either overweight or obese. And NSB: What are your qualifications for this childhood obesity rates type of surgery? Mark N. Levine have more than tripled Lau: In addition to extensive experience as is senior director from 1980 to 2005, from a general surgeon, I completed a fellowship of health sciences 5 to 17 percent. in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery communication The Trust for at Stanford University. I have trained with for the School of Medicine. America’s Health in 2006 some of the leading experts in this field, reports that Nevada has who are both excellent clinicians as well as an adult obesity rate of world-renowned researchers. In addition, as 21 percent and is ranked 42nd heaviest in the the assistant program director for the Surgi- nation. In terms of related risk factors, Nevada cal Residency Program at the University of

ranks 31st in the nation for adult diabetes levels Photo by Edgar Antonio Nuñez Nevada School of Medicine, teaching is also and ranks 30th for rates of hypertension at Dr. James Lau one of my priorities. nearly 25 percent. Recently Dr. James Lau joined the University are performed at University Medical Center in NSB: At the present time you are the only of Nevada School of Medicine as chief of the Las Vegas. fellowship-trained bariatric surgeon in Ne- Division of Bariatric Surgery. Lau was fellow- vada. What does this mean for patients? ship trained at Stanford University in minimally NSB: Why is this partnership important Lau: There are a number of advantages for invasive and bariatric surgery and will direct to residents in Southern Nevada? patients to have their surgery performed by a the only university-based Bariatric program Lau: The University of Nevada School of fellowship-trained surgeon. These surgeons in Nevada. In addition to bringing the latest Medicine is physically located next to the Uni- are educated by established experts, and are laparoscopic and robotic techniques to weight versity Medical Center, the hospital where we involved with and exposed to the most cur- loss surgery, his division will address this critical train our surgical residents. It makes sense to rent research and technology available, both public health issue by creating an innovative place the Weight Loss Surgery Center at UMC, nationally and worldwide regarding mini- obesity prevention program. The new effort is so that all citizens in Nevada will have access mally invasive surgery. In addition, fellow- called HOPE: Healthy Options for Prevention to highly trained physicians and researchers in ship training is undertaken in a high-volume and Education. a state-of-the-art facility. Individuals who are environment that focuses on best practices Mark N. Levine, senior director of Health seeking obesity-related surgery will no longer through experience, evaluation, and improv- Science Communication at the University, sat have to travel outside the Silver State to find ing overall patient outcomes. This setting is down with Lau to learn more about obesity, the excellent academic medical care. conducive for advancing research, as well as surgical treatment, and educational initiatives to community-based education. address the disease. NSB: Why should a patient consider surgery as the means for long-term weight NSB: You are a surgeon specializing in • Fall 2007

e Nevada Silver & Blue: What is the Univer- management? bariatric surgery, however, you are only l u sity Weight Loss Center? Lau: Surgical intervention is the only prov- one member of a team that will care for the

er & B Lau: The University Weight Loss Center en method to have a significant, long-term patient — tell us about the team approach. v

il is part of the University of Nevada School of effect on the disease of morbid obesity. There Lau: As the surgeon, I will perform the Medicine, Department of Surgery. Surgeries has been a history of failure for most people obesity-related operation. However, since mor- ada S v e N 14 bid obesity is a complex condition, a multi-dis- ous surgeries. To the surgical community, our and education at one of the specialized adoles- ciplinary comprehensive approach is essential University program educates future surgeons cent weight loss surgery centers in the country. for successful weight loss surgery. Being a part (residents) and will provide additional educa- of the University allows for direct collaboration tion in laparoscopic techniques to practicing NSB: What are the risks of weight loss with experts in internal medicine, critical care, general surgeons nationally. For the local and surgery? anesthesia, and radiology. UMC is a tertiary statewide community, we are launching an Lau: Gastric bypass surgery is major abdom- care center that provides in-house services such innovative obesity prevention project called inal surgery with significant risks. Although as nutrition and dietary support required for a HOPE: Healthy Options for Prevention and the lap-band surgery has less operative compli- smooth transition to successful post-bariatric Education. This program aims to prevent cations, there is a risk that the band can either surgery life. In addition, our team will include obesity by educating children and their slip or erode. There is a risk of death with both a nurse, medical assistant, and administra- families on how to achieve a healthier lifestyle. procedures, 1 in 200 with the gastric bypass tive support to ensure that optimum care is A major emphasis of this program is learning and 1 in 10,000 with the laparoscopic band. The provided before and after surgery. And we will nutritional guidelines, creating healthy menu risk for patients decreases in high volume cen- offer guidance regarding successful habits to options on a limited budget, and developing a ters, where physicians with specialized training assist with improving overall health for life. family oriented exercised program. and extensive experience perform the surgeries. For the future, I plan on expanding the With both surgeries, there is a risk of inad- NSB: Why is bariatric patient follow-up so technology for surgery to include foregut equate weight loss without adherence to a diet important? and gastric bypass surgery with the Da Vinci and exercise program. There is always a risk of Lau: It is especially important to consis- Surgical System. Continued clinical research requiring another operation or conversion to tently monitor weight loss surgery patients’ is essential part of an academic university an open operation with a long incision. overall health and progress after the surgery is program to improve the knowledge and performed. The surgery is only a tool to pro- techniques in the care of this complex patient NSB: What is the success rate for these vide people with a reduction in co-morbidities population and the disease of obesity. Aca- types of operations? and enough weight loss to give one a chance demic excellence also means a presence in the Lau: The gastric bypass operation allows to develop a healthier lifestyle. Co-morbidities national and world context. patients to lose about two-thirds of their excess include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, body weight, and it is the most effective way to high triglycerides, diabetes, reflux disease, NSB: What surgeries are offered? reverse obesity related co-morbidities including obstructive sleep apnea, stress incontinence, Lau: The traditional gastric bypass (both sleep apnea, hypertension, and diabetes. The low back pain, and arthritis. By continuing to laparoscopic and robotic), the laparoscopic lap-band operation allows patients to lose 50% monitor the patient’s health indices, as well as adjustable band, and the laparoscopic sleeve of their excess body weight in two years. This providing education and support, our patients gastrectomy. surgery also is effective in reversing obesity re- have the best chance at maintaining the suc- lated co-morbidities, but only as weight is lost. cess of surgery long-term. We will provide NSB: Who qualifies for these surgeries? recommendations for a healthy diet and an Lau: Anyone who is determined to be NSB: In addition to being an accom- exercise plan that enhances their overall well- morbidly obese would qualify; approximately plished bariatric surgeon, you are also quite being. Ideally, we would like to follow-up with speaking, individuals who are 100 or more passionate about educating young people all of our bariatric surgery patients through- pounds above their ideal body weight are so in the future they might avoid having to out their lifetime. morbidly obese. A body mass index (BMI) is undergo surgery. the method most commonly used to measure Lau: The picture of Nevada’s health is not NSB: What advantages does a University obesity. This is a calculation of your weight in pretty. We are the 42nd heaviest state in the Bariatric Surgery Program provide to the kilograms divided by the square of your height nation and in terms of co-morbidity we rank patient and to the community? in meters. The National Institutes of Health, 31st for adult diabetes and 30th for hyperten- N e Lau: The advantages are several-fold. with their 1991 Consensus Conference Criteria, sion. Clearly something needs to be done. v S ada Clinically, a high volume center with surgery set the qualifications for surgery nationally. A il performed by fellowship-trained surgeons BMI of 35 – 39 with co-morbidities or a BMI NSB: How do we find out more about v & B er gives the patient the best chance for good greater than 40 qualifies one as a candidate for HOPE? outcomes. Patients benefit from the surgeons’ weight loss surgery. The age range is 18-65 years Lau: We can be contacted by calling (702) l u e rigorous medical training as well as the vast old. An adolescent should only be considered 671-5150 or (702) 671-2373. Our e-mail ad- 2007 • Fall experience obtained from performing numer- a candidate for surgery after careful screening dress is [email protected]. nN

15 Refresher Course By Kate A. Berry

Native sovereignty and waters of the West overeignty — it’s a word heard more centers, educational institutions, and water Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and settlers Scommonly these days. Not so long ago, planning organizations that are operated as in- who had arrived during the waning years of this term was largely relegated to legal and stitutions for and by indigenous peoples. This the 19th century after the tribal land base had legislative domains, but things seem to have is not to suggest that all is settled and native been diminished. In 1905, the U.S. Bureau of changed — today sovereignty is on the lips sovereignty is widely understood and well- Indian Affairs, who had developed irrigation of a wide array of people, from journalists accepted. The dimensions and characteristics on the reservation, requested the U.S. Depart- in Hawai’i to anglers in Wisconsin, from of native sovereignty are, in fact, regularly con- ment of Justice take action against the settlers activists in Nevada to bureaucrats in Wash- tested, sometimes rather vehemently by state to ensure an adequate supply of water for ington. And for good reason — indigenous government representatives who challenge crops on the tribe’s reservations. In its capaci- rights organizations and tribal governments or stand in opposition to native and tribal ty as trustee for the tribe, the U.S. Department themselves have brought the issues and ideas sovereignty. Recent examples are evident in of Justice filed suit in U.S. District Court and behind native sovereignty more fully into the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, in which the United States and the Fort Belknap Tribe public view. lawsuits pitted states against native groups or won not only this case but subsequent appeals Sovereignty encompasses the idea of gover- American Indian tribes over various dimen- in the Ninth Circuit Court and U.S. Supreme nance of a people by that people. The rights of sions of sovereignty. These include: Court. The decision of theU .S. Supreme a sovereign are: • a decision in 1991 regarding the sovereign Court in this case forms the foundation of • to establish and maintain territorial bound- immunity of the state of Alaska relative to the reserved water right (or Winters) doctrine aries, two native communities; that is used to this day as a guide to allocating • to create and enforce laws that protect • a decision in 1993 about the tribal authority waters between tribal governments and water citizenry, of the Cheyenne River Sioux to regulate users in Western states. • to connect disparate communities through hunting and fishing as opposed to the The essential elements of the reserved water establishing a sense of identity. authority of the state of South Dakota; rights doctrine have come to be understood as: • a decision in 1996 concerning the resolu- • whether explicitly stated or not, treaties Fundamentally, sovereignty is a concept tion of disputes between the Seminole Tribe and agreements made between the United about the meaning, extent and structure of and the state of Florida over reservation States and Indian tribes imply a reservation government — that is, its relative authority, gaming; of both land and water, in order to make autonomy, and respon- • a decision in 1997 about whether the Coeur the land habitable; Kate A. Berry is an sibilities. D’Alene Tribe or the state of Idaho had • the basis for a reserved water right claim is associate professor While sovereignty jurisdiction over submerged lands under a to meet the purpose of the reservation, as of geography. She is doesn’t lend itself well lake; and set forth in congressional treaty, executive also the president to quantitative gauges, • a decision in 2000 regarding the water order or federal statute; of the Association there is ample evidence rights allocations of tribes along the lower • reserved water rights are based on federal of Pacific Coast that indigenous Colorado River relative to states of Arizona laws rather than state laws; Geographers, peoples — the diverse and California. • unlike the prior appropriation system of an organization of more than native peoples within water allocation adopted by many western 600 professional the United States, These last two U.S. Supreme Court states, reserved rights are reserved indefi- and academic collectively called decisions involve conflicts between Western nitely; geographers in American Indians, states and tribes over water matters, but it was • the amount of a reserved right is based eight Western states Native Alaskans and a judicial decision 99 years ago — the 1908 upon a determination of the resources and two Canadian Hawai’ians — have U.S. Supreme Court case Winter v. United available on the reservation, regardless of provinces. made remarkable States — that has become a landmark for all how many people historically or currently • Fall 2007

e strides in asserting subsequent water allocation that involve tribal reside on the reservation; l u their rights as sovereigns. Consider the active governance and Western states. The “Winters” • the priority to use water (or the “senior-

er & B court systems of tribal governments in the case, as it has come to be known, involved ity” of the water right) is generally based v

il United States as well as the police forces, social a dispute over waters of the Milk River in upon the date when the reservation was service agencies, transportation planning northern Montana between the Indians of the established. ada S v e N 16 Ten Things You Didn’t Know About… Art Curating by Marjorie Vecchio, director of the Sheppard Fine Arts Gallery In the years since the Winters case, in addition to federally designated Indian reserva- 1. A curator designs tions, other federal reservations of land have exhibitions by theme or also been granted reserved water rights, such artists, chooses the artists as military reservations or National Parks. and then goes through An example of how native sovereignty con- their artwork deciding nects to the realm of water rights can be found which pieces to show. in the Northern Arapaho and the Eastern Shoshone of the Wind River Reservation. 2. Many artists are “crossing The Shoshone were granted land rights to the over” to curate in order to Wind River Reservation under a treaty in 1868 reclaim artistic freedom in and a decade later the Arapaho were moved by exhibitions, which in most the U.S. Army onto the Wind River Reserva- institutions — museums tion. Since that time, the boundaries of the and commercial galleries reservation were changed through a series — are inspired by the of land cessions and restorations, but both market and audience Photo by Jean Dixon Marjorie Vecchio tribes remained on the reservation. Despite income rather than the their traditional differences, both tribes came joy and intelligence of art. together to secure water rights for the places both valued on the reservation. In 1985, after 3. Some artists prefer to have a conversation with a curator and design their own years of conflict and litigation between the exhibitions, or make new work for the show, which is an exciting (or scary) prospect tribes and the state and ranchers, a court de- for a curator. cree awarded the Wind River tribes more than a half-million acre-feet* of senior water rights 4. Studio visits with artists can end up as three-hour discussions. to the Big Horn River and Wind River. 5. Some curators follow, support and show the same artists for a lifetime. Exerting their powers as a sovereign government, the tribes developed and enacted 6. Until recently, curators never went to school to learn their craft; they often just fell a Water Code in 1990 and, under the terms into it and programs did not exist. In the last 15 years, many master of arts programs of the code, the tribes issued a permit for for curatorial studies have popped up around the globe. This is a controversial topic instream flows for the reservation to enhance in the art world as many believe the development of these programs are a part of the conditions for fisheries and to ensure flows commercialization of higher education and doesn’t make better curators. through the reservation. The state of Wyo- ming disputed the administration of water 7. Sheppard Gallery spends on average two to eight days installing an exhibition. rights by the tribes as well as the instream flow 8. Not all exhibitions are purely between an artist and curator. If an artist is permit that had been issued, and in 1992 the represented by a commercial gallery, the curator also has to deal with the dealer as Wyoming Supreme Court ruled in favor of the an intermediary, often for approval of the exhibition, image rights for photographs, state. While the tribes have not had success in asserting their administrative powers over shipping of artworks, any sales that occur, etc. water, they were able to secure water rights for 9. Staying informed about the newest contemporary art means traveling to at least the reservation and, in the process, developed one or more international art fair each year, institutional capacity that allows them to con- N e tinue work on water rights matters and exert 10. A curator has another equally time-consuming and important job — especially v S ada the powers as sovereigns. nN in smaller galleries — as a writer. They have to write grants, public relations pieces, il

catalog essays and curatorial statements. v *An acre foot of water is the volume of water it takes to cover an & B er acre of land to a depth of one foot, or approximately 325,853.4 Marjorie Vecchio, Ph.D., is the first professional curator to serve as director of the Sheppard U.S. gallons. An acre foot of water is roughly the amount of water a l u family of four uses annually. e Fine Arts Gallery since it opened in 1960 as one of the few experimental, professional, 2007 • Fall contemporary art spaces in northern Nevada. Vecchio will curate “Orion’s Belt,” her first exhibit as gallery director at the University of Nevada, Reno, Sept. 10 to Oct. 5. 17 What it Feels Like to…

… Sing at the Met By Dolora Zajick ’76 (music), ’78M.A. that magic for the audience. One doesn’t tend to notice any details that Aficionados of classic vocal performance don’t have anything to do with the perfor- have a love for the Metropolitan Opera at New mance. All concentration is on the things York City’s Lincoln Center. It is one of the pre- that can interfere with a performance. Does mier performing arts venues in the world, and my costume and makeup suit my character? for a talented vocalist theatrically presenting a Is there a weak link in the cast that must be coveted role, its stage is akin to playing in the compensated for? Are the props in order? Super Bowl. Mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick, a Am I properly warmed up? What do I do if University of Nevada, Reno graduate who can the horses in Aida happen to poop on stage, or reach in full voice the high F notes of Mozart’s the tenor’s wig catches on fire. Queen of the Night aria in The Magic Flute, Any company that uses large animals talks about the unique experience. such as horses and elephants in Aida runs into the poop problem. The Met solved it by hat does it feel like to sing Amneris having the Egyptian royal pooper scooper, a Wat the Met? Once while singing this supernumerary dressed as an Egyptian with a role in Aida there, I heard a collective audible long-handled dust pan and a broom. gasp from the audience. I assumed I had made Many things can go wrong. The conductor some sort of mistake and, thinking I had done Zajick performing Aida. gets a cramp in his arm, the trumpet makes a something wrong, concentrated more on what big blooper, or worse yet, a singer falls into the I was doing. Meanwhile the prompter was prompter box or has a cold, the soprano has desperately trying to get my attention. The au- performers become adrenaline junkies. The canceled, the first cover has the flu, the second dience gasped again, and the prompter looked rest drink coffee. cover breaks her leg and the replacement has frantic, so I concentrated even harder. It Opera is craft as well as an art. When a had no rehearsal. Other things can happen, turned out that the set had caught on fire, and singer looks at a theater, they don’t think of a too. No one can find the tenor because he’s a stagehand was putting out the fire from be- theater as hallowed with grand traditions. I hiding in the dressing room shower with a hind the chorus in time to the music. It made am more likely to be thinking about acoustics. towel over his head. The baritone has become the National Lampoon. Are there dead or hot spots on stage? Does the competitive and is upstaging everything you Such is the real stuff of a performance. set reflect the sound or does it absorb it, and do. The soprano has decided to sing all her en- When I prepare the day of a performance, how does the orchestra balance with the sing- semble notes one-fourth beat longer than the there is no time to think of one’s famous pre- ing in this setting? Singers are more likely to cutoff, when everyone else has stopped singing. decessors. I do consider and study what they be thinking technically, so that they can create Even the props can do unexpected things. have done artistically when I am learning a new role, but the day of a performance I laze about all morning, then go to the theater three When most singers enter the stage, there is a surge of hours before to warm up. When performing there is no time for fear, and it is all about concentration. There is no adrenaline similar to what professional athletes experience, a time to dwell on a past moment because all concentration is on the present. When most moment of fear that fades, but leaves the body functioning at • Fall 2007

e singers enter the stage, there is a surge of l u adrenaline similar to what professional ath- “a higher level than normal. Because of that, many performers

er & B letes experience, a moment of fear that fades, v il but leaves the body functioning at a higher become adrenaline junkies. The rest drink coffee. level than normal. Because of that, many ada S v e N 18 ” I was once singing the witch in Rusalka at net. It is one of the elements of live perfor- It didn’t hit the concert master in the head, the Met. I had a mechanical cat attached to my mance, and as a singer, I’ve also learned to but landed at my feet. shoulder that had a tail that twitched back and think on my feet. I take my bow and the crowd bravos. forth, and a head that rolled from side to side Usually it all ends well with the audience hav- Sometimes we can create magic, but for with glowing eyes. At one point I would hit ing no clue of the drama going on. Sometimes every magical performance, there is a the cat’s head with a big wooden spoon I was the audience notices, especially when a singer performance where things go wrong, and it using to mix things into a cauldron to create has to cancel halfway through a performance. is our job to keep the illusion going. That is a spell. One night I hit the head too hard and After the performance is finished, the sing- what usually goes through the mind of an it fell off, and I had to finish the scene with a ers take their final bows. Until that moment, opera singer during a performance. If we headless cat with its tail still swishing back there is no time to think of the audience. Usu- do our jobs well, the audience experiences and forth. I had no idea what to do with the ally things go right. Nobody is booed. But the mystique. We experience the audience head, so I shrugged my shoulders and threw once a crazy fan threw a flower with a stem response when it is all done, and have the it into the cauldron with all the other things. wrapped in tin foil to give him better aim. satisfaction of a job well done. nN I managed to not to break the spell, and the audience thought it was part of the comedy. Zajick, an Oregon native who was raised in Nevada, received vocal training from the late Uni- The pros learn to cover such incidents. versity music professor Ted Puffer, founder and longtime artistic director for Nevada Opera. She Film has the wonderful option of editing such joined the opera company’s chorus when she was a premed student at Nevada and gained interna- things. Live opera does not have that safety tional renown after her performance as Azucena inIl Trovatore with the San Francisco Opera.

FOUNDATION BANQUET Sponsored by the Whittemore Family Foundation and the E.L. Wiegand Foundation 2007 When George Will talks politics, it’s a home run The University of Nevada, Reno Foundation presents Pulitzer Prize- winning columnist, baseball historian and best-selling author George Will at the 26th Annual Foundation Banquet

Tuesday, September 25, 2007 Tickets are $200 each or $2,000 for the table. N e

Sponsorships are also available. Tickets can v

John Ascuaga’s Nugget S ada be purchased by contacting Jeanne Corbit 6 p.m. no-host cocktails in the University Events Department at il v followed by dinner at 7 p.m. [email protected] or (775) 784-4831. & B er l u e • Fall 2007 • Fall Proceeds benefit numerous educational opportunities at the University of Nevada, Reno.

19 Brilliant students are good for the University (and vice versa)

By Melanie Robbins ’06M.A. The National Merit Scholarship Program is a onors students may not all be geeks, but prestigious national competition that awards top they do set themselves apart from the high school scholars with distinction for academic throng. Deanne Leonard ’07 (psychol- performance. The program is based primarily Hogy/biology), for example, last May’s on test scores, but a competing student must also Herz Gold Medalist, is not only a straight-A student provide letters of recommendation, submit an essay with a soon-to-be-published research paper under and be committed to obtaining higher education. her belt, she’s also bilingual and an opera singer. While the program awards some monetary scholar- When others were riding tricycles, Leonard, now ships, it is the institutions of higher learning that 22, was learning Spanish. When her peers were compete with each other for these top students by thumbing away at Nintendo, she was a member of offering scholarship packages and perquisites. the Reno Philharmonic Chorus and the Nevada Consider the leadership qualities being honed in Opera Chorus, becoming a soloist for the Uni- Honors Program student Grace Morris, a 20-year- versity of Nevada Women’s Chorus while still in old junior who is majoring in both economics and high school. Music and language aren’t her only international business. Like many top students, talents, however. She wants to be a doctor — pos- Morris devotes time to extracurricular activities in sibly a plastic surgeon specializing in reconstructive addition to studying hard. She serves as the current surgery. She began her studies at the University of president of the Black Student Organization, as well Nevada School of Medicine this fall. a volunteer mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters The Herz Gold Medal is the University’s top program, a national one-on-one youth mentoring undergraduate academic honor. program that offers positive role models to children Aside from possessing vast intellectual scope and in need. curiosity, these top scholars — who were some 450 Morris says: “Volunteering doesn’t take up a lot strong and growing during the 2006-2007 academic of your time, but it does make a world of difference year — also muster unusual determination and to the kids, and not to mention, you leave feeling commitment, as well as leadership qualities beyond really good about yourself.” their years. Since President Milton Glick took office on Aug. For example, Raymond Hooft, 18, an incoming 1, 2006, he has pressed to recruit more National freshman and National Merit Scholar from Sparks, Merit Scholars, as well as other top scholars to the says he had to take extra classes in high school in University, citing the value their presence adds to • Fall 2007

e order to qualify to earn the National Merit Scholar campus life: lu distinction. “Having the best and brightest in our classrooms r & B

e “It’s more of a commitment in time, but if you are elevates the learning experience for everyone. When

ilv willing to put in the work, you will reap the benefits later,” Hooft says. Continues on page 22 S vada Ne 20 Tamara Valentine, director of the Honors Program, is dedicated to helping students like Kristen Spencer, 19, of Reno. Spencer is an undecided sophomore (and definitely Ne not a “geek”) who’s leaning toward a vada S science major. As one of the University’s top students, she appreciates the quality of ilv e the education she is receiving at Nevada: r & B

“The Honors Program is dedicated to lu e giving everyone the step up needed to take 2007 • Fall their life to the top,” she says. Photo by Theresa Danna-Douglas

21 ‘Having the best and brightest in our classrooms elevates the learning experience for everyone.’ — Milton Glick

faculty know that they are teaching the best Abroad Award, Leonard spent a summer in And Jonathan Floriani, 20, a junior from Las students, they treat all students differently. Puebla, Mexico and honed her Spanish by Vegas majoring in biochemistry, raves: “The They have higher expectations and students taking a medical terminology course. She can Honors Program is an amazing guide that respond accordingly,” Glick says. now not only converse fluently and is up on enhances an already excellent curriculum here As a result of redoubled efforts by Student the latest slang, but can also communicate at UNR.” Services recruiters, academic advisers and fac- complicated medical information such as Students give much of the credit for the ulty, the University welcomed its largest ever prescriptions and diagnoses in Spanish. Her terrific Honors Program to its director, Tamara contingent — 10 students — of National Merit skills were put to the test recently while volun- Valentine, and her hands-on staff. Floriani re- Scholars for the 2007–2008 academic year. teering at a local hospital. Staff called on her counts how Valentine and the Honors Program National Merit Scholars are highly coveted. to translate for a Spanish-only family and ex- staff went beyond the call of duty to help him Entering freshman Colin Kupitz, 18, of Las plain complicated procedures and medication start and operate a successful student organiza- Vegas, notes, “Colleges were aggressively re- information, which she did during a six-hour tion. Synergy Operations “has been successful cruiting me for the last part of my senior year marathon session. in building events that encourage teamwork, in high school. There were so many letters that “It was an amazing experience,” she recalls. brains and brawn,” he says of the organization I probably threw away a couple of offers for Leonard also co-authored a research paper he started last year. full rides — without realizing it.” on visual perception with her mentor, Michael Studying and even living together in the Glick notes, however, that there’s a lot more Webster, Foundation Professor of psychology. dorms create bonds of friendship between to developing a top-notch school than just hav- She presented her research at the 2007 meet- students, as well as generate an ideal learning ing brilliant students, however desirable they ing of the Vision Sciences Society in Sarasota, environment. Floriani lived in White Pine may be: “Building a first-rate program isn’t only Fla., in May. The paper, “Cone-specific gain Hall his entering year: “I met a majority of the about recruiting National Merit finalists — it’s changes compensate color appearance for dif- friends I have now within the hall... during our about providing programs, services and facili- ferences in spectral sensitivity,” will soon be usual shenanigans. These are the people that I ties that deliver a first-rate education and make published in the Journal of Vision. can rely on for the rest of my life.” our University a destination of choice for the Of her Nevada undergraduate experience, Two years ago, the Honors Program and the best students in Nevada and the West.” Leonard says, “The Honors Program is a very Department of Residential Life, Housing and The quality of the educational environ- outstanding learning environment, and I Food Service created the Honors Residential ment is exactly what brought Leonard — who would like to express my gratitude to the won- Scholars Community, a living learning com- would be a top student in any setting — back derful faculty, administration and staff at this munity on the second floor of Argenta Hall to continue her graduate education at Nevada, University.” This sentiment is echoed by other just for honors students. “They automatically never hoping for any place “better.” top students who have experienced Nevada. have a community when they come in, which “I really like the University of Nevada Christina Kim ’05 (political science) took is good for students,” Valentine says, adding School of Medicine. It was my first choice not on the academic challenges of the Honors that this “instant” community of top learners only because there are small class sizes, but Program with gusto: “The requirement of is especially important for students from Las because the environment itself is warm and writing an honors senior thesis was invalu- Vegas, who don’t know the northern Nevada inviting,” Leonard says. able. I think that undertaking a thesis project students. Leonard also chose to stay at Nevada not only helps with research and writing skills Kupitz, the National Merit Scholar from Las because of the quality of her undergraduate but also provides a good way of wrapping up Vegas who began his studies this fall, says the education. Like all Honors Program students, your undergraduate years. What better way guaranteed admission to the Honors Residen- she was encouraged to study abroad and do to graduate than with a polished work product tial Scholars living learning community was research — programs that are available to that you spent countless numbers of hours on?” the “sticking point” in selling him on Nevada: all undergraduates through two innovative Kim, 24, from Reno, began graduate studies at “The perks at Reno’s Honors Program are bet- programs — the University Study Abroad the UCLA School of Law this fall. ter than those at any other college… the nicety Consortium and the Office of Undergradu- of living near and with people that will be in • Fall 2007

e ate Research — that, just like Glick envisions, Join the Honors Program Alumni Chapter! my classes, combined with early enrollment, lu ramp up the services offered to all students to Contact: Dr. Tamara Valentine UNR’s scholarship and the Millennium Schol- r & B

e a highly competitive level. email: [email protected] arship, made Reno seem like the perfect choice.

ilv Through USAC and with the financial Phone: (775) 784-1455 And it didn’t hurt that I loved the campus when support of the national Phi Kappa Phi Study Address: University of Nevada, Reno, MS 0112, Reno, NV, 89557 I went on the tour.” nN S vada Ne 22 Donors seek to keep brilliant minds in Nevada By Melanie Robbins ’06M.A. University, Sara chairs the Col- he problem with Na- lege of Engineering Advisory tional Merit Scholars is Board, and the Public Affairs that everybody wants and Advocacy Committee for the Tthem. With 90-plus each year University Foundation Board, in Nevada and offers pouring where she is a trustee. in, keeping these top national “The College ofE ngineering scholars can be like trying to has phenomenal, leading-edge keep water in a sieve. programs. It’s a well-kept secret, Donors like Sara ’73 (Eng- but it shouldn’t be,” Sara notes. lish/journalism) and Leonard The college maintains 15 labo- Lafrance feel strongly that it ratories and research centers, doesn’t have to be that way. In- including Computer Vision and spired by Dean Ted Batchman’s Robotics, Bridge Engineering, concern and President Milton Virtual Reality, and Earthquake Glick’s initiative to bring more Photo by Theresa Danna-Douglas Engineering, which is among the National Merit Scholars to the Sara and Leonard Lafrance are thrilled to help National Merit Scholars top ten facilities in the nation, University, the Lafrances have such as incoming freshmen Tyler Aas and Raymond Hooft, who are aspiring boasting the $20 million James established a $100,000 scholar- engineers. E. Rogers and Louis Wiener Jr. ship fund to benefit top scholars recruitment team that made him feel like Large-Scale Structures Labora- studying engineering and computer science. staying in his hometown. tory. The 9,000-square-foot laboratory holds “It was a way to give back,” says Sara, who, “It was how much they seemed to want me. the only set of three, 50-ton earthquake shake along with her husband, had a successful 23- I met with President Glick and Provost Freder- tables in the United States. year career in the software industry, prior to ick, and after meeting with all different kinds Dean of the College of Engineering Ted moving to Incline Village in 1998. of people, I kind of felt at home,” Hooft says. Batchman notes that the Lafrance’s gift will The National Merit Scholarship Program Tyler Aas, 18, also an incoming National support not only the student recipients, but is an academic competition that began in Merit Scholar from Reno, said the money was also the community: 1955. Of 1.4 million high school-age entrants important to his decision, too. Having taken “Through the Lafrance Family Foundation, each year, some 50,000 qualify, based on test two math classes at Nevada while a senior at Sara and Leonard Lafrance support excel- scores, for recognition. Of those, only about Reno High School, Aas says that he “already lence. For years the college has been hearing 8,200 advance to the finalist stage and receive had a good impression of the school.” Aas will from our industry partners and our com- Merit Scholarships from the program. major in mechanical engineering. munity members that we are losing Nevada’s In 2005, Sara and Leonard established the Joshua Gansberg, 18, also an incoming excellent students. We’ve heard the best and Lafrance Family Foundation with the mission mechanical engineering major and a National brightest students go to schools in other states. of recognizing, nurturing, and supporting Merit Scholar, hails from Carson City. He These are our future leaders and this scholar- gifted young people in developing areas of the chose Nevada because of its proximity to his ship helps us keep them here as citizens, key world as well as contributing to educational home, and because the quality of educa- managers and entrepreneurs.” programs and establishing scholarships for tion here is comparable to that he could find Sara and Leonard are also members of gifted children in the local area. Their contri- anywhere. Sierra Angels, a Northern Nevada investment bution of a National Merit Scholarship for the “Why go far away to get basically the same group that focuses on promising early stage College of Engineering is in keeping with this caliber of school?” he notes, rhetorically. Like companies. Sara is active in several educa- endeavor. others, Gansberg fielded a number of offers tional and service organizations, including Their scholarship fund is working. Three from other institutions. Guide Dogs for the Blind, and serves on the Ne engineering National Merit Scholars have Despite still being just a short drive from Board of Trustees for KNPB Channel 5, Reno vada S chosen Nevada over other potential schools. their parents’ homes, all three freshmen will Public Television. According to Raymond Hooft, 18, an be striking out on their own for the first time Leonard has recently been involved with ilv e incoming freshman from Sparks who will be and are looking forward to living in the Hon- the development of another software com- r & B majoring in civil engineering, the scholarship ors Residential Scholars Community, a living pany, and SCORE (Service Core of Retired lu e clinched the deal. But it was also the warm learning community in Argenta Hall. Executives) a national non-profit association 2007 • Fall welcome he received from the University’s As another aspect of giving back to the that counsels small businesses.

23 Walker Lake The delicate intersection of water, science and a way of life

Story by John Trent ’85/’87, ’00M.A. • Photos by Jean Dixon • Fall 2007 Nevada SilverNevada & Blue 24 Walker Lake he drive from Las Vegas to Reno in January 1969 was interminable for the young Nevada T State Assemblyman. There was much on Harry Reid’s mind as he left southern Nevada that morning, headed out on a long, solitary drive for Carson City and the beginning of that year’s session of the Nevada State Legislature. Reid, still in his 20s, had left hesitantly that morning. He was leaving his wife, Landra, and their two young children behind, at home. There was also the matter of his Las Vegas law practice and how he would manage it, living for the next 120 days out of a

cramped room at the Frontier Motel. & Blue Nevada Silver

Continues on page 26 • Fall 2007 • Fall

25 “I remember I had a the Nevada System of lot on my mind during Higher Education has that drive,” recalls Reid, embarked on an 18- now majority leader of the month, $70 million study United States Senate. of the Walker Basin. The Reid remembers the project, sponsored by endless stretches of sage- Reid (D-Nev.) and co- brush, the vast sameness sponsor Nevada Sen. John of the land that made the Ensign (R-Nev.), has been loneliness well in him even authorized and funded more strongly. through a congressional And then, just after appropriation. Research by cruising through the small the University of Nevada, northern Nevada town Reno and DRI is limited to of Hawthorne, Reid’s $14 million of this figure, thoughts were broken. A with the rest set aside for massive lake rose like a the acquisition of water mirage from the desert breeding and migrating water birds. rights from willing sellers. floor. The solution seems easy enough: Get more Research done by University and DRI Reid couldn’t believe his eyes. Years earlier, water into Walker Lake. scientists will explore the best means to get during the late 1950s, he had traveled on a Yet how can this be accomplished without water to Walker Lake while maintaining a school bus from his hometown in Henderson, irreparably damaging the agricultural econo- strong economy and improving the ecosystem Nev., for the state baseball championships, mies of Walker’s upstream communities, such of the Walker Lake watershed. It will involve and had passed the same spot. as Smith Valley and Yerington? How can this developing a watershed and decision-support The lake hadn’t registered then. happen so that the economic viability of the model and will evaluate economic impacts Now, though, the sight of Walker Lake neighboring Walker River Paiute Tribe as well of water purchases, low-water use drought- pulled something deep from within Reid. as the residents of Hawthorne, can also be resistant crops, water conservation, in-stream “I thought, ‘My land, I can’t believe enhanced? health of the Walker River, as well as sediment this,’” Reid says. “This lake … it’s just like it It is one of the most difficult dilemmas and salt delivery to the lake. shouldn’t belong. But it did belong. Nature Nevada has, one that is emblematic of a larger “Decades of litigation involving Walker had put it there, and it was quite a sight to see.” debate throughout the country regarding hasn’t solved many of its problems,” Reid says. As Reid notes, 18-mile-long, 6-mile-wide water and how use of this most precious of “In Congress, we’ve worked to save Nevada’s Walker Lake has always been a bit of an Western resources can be maximized in a two great terminal lakes, and we’ve managed anomaly. It is one of only six desert terminal time of uncertain precipitation and global to save Pyramid. We’re taking the same ap- lakes in the United States with a fresh water climate change. proach with Walker. Walker is very, very im- fishery, and one of only three — Pyramid Lake “From the get-go, throughout the West, the portant, and it’s important to keep it healthy, and Summit Lake are the others — in Nevada. problem has been over-allocation. That was keep it alive. A healthy Walker Lake speaks It is the terminus for the Walker River water- how the agricultural economy of the West was well of Nevada … an unhealthy Walker Lake shed, whose ebbing and rising flows upstream able to develop,” says Jim Thomas, research doesn’t speak well of our state. We have some from the lake have helped support the agricul- professor at the Desert Research Institute. of the finest scientists in the world at UNR tural communities in the Smith and Mason Thomas has studied the Walker Basin wa- and DRI, and their comprehensive research is valleys for more than 100 years. tershed for nearly 20 years. “Unfortunately, going to provide critical information that will And therein lies the problem, at least as far irrigation seems like it always ends up in the not only help improve the health of Walker as the health of Walker Lake is concerned. crosshairs of this debate. It will always be a Lake, it will help sustain the local economy.”

• Fall 2007 Walker Lake is rapidly disappearing. The lake’s complicated issue for the West, because it’s The appropriation also includes funding for level has declined 145 feet since 1882, with in- mixed with the needs of different users and acquisition of water and/or water rights from creased salinity that has major implications for producers, as well as the roots and values of all willing sellers at fair market value for approval the wildlife that the lake supports, including a these people.” from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The once thriving fishery, as well as thousands of In an effort to solve the Walker dilemma, acquisition program will be reviewed in an Nevada SilverNevada & Blue 26 Environmental Impact Analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act. “We are striving to do all of this in the most open and transparent manner possible,” says Nevada System vice chancellor Dan Klaich, noting that a stakeholders committee group of 16 individuals serving as representatives of agencies or organizations in the Walker Basin as well as members from other Nevada communities and statewide agencies, has met three times since December. “The Walker research projects are on a very fast track,” adds Thomas, who is serving, along with Mike Collopy, director of the John Snyder, shown with daughter Alexandra, 13, and son, Darwin, 7 in his home outside of University’s Academy for the Environment, Yerington, can trace his roots in the Mason Valley back more than 100 years. The onion and alfalfa as coordinator of the research end of the ef- producer says of his life: “But it’s the quality of the living that we like so much.” fort. Thomas received his Ph.D. from Nevada in 1996. “We’re very pleased with how it’s moving along, and we anticipate having some research results in a year. What distinguishes TO BETTER UNDERSTAND what is at stake, you take the drive on this project from previous work at Walker is Highway 95A, past Fernley and toward Yerington, stopping at one of the onion farms, neatly how this project isn’t just looking at potential framed with cottonwoods, not far from Wabuska. scenarios if water rights could be leased or purchased. You meet John Snyder. He is 49, a father of for a time for the Walker River Irrigation Dis- “Now we’re looking at providing the best seven, a grandfather of two. He has held his trict as an assistant manager, as well as for the information to help efficiently move water face to the high Mason Valley sun for most of Lyon County School District as its informa- into the lake — and this is just as important his life, working the nearby onion and alfalfa tion technology director. — while also providing information to have fields that have been part of his family for From 1998-2002, Snyder and his wife, a strong economy in the basin. This isn’t just more than 100 years. He is an unassuming Cindy, and two of the couple’s three children about getting more water to the lake now. man with a kindly voice that is as measured lived in Quito, Ecuador, directing a children’s It’s a big-picture approach that hopefully and meaningful as a church hymn — a voice home. The experience was so rewarding, the will leave everyone and everything much perfect for telling stories. Even when he sits Snyders adopted four children from the home, stronger.” still, listening to a visitor talk across the three of whom were special needs children. Adds Collopy: “It’s also very important to kitchen table in his home outside of Yerington, Two of the children — Michelle, 6, and Elita, both the University and DRI that the research Snyder radiates a deep sense of contentment. 2 have passed away due to complications from conducted by our “Bless All Who Enter” reads a sign above their disabilities. Look Online faculty provide the kitchen. Today, happily, Snyder counts his biologi- For more information about the objective data “One of the greatest things this type of life cal children, Steven, 27, Sarah, 25, Jonathan, Walker Basin Project, visit: http:// that contribute teaches you is patience,” Snyder says. “You 23 — as well as his adopted children from www.nevada.edu/walker/ meaningfully to have to have patience. You plant and you hope Ecuador, Darwin, 7, and Alexandra, 13 — as the lively debate that accompanies discussions that conditions are right to get a good crop, part of the great bounty that his life has given of water use and whatever policy decisions are and you hope that prices are good for a good him. Alexandra, with glossy dark hair and a Nevada Silver & Blue Nevada Silver ultimately developed. Our faculty and stu- market. Most of the time, it’s just eking out a beaming smile that could launch a thousand dents are interested in helping the ecologies living. But it’s the quality of the living that we ships, suffers from severe cerebral palsy. But, and economies of the state of Nevada. like so much.” Snyder adds, Alex is your typical teenager in “We hope that those who live and work in Snyder has led a diverse life. He’s never almost all other respects. the Walker River Basin understand that we strayed too far from an agricultural life, “She loves to talk on the phone with her are committed to providing the most reliable though he earned a degree in engineering friends,” Snyder says, smiling as he sighs the 2007 • Fall and helpful information.” from Cal Poly San Luis-Obispo, and worked Continues on page 28

27 universal father’s lament of having a teenage daughter. “Sometimes you can’t get her off the phone.” Snyder realizes that he could be the last in a long line of ranchers and farmers from his family. Youngest son Jonathan works on the farm but will soon be putting his degree as a youth pastor to full-time use. Snyder’s 2,000 or so acres could be in completely different hands at some point in the future. “I care about this valley a great deal,” he says. “I know there are many court decisions that are giving preference to environmental issues, but they’re placing the rights above Staci Emm, a native of Schurz and a University of Nevada Cooperative Extension educator who the livelihood of the people, and I don’t think has studied the attitudes of the residents of the Walker Basin, from the agricultural interests that’s right. So I see (changing the agricultural upstream to those who live near Walker Lake. Her conclusion: “There is a lot of common ground.” lifestyle) as very detrimental to this commu- To Emm’s left is the white house where her grandfather once worked the land of Schurz. nity, and this valley.” Yet, as strongly as Snyder feels about the value of agriculture and its place in the mix of the diverse elements in the Walker Basin AGRICULTURE ECONOMICS professors Tom Harris and Kynda equation, he realizes that it is important to Curtis hold dual appointments in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Re- listen. To hear out what the researchers have sources and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. They, along with Cooperative Exten- to say, to read their findings and then decide what the best course of action might be. To sion educator Staci Emm, a native of nearby used for educational purposes,” she says, not- learn potentially valuable lessons that can help Schurz, are in the midst of a study with clear ing that she and her colleagues have a list of an industry that on its own — aside from the implications for Snyder and others like him about 300 alternative crops that will probably issue of the health of the lake — is evolving along the Walker River. be pared down to “five or eight that would be and facing challenges. To that end, he has “We’re looking at current cropping and marketable, that would work in the Walker been working with the Nevada Small Business watering strategies, as well as potential alter- Basin.” Development Center to determine the eco- native cropping and watering strategies,” ex- “Most ag producers are environmentally nomic impact and to help mitigate the impact plains Curtis, a friendly, brisk-speaking native conscious,” Curtis says. “It’s very important caused by losses of water for area agricultural of Alaska, who has been at the University for to them that their land remains usable, which interests. four years. “The goal is to put this information means maintaining the quality of the land. “The more I thought about it, the more I into economic models to give people an idea of We’re hoping that our study, which looks considered it, I thought it would be good to how they might be able to change their irriga- more at the supply side of the water than the have someone from within the valley, who tion strategy or change their cropping regimen demand side of the water, will help give people knows this culture, to help with this project, and still remain profitable. We’re trying to give some options so if the water diminishes, they so there is some understanding,” Snyder says. people ideas on how they can improve what will still be able to maintain their way of life He adds with a chuckle, “Certainly some of they’re doing.” and their business, and maintain their land in the people that I’ve talked to in the valley are The first part of the study has been a survey a useful state.” very apprehensive, and think I’ve gone over to that has been sent to more than 300 landown- Harris, who has taught at Nevada for more the dark side. But after talking to them, they ers up and down the Walker River watershed. than 20 years and, in Curtis’ words, “knows understand that I do have the interests of this Curtis has been amazed by the response: 55 everybody in this state” because of his easy-

• Fall 2007 valley, the interests of agriculture, first and questionnaires returned in little more than going personality and pleasant West Texas foremost.” two weeks. drawl, likens a study like this to the stock He is intrigued by what he has heard and “I was afraid that people would be reluctant market, and diversifying one’s portfolio. learned so far. to be give up some of this information, but “It’s a hot-button issue, that’s for certain,” evidently we were clear that this is going to be Harris says of water and Walker. As is his Nevada SilverNevada & Blue 28 Walker Basin research projects to gather storehouse of data By John Trent ’85/’87, ’00M.A. places where the two research institutions, custom, Harris quickly moves from the realm here has already been one “first” as- DRI and UNR, fit together very well, and of the personal to that of the business model Tsociated with the Walker River Basin bring a lot of expertise to the table,” says — where there is usually little or no hot- research effort, and it occurred in the spring. Jim Thomas, research professor at the button to press. “What we want to do more Scott Tyler, professor of hydrogeology, Desert Research Institute, who is serving, than anything else is give the people who live and one of the principal investigators on along with Mike Collopy, director of the and work there a whole range of economic a research project to develop a hydrologic University’s Academy for the Environment, alternatives … what they can expect, for decision-support tool to help guide water as coordinator of the research end of the example, given the variability of prices and right acquisitions, is using a series of fiber effort. “DRI is taking the lead in watershed potential variability in yields with modeling and is also working, in Scott’s reduced water to Walker River and the case, with groundwater modeling. And use of low-water crops. We need to help then there are areas where the University is them understand how things might taking the lead: alternative crop schemes, go in a good year, and we need to help agricultural economics and socioeconomic them understand how things might factors. This project has been a perfect fit go in a bad year. Maybe the informa- for the University and DRI to handle. tion will be more telling for a bad year, “The bottom line is we’re providing a I don’t know. Then they’ll have a full great deal of unbiased information. It’s the distribution of returns, and then they essence of good science: providing the un- can decide what they want to do.” biased information so the decision-makers Emm, who graduated from Mineral can make the best decision possible.” Photo by Jean Dixon County High School in Hawthorne, Other research projects include: University hydrology researcher professors and then from the University before joining • Socioeconomic, political and envi- Mark Walker, left, and Scott Tyler discuss Cooperative Extension, based much of her cable testing to be used in environmental ronmental analysis of land and water master’s thesis on a study of attitudes in the monitoring of area lakes and rivers, including rights acquisitions in the Walker River Walker Basin. the Walker Basin. ecosystem; Emm laughs quickly, but has a thoughtful • Alternative agriculture and vegetation demeanor. As she strides through the agricul- optic cables that were deployed from the management; tural fields of Schurz, she still maintains much center of Walker Lake in August. • Plant, soil and water interactions; of the athletic fluidity that distinguished her In an earlier test-run at Lake Tahoe, the • Assessment of the importance of water during her playing days on state champion- Distributed Temperature Sensor instrument acquisitions to the health and in-stream ship girls basketball teams in Hawthorne in — consisting of optical fiber that is able to environment, aquatic ecology and Total the early 1990s. Quick as a cat, she is under receive temperature information at all points Dissolved Solids loading to Walker Lake; and through a barbed wire fence. Then, she along the installation — Tyler was able to • Development of recommendations patiently waits as two visitors from the city show, for the first time ever, clear evidence of to maximize water conveyance and awkwardly turn the same graceful movement internal waves at the thermocline boundary minimize degradation of water quality into a teetering-on-disaster limbo line. that resulted from storms and high winds in Walker Lake due to erosion, sediment Like Snyder, Emm’s family can trace its the day before the deployment. The thermo- transport and salt delivery; roots in the area back through the genera- cline is the underwater boundary between • Economic analysis of water conservation tions. the sun-warmed top water mass and a colder practices for agricultural producers; “My grandfather was born on a ditch bank bottom water mass. • Formulation and implementation of eco- in Smith Valley,” she says, touring part of her Data collected from studies such as Tyler’s nomic development strategies to mitigate Nevada Silver & Blue Nevada Silver family’s holdings on the Walker River Paiute will be critical in capturing important rela- economic and fiscal dislocations; Reservation in Schurz. She points to a tiny tionships between such factors as climate, • Development of a water rights GIS white house in the distance. “On my dad’s water (both in the lake and in river stream database and associated demographic, side, his grandmother was one of the Indians flows and ditches), groundwater pumping economic and property databases of the who was relocated to the Yerington Reserva- and irrigation practices. Walker Basin;

“We’re very fortunate that there are • Wild horse and burro marketing study. 2007 • Fall Continues on page 30

29 tion. My grandfather came here because he to look at this as a kind of huge puzzle, and it’s in your shoes now, are you?” Snyder asks. wanted to own the land — that’s how the going to take a little time to fit all of the pieces Darwin grins at his father. He continues family ended up here. They actually lived over of the puzzle together.” to frolic, kicking sand everywhere. Nor- there, in that little white house.” Near Yerington, only about 20 minutes away man Rockwell couldn’t have painted a more Emm, who lives on a road leading to the back from Schurz but in some ways an entire world expressive or poignant picture, with a father side to Walker Lake, within calling distance of away, Snyder nevertheless echoes Emm’s words. watching his son tearing up and down the pile her parents’ 100-acre property, says that there “I’m cautiously optimistic about the proj- of sand like a small, joyful tornado, at home in are actually many more similarities than differ- ect,” Snyder says, “as long as people’s minds the community where his family has farmed ences between the disparate Walker interests. stay open and we aren’t forced to do anything for generations. “The majority of water rights holders have that we don’t want to do, I think we can figure It is a sight that clearly belongs in the been in this basin for generations,” she says. out a hopeful solution, a potential solution.” Walker Basin. “So you know that their personal and eco- Not long after, a Grant Smith Construc- Just as the sight of a healthy lake — the kind nomic decisions are going to be very difficult tion truck pulls up near Snyder’s front door, of blue desert jewel that took the breath away for them to make because their lives have got a to dump 10 yards of sand for Snyder’s active from a young freshman Assemblyman nearly lot of basin history and culture behind them. 7-year-old son, Darwin, to play on. Darwin, 40 years ago — clearly belongs in the Walker “I think there is common ground,” Emm with great glee, is on top of the pile before it Basin. continues. “There is a lot of common ground. even has a chance to settle. Perhaps both can continue to belong in the I think there are solutions, but I think we need “Darwin, you’re not getting any of that sand Walker Basin … forever. nN • Fall 2007

The stark beauty of Walker Lake captured the attention and imagination of U.S. Sen. Harry Reid nearly 40 years ago when he was a young Nevada State Assemblyman. Today, thousands still flock each year to fish, photograph and experience the large desert lake. Nevada SilverNevada & Blue 30 Understanding Hispanic Commerce and Community

Reporte de Negocios Hispanos en Reno-Sparks Understanding HispanicReno-Sparks Business Report differences Produced by: The University of Nevada, Reno is the key to helping Latino Nevada Small Business Development Center, College of Business Administration Department of Geography, College of Science /&7"%"r and TODOThe LO Hispanic QUE NECESI Chamber of Commerce of Northern Nevada TA SABER Funded by: business owners find their U.S. Small Business Administration GuíaProject Management by:para place on state’s landscape comenzarInternational Professional Development Services un pequeño By Sean M. Grady “The growth we see in Hispanic- negocio hroughout Nevada, Latinos, many owned businesses illustrates the en Nevada relative newcomers to the state, have changing fabric of America’s Una publicación del Centro de Desarrollo de Pequeños Negocios de Nevada been a swiftly growing part of the business and industry,” says Louis Tpopulation. Kincannon, the bureau’s director. Naturally, they also have been a small but Nevada in particular was growing presence in the state’s business world: one of the best states for Latino Special retail, medicine, construction, real estate and a businesses, which experienced a 48 percent publications, such host of other professions and services. growth rate, placing the Silver State among as the two shown here, have helped Latino For many Latinos, though, starting a busi- the five top states for such growth and the business owners in the state tell their story, and ness and keeping it going can be harder than only top-ranking state not on the Eastern perhaps just as important, define their place in usual, especially for those who are new to the Seaboard. Nevada’s economy. American way of commerce. It is not merely More recently, a wide-ranging report on the the language barrier, but a series of cultural Reno-Sparks area — produced in 2004 by the assumptions that can interfere with their University of Nevada, Reno and the Hispanic “What we have found is there is a higher path to success. Chamber of Commerce of Northern Nevada diversity in the number of businesses, from — identified 563 Latino-owned stores, restau- high-tech to landscaping,” Berry says. A burgeoning population rants, financial firms and other businesses. First, the good news: Latino business That figure is for a group whose members — A Tale of Two Cultures owners in the United States, and in Nevada both those born in the United States and immi- Behind the statistics, though, is a story of specifically, have made great strides over the grants — are relative newcomers to the area. acculturation somewhat different from that of past decade or so. “Most of the (Latino) people who are here most other ethnic groups in the United States. Across the nation, close to 1.6 million have come here in the last 10 years,” says Kate Though the majority of local Latino busi- Latino-owned businesses were identified by Berry, an associate professor in the Univer- nesses are less than five years old, their owners the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2002 Economic Cen- sity’s Department of Geography who has often come in with prior experience in their sus — the results of which came out in 2006 studied the local Latino business community. homelands, Berry says. — a jump of 31 percent from the economic Before the mid-1990s, the best estimates That, sadly, is where many of their troubles census of 1997. assessed the Latino population as between 20 start. (TheE conomic Census is a survey of a and 30 percent across the entire state. Aside from the occasional savings and loan sample of the nation’s more than 23 million Census Bureau demographics show the crash or government corruption scandal, most businesses that the Census Bureau conducts Latino population of Reno is about 22 percent Americans have a sense that they can trust their Ne

every five years, for years ending in “2” and “7.” and Las Vegas is about 27 percent, while rural national institutions on a day-to-day basis. vada S That growth rate was triple the national average towns post far higher percentages. For exam- However, Latino emigrants come to the Unit- for all businesses, the bureau’s report showed. ple, the Latino population in West Wendover, ed States having learned much harder lessons: ilv ue & Bl er Moreover, the nation’s Latino-owned busi- on the Nevada-Utah border in Elko County, is don’t trust the banks, don’t trust the government nesses brought in roughly $222 billion in sales close to 60 percent. 3and, especially, don’t trust the police.

during 2002, a 19 percent increase from 1997’s And, surveys indicate there really is no such “That is cultural, because the dynamics in 2007 • Fall figure. thing as a “typical” Latino-owned business. Continues on page 33

31 A helping hand way up By Sean M. Grady

t’s a typically American challenge. How Ido you help business owners in an ethnic group — some whose families have been in the United States for generations, others who came to this country only recently — succeed both in their communities and in society at large? At the Nevada Small Business Develop- ment Center — a statewide business assistance program of the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada, Las Ve- gas — staff members help by getting as much information into business owner hands as possible, and by connecting them to other folks who want to help them succeed. A case in point: Photos by Sean Grady Ever since the 1990s, the most-frequented Nevada Small Business Development Center helped Jesus Gutierrez, owner of Fresh Mex, with zone of Latino-owned businesses in the a business plan and signage, key ingredients for business success. Truckee Meadows has been the Wells Avenue corridor from Shopper’s Square on Plumb Lane to Second Street in Reno. Other Latino emigrant business owners: some learned the full extent of the brothers’ story, business owners have set up shop on such distrust banks after seeing their homeland’s it provided the new signage — a tall, post- streets as Reno’s Peckham Lane or on Prater money drastically devalued, while others mounted plastic sign and a set of banners for Way in Sparks. simply do not know that such assistance is the restaurant’s front and side walls — at no However, when Jesus Gutierrez started up available. charge. his restaurant, Fresh Mex, in 2005, he chose However their savings could go only so At the same time, the center helped Fresh a prominent storefront in the Keystone far, and that distance did not include the Mex put together a formal business plan Shopping Center, placing his business right large outdoor signage that Fresh Mex needed and took other steps to help improve the next to the heavily trafficked intersection of to draw attention to itself. Instead, the broth- restaurant. Keystone Avenue and Fifth Street. ers resorted to less visible measures that did The extra help has turned out to be a Fresh Mex is the embodiment of a plan he not catch the eye nearly as well. boon, one that continues to improve how the and his brother, Gerardo, put together dur- Fortunately, the restaurateurs learned of restaurant does business. ing the years they worked at the Eldorado the Nevada Small Business Development “Any question you have, those folks up and Silver Legacy hotel-casinos in down- Center, where — thanks to a donation from there have an answer for you,” Jesus says. town Reno. Wells Fargo Bank — the center and the And what happened to the restaurant’s The brothers had their future plans in Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of North- business after the new signage was in place? mind when they moved from Mexico to the ern Nevada had a program in place to help “It went up by about 300 percent,” he says. United States in the early 1980s. Latino business owners. “We always thought about running our In Fresh Mex’s case, solving the main *** own restaurant,” Jesus Gutierrez says. “It was problem was simple. The center put the Jeremy Wingert ’07 (accounting), a former

• Fall 2007 part of the dream.” restaurant in touch with Signtronix, a counselor at the Nevada Small Business The Gutierrezes opened their business us- California-based sign company specializing Development Center who now works at the

er & Bl ue ing their own savings, without taking a busi- in affordable signage for small businesses. California Franchise Tax Board, contributed

ilv ness loan. This practice is common among Better still, when the sign company to this article. S vada Ne 32 The Hispanic community is a very broad and diverse community. The Cubans in Miami, Puerto Ricans in New York, and Mexicans in the Southwest all have very different interests, cultural traditions, food preferences, and personal expenditures. In this light, the understanding of Hispanics is not complete if the various Latino cultures are grouped into a single Hispanic category. Unfortunately, the majority of U.S. Census data, federal expenditure surveys, state demographer estimates, and other demographic and economic statistics are not reported by specific Hispanic origins, but for Hispanics as a whole. Because the Hispanics in the Reno-Sparks region are 75 percent Mexican, a better understanding of the Mexican households and spending patterns is needed. (Excerpt from The Hispanic Business Report, 2004.) Types of Hispanic-owned businesses Business financing used *

3% Construction bank 18%

1% Manufacturing personal savings 42%

32% Retail 14% loans from family members

14% Financial, information & insurance services 5% loans from friends

3% Educational & health services don’t borrow cash for business 55%

Entertainment, accommodation & food services 23% Source: Reno-Sparks Hispanic Business Report, produced in 2004 by the Nevada Small Business Development Center. Interviews with locally-owned Hispanic business owners were done by the University of Nevada, Reno Department of Geography in conjunction with the Northern Nevada Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Other services 24% (*Percentages don’t add to 100% because many of the business owners use more than one source of financing.)

our home countries is that everything is so these small-business owners have been rejected pluses all over the place,” Schaerer says. corrupted,” says Marcel Fernando Schaerer, a by a bank — not because the bank ‘didn’t like’ One of the biggest pluses is familia, the sense member of the Nevada Small Business Develop- them, but because they didn’t put a business plan of both the nuclear family and the extended ment Center’s Reno Advisory Board and presi- together, or because they put one together incor- family coming together in all aspects of life. dent of International Professional Development rectly,” she says. “The concept offamilia is what brings the Services, a business counseling firm. On top of these cultural obstacles is the whole extended family to take care of the busi- (The Nevada SmallB usiness Development problem of illegal immigration, which intensifies ness,” Shaerer says. Center is a statewide business assistance pro- the fear of apprehension and deportation of em- This greater family involvement equals gram of the University of Nevada, Reno and the ployees and family members even in businesses greater flexibility in running a business, and in University of Nevada, Las Vegas.) whose owners are citizens or legal residents. providing employees emotional support and In fact, the majority of Latinos start or expand All together, these obstacles slow down the even baby-sitters when needed. their businesses with personal savings or loans success of individual businesses. “There is also the flavor of the different prod- from family members and friends, rather than “They have a tendency not to open businesses ucts that come up around that culture,” Shaerer taking out business loans, the 2004 University of that are integrated with the rest of society,” says says. “It’s an enduring tapestry of different Nevada, Reno/Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Tom Cargill, a professor in the University’s products and services.” report found. Department of Economics. An equally big plus is the number of ways in Then again, many business owners would be As a result, while these businesses are not which business owners can get financial and willing to tap into the available money supply. excluding non-Latino customers on purpose, other forms of help from banks and counseling Ne

The problem is, they do not know how to go neither are they pursuing these customers to any services to other businesses. (See the accompa- vada S about doing so. great extent, Cargill explains. nying article, “A helping hand way up.”) Maury Centeno, manager of U.S. Bank’s Vas- “There are a lot of people who want to help ilv ue & Bl er sar Street branch and president of the Hispanic outshining the clouds the Hispanic business community succeed,” Chamber of Commerce, says the problem often It would be a mistake, though, to take a says Winnie Dowling, deputy state director boils down to paperwork. gloomy view of Nevada’s Latino business world. of the Nevada Small Business Development 2007 • Fall “As a banker, I notice that up to 90 percent of “When I look at the Latino population, I see Center. nN

33 Do you have a match? orporate matching gifts are a great way for Nevada alumni How do I get my gift matched? and friends to maximize personal contributions to the University and C Each company has its own guidelines for employees, increase the impact of their gift. spouses, retirees, and widows/widowers. corporate procedures are very simple: Many corporations match the gifts their employees give to non-profit and Most • Request aM atching Gift charitable organizations. These matching programs have been made part company. Form from your • Complete and submit the form to Nevada along of many corporate giving initiatives both to extend the reach of corporate with your gift. • The University will verify the completed form giving and to encourage employees to be actively involved in supporting their and return it to the company. • The company issues a matching gift contribution. communities. You may be able to double, or even triple, the amount of your gift Completed forms can be sent with your personal at no additional cost to you! gift to: To see if your employer has a matching gift program, follow the link below to University of Nevada, Reno F Mail Stop 0162 oundation the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. CASE maintains a Reno, NV 89557 database of more than 7,500 companies that support matching gift programs. If you have questions please contact Development and Alumni Relations at 775-784-1587. We can provide further matching gift information and assistance.

To see if your company will match your gift, go to: http://giving.unr.edu/matchinggifts.aspx Inside w University News...... 36 w On Philanthropy...... 42 w Alumni Award Winners...... 44 w Letter from the Alumni Council President...... 48 w Class Chat...... 49 w Alumni Family Tree Challenge...... 54 w Five Questions With...... 57 w Chapter Updates...... 58 w Remembering Friends...... 60 w Tell Me How Nevada Was...... 62 w What I’ve Done With My Life...... 64 Photo by Jean Dixon niversity News U Gridiron report: Wolf Pack football faces ‘most challenging’ schedule in history

tarting on the road against Nebraska and schedule that could, if the Pack SNorthwestern is never an easy chore for plays well, propel them to their any football team. third consecutive bowl appear- Then, just to make sure that the latter ance. Nevada is coming off a vic- part of the schedule presents a formidable tory in 2005 in the Hawai’i Bowl challenge, mix in a Homecoming game on in Honolulu, Hawai’i, and a 21-20 Oct. 6 against loss to Miami in the 2006 MPC Look Online perennial Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho. To find out more about the Wolf Western Ath- Nevada returns 14 Pack’s progress, go to: http://www.nevadawolfpack.com/ letic Confer- starters and 44 lettermen ence power from a 2006 season that Fresno State, followed by a road game the saw the Pack finish tied next weekend against BCS-busting Boise for third in the WAC. State and a very important Nov. 16 home “This is a very strong game against Heisman Trophy hopeful Colt football team and we this is the most challeng- Brennan and the Hawai’i Rainbows. have a very strong ing schedule in history. This It’s no wonder that Nevada football coach incoming class so we schedule will be challenging Chris Ault has termed this year’s Wolf Pack are very pleased,” Ault Photos by John Byrne mentally and physically so it is football schedule the “most challenging” said. “We need to identify the skills we need critical for us to develop depth schedule in school history. It’s the type of to develop. We need to create depth since on both sides of the ball.” Academic Center will support success off the field olf Pack student-athletes campus,” said University President Wwill walk through the Milton Glick. “When people think doors of a new home for their about the image of this University, academic pursuits in Fall 2008. they will think about the Mathews- As the highlight of a June 28, on/IGT Knowledge Center, the Joe 2007 ceremony, the University Crowley Student Union and the broke ground on the 8,000- Marguerite Petersen Athletic Aca- square-foot Marguerite Wattis demic Center, which will connect Petersen Athletic Academic with the E.L. Cord Academic and Center, which will include a Athletics Performance Complex. computer center, individual and This will be where the action is.” group study areas, a student The academic center will be a lounge, and tutoring and adviser two-story building located between offices. Academic services and Photo by Jean Dixon Legacy Hall and the Robert Cashell

• Fall 2007 programs for student-athletes Representatives from the Marguerite Wattis Petersen and E.L. Cord Fieldhouse, both of which are

lue foundations, PENTA Building Group, the Worth Group architectural have been housed in the Virginia directly south of Mackay Stadium. firm, and the University shoveled the first Academic Center dirt. Street Gymnasium, which was WorthGroup Architects designed

ilver & B also home to Wolf Pack volley- and Dance faculty offices. the building, with PENTA Building ball matches, the University Studies Abroad “This building will be the last critical Group handling construction.

S evada Consortium and some Department of Music piece for what will be the entryway for our N 36 U niversity News niversity

Faces on the Quad

Heather Hot press for the N Sanderson he state’s first hillside letter — the venerable University “N” on and Winifred TPeavine Peak — is featured in a new book, Hillside Letters A to Z . Scharosch The whitewashed, outlined N — 150 feet long and 140 feet wide Reno, Master’s — was originally created by University juniors Clarke Webster and (Elementary Education); Harvey McPhail in Reno, Prebusiness the spring of 1913. Sanderson and “It did not seem Scharosch are each right that Nevada recipients of the University Balloon Race Scholarship Committee’s spirit should show $2,000 student award. The committee, in its 21st year, selects two itself less plainly students annually to receive scholarships based on grade-point average, financial need and community service. Sanderson, than either Califor- who has worked for eight years as a children’s librarian at the nia to the West of us Duncan-Traner school library, began a 16-week internship at or Utah to the East,” Spanish Springs Elementary School in July 2007. She hopes to McPhail writes in teach fifth- and sixth-graders. Scharosch, a stay-at-home mom the 1914 Artemisia Photo by Jean Dixon for many years, intends to declare a marketing major in Spring student yearbook. 2008 and design programs that attract casino customers. An Corning’s 204-page book includes the story of the letter’s creation employee in the promotions department at Gold Ranch Casino, on the southeastern side of the slope, a poem about the landmark that she is determined to get her degree — a goal she set for herself appeared in The Nevada Sagebrush student newspaper and informa- almost 30 years ago when her son was in kindergarten. tion on the letter’s current caretakers. The late James J. Parsons, longtime professor of geography at the Lyla Fadali University of California-Berkeley, in a 1988 article listed the N as the Reno, Mathematics 13th university letter to be created on a U.S. mountain or foothill. It is A summa cum laude University Honors Program graduate in May 2007, Fadali turns estimated there are 43 landmark letters in Nevada. the right-brain, left-brain notion upside down. The 22-year-old speaks French and Arabic, plays the harp and has completed undergraduate research in biomass wastes. National honor society She also conducted research on Lie groups, studying mathematical objects and structures’ continuous recognizes student clinic symmetry. Fadali, who will study for a doctoral degree at the University of California, San Diego, also practices a two-handed, he honor society of Alpha Society. Under the direct Korean sword martial art. TAmerican medical schools supervision of licensed medical selected the University of school faculty physicians, stu- Laura Garchar Nevada School of Medicine’s dents offer free monthly clinics Reno, Geological Engineering Student Outreach Clinic for a providing general, children’s A 20-year-old senior, Garchar completed close to 400 hours of research in the NASA $1,000 service project award. It and women’s care. Student Internship Program at the God- was the second consecutive year For the second consecutive dard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. the clinic, which provides much year, “The monies from this Garchar participated in an intensive, 10-week N evada S needed care for Washoe Coun- grant will keep our women’s summer program in which she assisted her ty’s medically underserved health services operational for mentor with an ongoing aerospace research population, gained national at- the next year,” said Dr. Daniel project. A member of the University’s Honors Program, Garchar & B ilver tention from the Alpha Omega Spogen, professor and chair of has hopes for a career in planetary sciences. On campus, she is

the Department of Family and studying the Desert Queen geothermal system in Nevada’s Hot lue

Look Online Community Medicine in Reno Springs Mountains. 2007 • Fall Learn more about the Student Outreach Clinic and Student Outreach Clinic at http://www.unr.edu/med/students/SOC. faculty director.. 37 Joe Crowley Student Union niversity News

U New campus ‘living room’ opens he University campus is getting “Just as a living room is the central place The building features a two-story book- stickier. for a family to congregate, this area will store; sports grill with recreation room; “A sticky campus is a vibrant, become the hub of our campus,” said Glick. 7,500-square-foot food court; 1,200-seat Twelcoming and comfortable environment The Joe Crowley Student Union opens grand ballroom; 220-seat theater; 2,000- that encourages students to stick around this fall, and events are being planned to square-foot student organization center; when they get out of class and become fully showcase the new facility to the public and outdoor seating area with a setting for engaged in the University,” said President the weekend of Nov. 15. The four-story, speakers, concerts and activities. Milton Glick. “It is an electrified campus 167,000-square foot, environmentally “This will completely change the way we atmosphere where students go not just to friendly, “green” building is close to Lawlor plan events,” said Ragsdale. “We anticipate a take classes, but to gather and learn from Events Center, Mackay Stadium, Lombardi huge draw and a full calendar with concerts, each other.” Recreation Center and Fitzgerald Student movies, barbecues, and intellectual events “Right now our highest priority is to Services. It is the direct result of a project such as debates, seminars, and lecture series increase success in student retention and spearheaded by the Associated Students of highlighting professors and alumni.” graduation rates,” he said. “Creating an the University of Nevada. Ragsdale notes the student union will be engaging environment for students is a key “The new student union was completely a place for students to be both active and to that success.” initiated and funded by the students,” said passive, with informal seating on every To that end, the north campus is being current ASUN President Sarah Ragsdale. floor, and windows overlooking views of transformed into what Glick describes as the She credits former ASUN President Alicia the Sierra Nevada. “It’s a much needed place University’s “living room” with the addition Lerud and her cabinet for getting the project for students to simply hang out and have of the Joe Crowley Student Union and the off the ground in 2001 and innumerable open dialogue and discussion, shop at the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center, con- dedicated students for their tireless efforts in bookstore, or read in a lounge chair.” struction projects launched during the ad- the years since. “Student leaders have spent Glick agrees this is all a critical part of ministration of former University President countless hours and resources turning this the college experience. “It’s not just about John Lilley. Adding to the transformation is idea into reality, and we’re extremely excited buildings, it’s about rethinking our ap- the Marguerite Wattis Peterson Ath- and proud of the result,” said proach to student life and student program- letic Academic Center, slated Ragsdale. ming,” he added. “If we just think of them to open in 2008, (see story on as buildings, then we have failed. To fulfill page 36) and a new central our mission, these must be places where plaza area. students and the community congregate to have learning • Fall 2007 lue

Photo by John Byrne

ilver & B The entire Crowley brood — Joe and Joy Crowley and their children and grandchildren — recently donned hardhats and toured the student union. S evada N 38 U niversity News niversity ‘Just call me Joe.’

hen it came to naming the new stu- Wdent union in 2005, the undergraduate and graduate student organizations agreed. “The students’ recommendation experiences that expand minds and cause become a bit quieter as student activities to name our union after Dr. Crowley is a greater engagement in the University and in migrate north. tribute to a man whose contributions have their studies.” “This is the beginning of a true campus affected and will affect generations of stu- The Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center town environment, a place where the Univer- dents to come,” said then-ASUN President is slated to open in Aug. 2008. Just south of sity meets with the community,” said Glick. Jeff Champagne. the Joe Crowley Student Union, the five-story, “The entrance off North Virginia Street will Joe Crowley 295,000-square-foot center will be one of the serve as the new gateway to the campus, and I is a soft-spoken, most technologically advanced libraries in the believe that when people enter the University approachable and country. With International Game Technol- grounds they will more fully feel the intel- beloved man, ogy, Chuck and Ann Mathewson presented a lectual energy of our campus.” renowned for his combined $10 million gift to the project. Ragsdale agrees: “We take incredible pride self-deprecating On the south end of campus remains in our school, and our hope is that people sense of humor. the beautiful and traditional Quad. Still walking onto our campus will get the feeling He joined the Uni- surrounded by buildings that host class- of… ‘I’m in Wolf Pack territory now!’” versity’s political rooms and administrative functions, it may — Christine Haynes science faculty in 1966, was named interim president in 1978, and named to the permanent position later that same year. Keeping union ‘green’ topped student priority list He served 23 years as the University’s 13th president, stepping down in 2000. The building inspired and paid for by students reflects considerable student input in its design. Top on the list for His tenure as president marked a period students involved was a desire to incorporate environmentally friendly elements into the building’s design. The new of tremendous growth and development Joe Crowley Student Union represents an integrated design process, which considered how the design elements for the University and the state. Along the would interrelate to create an overall “greener” building. For example, the building’s white roof reduces the cooling way, Crowley remained steadfast in his load which allows the building to have a smaller chiller, resulting in less energy consumption. commitment to the role of student govern- Other “green” highlights include: ment and to the University’s land-grant • Day lighting system to reduce artificial light use to minimize energy consumption mission to serve Nevada. Crowley’s work • Very low water use fixtures in bathrooms, reducing potable water use included establishment of the Core Cur- • High efficiency, fritted window glass riculum, which added breadth and vigor • On-site cistern containing water from the building’s cooling towers to be used for irrigation to the institution’s academic offerings; • Pervious pavers to help capture and infiltrate storm water back into the ground, eliminating one storm drain and promotion of international education proportionally reducing the water flow to the storm water system through his support for the University Studies Abroad Consortium; revitalization of the Honors Program as well as creation of the Presidential Scholar Program, which attracted bright minds from throughout the state and the country; support of the Upward Bound and Talent Search grant competitions, which made Nevada more affordable for low-income and first-generation college students; and his continual

search for greater knowledge as a teacher N and scholar. evada S A military veteran and published author, Crowley also served as president of the & B ilver National Collegiate Athletic Association

from 1993 to 1995. lue

He and his wife, Joy, have four children 2007 • Fall and seven grandchildren, all living in Reno.

Photo by Jean Dixon 39 The original dust jacket from a first niversity News edition copy of Sweet Promised U Land, published in 1957.

Freshmen learn the value of ‘Sweet Promised Land’ hen the letters began arriving in the “This was our entering freshmen’s first op- two decades of his life was the University’s Wmail in late July, many members of portunity to participate with faculty, staff and writer-in-residence. the University’s class of 2011 were intro- administrators in an academic setting as they His advice to his students? They were duced to one of the most respected names in begin their college career, and I can’t think words that still resonated as campus study Nevada writing. of a better book to serve as the centerpiece,” groups convened in August for the Summer “The timing couldn’t have been more Glick said. “Our mission to enliven curiosity, Scholars Project. perfect,” President Milton Glick admit- cultivate critical judgment and encourage our “Take your writing seriously,” Laxalt ted, noting that by happy coincidence the students to make an informed contribution to would tell his students, “but never take Class of 2011 Summer Scholar Project — an the development of American society is well- yourself too seriously.” effort to welcome freshmen to campus served through the reading and discussion of through an important piece of Nevada Sweet Promised Land.

literature — featured Robert Laxalt’s classic “Robert Laxalt and his family s The Reynolds School book, Sweet Promised Land, considered will always have a special place of Journalism sponsored one of the finest books of its genre. Sweet on our campus. What better commemorative bookmarks Promised Land is also celebrating its 50th way to honor a great writer that accompanied the books anniversary this year. and a great Nevadan than to provided to the Class of 2011 The Class of 2011 Summer Scholar Project have Nevada students reading, to honor the schools’ friend asked all freshmen to read Sweet Promised discussing and learning from and colleague. The bookmark Land over the summer. Faculty, staff and his greatest work?” serves as an invitation to administrators then met with the students Laxalt’s connections to the attend the 2007 Robert Laxalt in August during orientation week for study campus are strong. He was a Distinguished Writer Program, groups that discussed Laxalt’s book. 1947 graduate of the Univer- Oct. 24. Support of the project Laxalt, known as Nevada’s greatest writer, sity with a degree in English. is being provided by the passed away in 2001 at age 77. But his 17 He joined Nevada’s faculty in Center for Basque Studies in books — and in particular, Sweet Promised 1954 as director of news and the amount of $15,000, which Land, considered to be his finest work — publications. He founded the was raised through private continue to live on. University Press in 1961, and donations to provide copies of served as a journalism and writ- Sweet Promised Land for each Look Online ing instructor — influencing an incoming freshman student. For more information on the Summer Scholar Project, visit entire generation of the state’s Additional funding was

• Fall 2007 http://www.unr.edu/features/sweet_promise/ writers — and for the final provided by Athletics. lue ilver & B ‘Bob was passionate about encouraging new generations of writers.’

S evada — Rosemary McCarthy, interim dean of the Reynolds School of Journalism. N 40 The Nevada Alumni Association and ASUN encourage you to catch the “Blue Flu” on Friday, October 5th from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Leave work for an hour or two, and attend our Free Community BBQ on the Quad! 775.784.6620 : 888.NV.ALUMS For a complete list of Homecoming events, go to www.unr.edu/alumni. www.unr.edu/alumni n Philanthropy Russ & Peggy Boynton O make good chemistry very donor’s unique values and expe- that you should riences shape his or her philanthropy. give back when- Russ Boynton ’70M.S. (chemistry) ever you can. “We Eand his wife Peggy ’60 (chemistry) have been may not be able to Photo by Theresa Danna-Douglas gracious benefactors of the Physical Sciences build a library and DeLaMare librarian Brenda Mathenia helps biochemistry student Mark Library on the University of Nevada, Reno stock it with books Lemos. Last spring, Mark was a finalist in the Nevada Lt. Governor’s campus for more than 35 years. all at once, but by Award for his business plan that integrates clean, renewable, alternative Russ received his bachelor of science in 1958 donating every year, energy for Nevada’s future. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a collection can be in 1960 Peggy received her bachelor of science built,” said Peggy. gifts provide much needed funding to pur- from the University of Nevada, Reno, each “Unless you are very wealthy, you cannot give chase texts and unique resources,” she says. majoring in chemistry. The couple married in millions. Give what you can afford, and your “The resulting collection is a testament to 1960 and moved to Orinda, Calif. where Russ gifts will mount up.” Russ and Peggy’s commitment to high qual- began work with Chevron. He took a leave of The Boyntons’ budget each year includes ity education and demonstrates a profound absence in 1966 to pursue his master’s degree in their philanthropy. “We are lucky enough understanding of the critical role libraries chemistry from Nevada. to be able to make a yearly contribution to play in the long term success of students.” While Russ was at the University, the the University. We could not be more proud The University Libraries are forever grate- chemistry library was very small. “I had to of what the chemistry department has done ful to the Boyntons for making philanthropy travel back to the San Francisco Bay Area to with our donations and we feel that we have a part of their family budget and part of their do basic research,” he says. “After gradua- made a difference.” enduring legacy on campus. tion, we wanted to make sure that no student Brenda Mathenia, head of the DeLaMare To learn more about supporting the Uni- of chemistry would ever have to travel to do and Physical Sciences Libraries, affirms that versity’s libraries, please contact Director of basic library research.” the Boyntons have indeed made a tremen- Development Millie Mitchell at (775) 682-5682 Russ and Peggy were brought up to believe dous difference. “The Boynton’s generous or email [email protected].

Hart Foundation gifts continue to keep Nevada competitive

o everyone who knew them during their lifetime, it was clear center, which is a unit of the Department of Foreign Languages Tthat Thomas and Thelma Hart were devoted to each other. and Literatures. The research center aids in the advancement of the Together they made a home in Reno and in their estate plans pro- state’s Latino community through education, research, advocacy vided for a foundation that would continue to make the region that and outreach, relevant to the region. welcomed them, a better place. University of Nevada Medical School Building Today the Hart Foundation’s trustees continue the Harts’ legacy Nearly 1,500 physicians who practice medicine throughout by supporting several campus projects. The projects listed below al- Nevada and the United States began their studies in this building on low the University to continue its mission of developing a high level the north end of campus. Beginning with the entering class of 2007, of service culture to students pursuing a higher education. The Hart class size will increase from 52 to 62 students. Foundation supports many campus initiatives including: Graduate Student Computing Laboratory Marguerite Wattis Petersen Academic Center This laboratory is available to graduate students around the clock, This new facility will better empower the Wolf Pack Academic and has extensive state-of-the-art facilities for performing research, and Compliance Service Team to spend more time where it counts such as high-performance computers and peripherals. Facilities like — in the center, ensuring that students are making the most of their • Fall 2007 this aid graduate students in their pursuit to publish research results education. Tutoring, class advisement, career counseling and life lue in journals and at conferences. skills training are just a few of the services that will be housed in this building. To learn more about supporting programs or facilities like those ilver & B Latino Research Center above, please contact Associate Vice President of Development Bruce The Hart Foundation’s latest gift was made in support of this Mack at (775) 784-1352 or email [email protected] S evada N 42 O n Philanthropy n

Reynolds Foundation awards $1.5 million for endowed chair in journalism he Donald W. Reynolds strength of the school augmented by the school in its interests in innova- Foundation has approved a the chair, it positions us to attract the tive media and scholarship.” grant of $1.5 million to the leading candidates in the nation to The Donald W. Reynolds Foun- TReynolds School of Journalism and be the next dean.” dation is a national philanthropic Advanced Media Studies at the Uni- “This endowment enriches the organization founded in 1954 by the versity of Nevada, Reno. school and the dean’s position in late media entrepreneur for whom The grant establishes a perma- a marvelous, expansive way,” said it is named. Headquartered in Las nently endowed position named the Rosemary McCarthy ‘85M.A. (jour- Vegas, it is one of the largest private “Fred W. Smith Chair in Journal- nalism), interim dean of the Reyn- foundations in the United States. ism.” The chair, named in honor olds School of Journalism. of the current chairman of the Las “We are deeply grateful to Vegas-based Reynolds Foundation, the Reynolds Founda- is to be occupied by the dean of the tion for its continued Reynolds School of Journalism. support of the school “The Donald W. Reynolds Foun- and its endeavors. The dation is pleased to provide funding gift will support the for an endowed chair that will help dean and thus support the Reynolds School of Journal- ism attract the best possible candidates to fill the vacant dean’s position,” states Foundation chairman, Fred W. Smith. “The earnings from the endowment will give the new dean additional resources to build upon the momentum created by the late Cole Campbell. Our ultimate goal is for the Reynolds School to be recognized for excellence in the areas of education, research and preparation of students for professional practice.” University President Milton Glick expressed his appreciation for the grant. “We are very grateful for the generosity of the Reynolds Founda- tion and are delighted with their decision to honor Fred W. Smith with this chair,” said President Glick. “The Reynolds School of Journalism is at the cutting edge in a rapidly changing profession. With the

For more information on supporting the Reynolds School of Journalism, please contact Director of Development Kristen Burgarello ’97 (journalism) at (775) 784-4471 or email [email protected]. 2007 Alumna of the Year Mary-Ellen McMullen

ove of the University of Nevada, Reno is a family tradition for 2007 Nevada Alumni Association Alumna of the Year, Mary-Ellen McMullen ’73 (education). When she was just 13 years old, her family moved to Reno from the East LCoast so that her father, Edmund Cain, could serve as dean of the College of Education at Nevada. As a result, the University was always a part of her early life and a natural place for her to pursue her undergraduate studies. “I’ve witnessed a lot of changes since those days. I was in the College of Education majoring in English and minoring in journalism. Most of my education classes were in the Thompson Education Building, which is now just the Thompson Building. When I was a senior, the college moved into the “new” education building which is now Edmund J. Cain Hall, named after my father, who oversaw the Beginning in 1968, the Alumni Association has construction of the build- honored an alumna/us each year whose life reflect the ideals and mission of the University ing. Now, of course, we of Nevada, Reno in community activities, have the magnificent Rag- professional accomplishments, personal life gio Education building.” and service to the University and Association. During her time as a student on campus, Mary-Ellen was active If you know someone who you think should be on this list in the future, please contact the in student government. She was University of Nevada, Reno Alumni Association elected to student Senate and then at (775) 784-6620 or (888) NV ALUMS. the Activities Board. As it turns out, this is where she met her husband of, now, 33 years, Sam McMullen. He was serving as student body vice president. Soon after graduation, the young couple was off to Washington, D.C. where Mary-Ellen worked for Sen. Howard Cannon and Sen. Alan Bible Photos Courtesy of Mary-Ellen McMullen while attending George Washington University to obtain a master’s

Continues on page 46

‘As a student being involved in Student Government, as a young alum giving my time • Fall 2007

lue and efforts for the Alumni Council, and now as a member of the Foundation helping to create and sustain a culture of giving financially to the University so that it will ilver & B continue to prosper, all are things that I have enjoyed being a part of.’ S evada N 44 N evada S & B ilver lue • Fall 2007 • Fall

Photo by Theresa Danna-Douglas 45 degree in women’s studies. Sam attended coordinator; director of annual giving for the the University is encouraged by the fact that so Georgetown University Law School. “I was Foundation and publications/public relations many great people make this University great,” thrilled to come back to Nevada and teach coordinator for the Nevada System of Higher Mary-Ellen shares. “Nothing that happens here alongside Dr. Ann Howard. Her Women in Lit- Education. is because of any one person. All of us together erature class inspired my passion to learn more Her volunteer activities for the campus have can really have an impact and make a differ- about the role of women in all disciplines.” included the Alumni Council, where she served ence. I know that I received a great education at Upon graduation, teaching was just the as first vice president from 1982-1984, as well as the University, and I know how important it is beginning of a new chapter in Mary-Ellen’s port- chairperson of many committees. Today, she is in this time of rising educational costs to provide folio of service at Nevada. After returning from currently in her second six-year term as a trustee a quality education to the people of Nevada. I Georgetown, she has served as acting assistant of the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation. want future students to have the same opportu- dean of students; special school recruitment “My long-term involvement and support of nities that I had.” nN Mary-Ellen at Nevada I have so many favorite campus memories from my time at Nevada: w Attending N. Edd Miller Day and honoring our University president at a time when all other campuses across the country were protesting. w Becoming friends with Frankie Sue Del Papa, Dan Klaich, Jim Hardesty, Bill Cobb, and of course my husband, Sam McMullen. All of them were people that even in college we knew were going to be leaders in their fields in our state of Nevada. w Working with Dean Cecelia St. John, a friend and mentor who cares so deeply about our University. w As president of Pi Beta Phi

• Fall 2007 trying to keep the men of Coffin and Keys from lue climbing through the windows of the sorority house to say hello in the early morning of their

ilver & B initiation. I was not successful! Photos Courtesy of Mary-Ellen McMullen S evada N 46 2007 Nevada Alumni Association Award Winners

Alumna of the Jay Kornmayer ’74 Jeff Codega ’76 Karole Morgan- Maureen Mullarkey Ty Windfeldt ’01 Year (economics) (civil engineering) Prager ’84 ’88 MBA (health science) A Nevada native, Jay Jeff’s Reno-based (journalism and Maureen began with As director of marketing began his career with company, Jeff Codega political science) International Game for Hometown Health, Wells Fargo in 1973. Planning & Design, was Karole is the vice Technology as a financial the health insurance president, general counsel ward He has managed the established in 1992 analyst. She progressed division of Renown A company’s Gaming and is the area’s leading and corporate secretary of quickly to manager of Health, Ty oversees all Division, a national provider of signature the McClatchy Company, finance in 1991; director functions of the marketing specialty industry business planning, surveying, which is headquartered of finance in 1993; vice department, customer line, since its inception 25 civil engineering, in Sacramento, Calif., president of finance services and provider Mary-Ellen McMullen years ago. Jay leads a team landscape architecture and publishes 31 in 1996; CFO and vice relations, including new ‘73 (See page 44.) of more than 40 banking and construction daily newspapers and president of finance in business development, professionals, who bring administration services. approximately 50 non- 1998; CFO, vice president key account management, dailies . Prior to joining chievement chievement the broad spectrum of JCP/D has created many of finance and treasurer direct sales and retention, A Wells Fargo products and of northern Nevada’s McClatchy in 1995, Karole in 1999; CFO, senior vice networking and services to clients in 28 most recognizable and was associate general president and treasurer in relationship building, states. Jay also volunteers successful industrial, counsel at the Times 2001; and became CFO, and contract negotiation. his time to a number of commercial, residential Mirror Company and an executive vice president During his tenure with community and business and public works projects associate at the Morrison and treasurer in 2003. Hometown Health, Ty has organizations. including Caughlin Ranch, & Foerster law firm in Los increased its market share Montreux, Somersett and Angeles. Karole attended to more than 40 percent. law school at UCLA.

Professional the Silver Legacy. lumnus A

Ronald Zideck ’59 Kevin Melcher ’79 Robert Buss, oung Carla Higginbotham Romeo Lazzarone ’03 Michael Klaich ’82 (business (physical education) Friend Y ’97 (speech (marketing) (accounting) administration) In 1980, Kevin relocated For more than 15 communications) Romeo has been in the Mike has served Ronald R. Zideck believes to Elko to begin a career years, Bob has been Carla graduated in 2003 insurance and financial the Nevada Alumni in strong relationships of teaching, coaching the chairman of the from the University of services industry for more Association for the past between Nevada and administration University of Nevada, the Pacific, McGeorge than four years. He is a ward 13 years. He is a past business, education with the Elko County Reno Foundation Audit School of Law in the registered representative president and treasurer and government. He is School District. He has and Finance Committee. top 5 percent of her for New York Life and of both the College of currently a member of the utstanding class. After law school,

continued to support During that time, O a financial services Business Administration University’s Legislative and serve the University he has seen a nearly Carla returned to Reno professional and broker Alumni Association ward Steering Committee, through participation ten-fold growth in the and served two judicial for The Lazzarone Group. (COBAAA) and the Nevada A and previously held the on the Alumni Council, Foundation’s investment law clerkships, later Romeo is a member Alumni Association. position of director of Elko-area University portfolio. Since he and becoming an associate of the New York Life Mike currently serves as a planned giving for the activities, membership the late Joseph McMullen attorney at the Nevada Insurance Company’s trustee of the University of Office of Development on University advisory developed the Investment law firm of McDonald Executive Council and Nevada, Reno Foundation and Alumni Relations. committees, and he is Policy and the Procedures Carano Wilson, LLP, active in the community. and is the treasurer of the

In January 2007, he currently a member of charter for the portfolio, where she specializes Romeo is the president of Service A ssociation Great Reno Balloon Race. was appointed to the the University of Nevada assets have increased in appellate work and the University of Nevada Mike is a CPA and partner University of Nevada, Cooperative Extension from $8.3 million in 1989 complex civil litigation. College of Business in the local firm Muckel Reno Foundation’s Board Advisory Committee. to over $90 million today. Administration Alumni Anderson CPAs. of Trustees.

niversity Service Association (COBAAA). lumni A lumni A U Dear Nevada Alumni,

lumni Show your Homecoming spirit by catching the Blue Flu! Support the University and our award-winning football team A by wearing blue to work on Friday, Oct. 5. Ask your business to participate, and we’ll send you a Blue Flu poster to display at your workplace. Get your poster by calling the Nevada Alumni Association at (888) NV ALUMS. Plus, join the Nevada Alumni ’50s Association and ASUN for a barbecue Nevada Alumni Council Milt Sharp ’54 (civil engineering) recently retired from a civil engineering career span- on the Quad on Oct. 5 from 11:30 Randy Brown ‘89, CPA ning more then five decades. At the time of a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Admission is free President his retirement he was employed as senior engineer with Quad Knopf of Reno. For most – if you’re wearing blue! Julie Ardito ‘89 of his career Milt practiced civil engineer- Past President ing in Nevada and nearby areas of ClassNorthern Chat The many outstanding activities California, as the owner/manager of his firm. taking place during Homecoming Cindy Buchanan ‘95 Milt maintained close ties to the University, Treasurer/President-Elect include Old Guy’s Night at the Wal’, having served as president of the Nevada Mike Dillon ‘94 Alumni Association. He also remained close- college events, Greek activities and ly involved with his fraternity, Sigma Nu, as a Vice President for Community Outreach the Annual Homecoming Gala, honoring outstanding alumni member of their housing corporation and as Roberta Bibee ‘83 president for many years. As an undergradu- and friends. In this issue, you’ll find a complete listing of Vice President for Marketing & Membership ate, he was president of ASUN. Milt’s three events and meet our 2007 award winners. For a complete list children Melissa Sharp ’82, Margaret (Sharp) Michael Pennington ‘95 Decker ’84 and Matthew Sharp ’89 are also of activities, visit http://www.unr.edu/alumni and click on the Vice President for Student Involvement Nevada graduates. He and his wife, Doris, Homecoming 2007 button. live in Reno and continue to participate in Mary Harmon ‘93, ‘97 University functions and are avid supporters This football season, during each home game, the Nevada Vice President for Volunteer Involvement of Wolf Pack athletic teams. Alumni Association will host a tailgate party at our new Seema Bhardwaj ‘02 location in Wolf Pack Alley (north side of Mackay Stadium). Chad Blanchard ‘93, ‘03 ’60s Loralee (Smith) Justus ’60 (elementary Wolf Pack Alley will also be home to bounce houses, music Kelly Bland ‘91 education) recently retired from the Elko and activities. Look for our blue pavilion two hours prior Todd Cabral ‘91 School District after 28 years. to kick off. And as always, dues-paying members receive a Sarah Ragsdale (ASUN President) discount! ’70s Stephanie Clemo Hanna ‘96 Sheila Caudle ’71 (journalism) recently In November, the new Joe Crowley Student Union will Jim Conkey ‘83 joined Cozen O’Connor’s Houston office in the insurance department. Her litigation open. This much anticipated addition to the University is for Roger Diedrichsen ‘71 background includes matters involving med- students, as well as alumni and the community. If you haven’t ical malpractice, antitrust, defamation and Dawn Etcheverry-Miller ‘94 securities litigation. Sheila also has extensive been to campus recently, I encourage you to stop by. The Jason Frierson ‘96 case management skills, having coordinated JCSU will house a 220-seat movie theatre, a restaurant and defense efforts in various complex coverage Kerri Garcia ‘92 cases, as well as supervising and authoring grill, the new, two-story ASUN bookstore, Starbucks, Port of coverage opinions requiring expertise in the Carlos Ledon ‘01 Subs, a hair salon, and many other services that students and law and procedure of multiple states. Judy Machabee ’91 alumni are encouraged to use. Stan Goodin ’71 (marketing), an agent Finally, this is my last letter as president of the Nevada Lisa Lyons-Maloney ‘88 and financial advisor with New York Life, Patrick Martinez ‘95 has earned membership in the Million Alumni Council. I would like to thank all the board members Dollar Round Table’s Top of the Table. This for a great year of progress. I welcome Cindy Buchanan as the Marlene Olsen ‘74 is the highest level of achievement with the organization. Stan specializes in estate incoming president and wish her the best of luck next year! Marcedes Parsons ‘84 planning, business succession planning and Jeff Pickett ’89 investments. Lauren Sankovich ’98 Donna Lee-Kistler ’77 (nursing) was recently designated as president-elect of the Sincerely, Chris Vargas ‘95 Association of California Nurse Leaders, Randy Brown ’89, CPA Charlie Walsh ‘86 and will serve as president beginning in President, Nevada Alumni Council 2008. Donna was selected in 2005 as Best A lumni

for New York Life, attained by those who demonstrate exceptional professional knowledge, client service and ethical conduct.

Roberta “Bobbie” (Fluke) Evans ’85M.S. (educational administration), ’88Ed.D. (educational administration/higher educa- Class Chattion) has been named dean of the Universi- ty of Montana School of Education. Bobbie previously served as the education school’s interim dean since July 2006. Stan Goodin ’71 Dennis Eckmeyer ’83 Donald Craig Houk ’85 (criminal justice) (marketing) (industrial mechanics) Donald Craig Houk ’85 (criminal justice) is currently deployed to Afghanistan as a security advisor for the United States Nurse Leader of the Year by Advance for Agency for International Development and Nurses, a publication for registered nurses in ’80s Robin Lee (Lapham) Titus ’81 (medi- the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, oversee- southern California and northern Nevada. cine), an avid runner, competed in four ing security contracts for a $1.4 billion Donna is nurse manager of the Orthope- marathons last year and is now employed reconstruction and redevelopment. Craig dics/Trauma/General Surgery Unit at Uni- at South Lyon Medical Center as a Lyon is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Re- versity of California, Davis Medical Center County health officer. serves and currently lives in Gilbert, Ariz. in Sacramento, supervising more than 50 with his wife, Bren. He is also a board certi- employees. Donna maintains close ties to Dennis Eckmeyer ’83 (industrial me- fied protection professional and a specialist the Orvis School of Nursing and currently chanics) has qualified for the Million Dollar in security management. resides in Sacramento with her husband, Round Table’s prestigious Court of the Table Ray Kistler, and son, Adam. Continues on page 50

HOMECOMING GALA ‘07

Please join us in honoring this years Alumni Association Award recipients. ’ N e v Oct. 4, 2007 ~ Reno-Sparks Convention Center Call (888) NV ALUMS Si ada l

6 pm Cocktails ~ 7 pm Dinner & Program or (775) 784-6620 v or email [email protected] & B er Tickets and tables available for purchase.. to reserve space. lue • Fall 2007 • Fall

49 50 Alumni Nevada Silver & Blue • Fall 2007 in adolescents, grief and sexual issues. sexual and grief adolescents, in the Gardnerville/Minden area, specializing therapy. Jodi has opened a private practice in obtained her license for marriage and family ing and educational psychology) recently Calif. Folsom, in ager and owner of Ground Zero Marketing management) is the human resource man ’90s skills. communication improve to intended guidelines and quotes Communication Common Sense book of the co-author the pensation of state employees. Todd is also com and classification recruiting, oversee Personnel by Gov. Jim Gibbons. Todd will director of the Nevada Department of Jodi Paige (Ramsey) Wass ’93 (Ramsey) Paige Jodi (Chapman) ’91 Moore Julie Todd ’90 Rich , a collection of inspirational of inspirational , acollection China •Paris •South Africa•SpainCroatia&Venice • SwissAlps&Salzburg•GermanHoliday Markets•ItalianRiviera (marketing) was named named was (marketing)

4XJTT"MQT (logistics GET PACKING.

Take a trip with the Nevada

Alumni Association’s Pack (counsel Tracks Travel Program. Our first class customer service includes planning before, during and after your trip, so all you have to do is enjoy the experience. Alumni and friends are encouraged to explore our trips! - - - Join usin2008when wetraveltotheseexciting destinations: health care industry to her care industry raise health children. off a 10-yearthecareerin andhospital education)(health has recently time taken ing seminary, she completed her internship Dur Seminary. Theological Francisco San from of divinity master her received recently execution. sible for company’s overall sales strategy and in Belfast, I Belfast, in I Pool Resources, I Construction, Springs and operations the startup of Spanish I president of sales for Contractor’s Labor Labor for Contractor’s of sales president vice the as appointment accepted tions) has home. new of their quads and the currentdriving construction horses, riding include hobbies family fords’ n 2004, Pamelan assisted 2004, her husband in Pamela (Andres) Rutherford ’94 Rutherford (Andres) Pamela Kristina Hine ’96 Hine Kristina David Pearson ’95 ’95 Pearson David

7FOJDF *UBMZ reland. nc. David will be respon be will David nc. (elementary education) (speech communica (speech

For more information, visit www.unr.edu/alumni call (888) NV ALUMS or (775) 784-6620, or

email [email protected]. Ruther The nc.

- - - - is a journeyman electrician for Truckee curriculum. emerging for their courses education courses and develop additional existing teach to Kosovo Prizren, in tion of Educa Faculty of Pristina University the with working be will Kirsten ment of State. Depart U.S. the from for 2007-2008 lowship Fel English an awarded was linguistics) and 2007. 2, March born Emily, Laurel daughter, are pleased to announce the birth of their Catherine (Evans) Handelin ’97 (nutrition) two children, Tyler (2). (4) children, Erin two and I Electric Meadows

www.unr.edu/alumni

(health education) education) (health ’99 Peterson Eric ’98 Mashinter Kirsten ’96 Handelin Mark 4PVUI"GSJDB • (888) NVALUMS • nc. and is enjoying his his enjoying is and nc. (biology) and (English language language (English Continues on page 56 - - - Grill. Swill. Chill.

JOIN US FOR FOOD, DRINKS, FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT, FOOTBALLFOOTBALL www.unr.edu/alumni or call GIVEAWAYS AND MORE! TAILGATERSTAILGATERS 775.784.6620 or (888) NV ALUMS.

HOME GAMES All home tailgate parties begin two hours prior to kickoff. Space is limited, so stop by early. Located in Wolf Pack SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Alley north of Mackay Stadium under the big blue pavilion. Nevada vs. Nicholls St.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 Nevada vs. UNLV

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6 (Homecoming) Nevada vs. Fresno State*

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27 Nevada vs. Idaho*

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16 Lifetime Members: FREE Nevada vs. Hawai’i* Annual Members: $5 (per person) SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 Non-Members: $10 (per person) Nevada vs. Louisiana Tech*

Special thanks to: “From Our Family To Your Family” *Conference games Meadows Water Authority,WashoeTruckee CountySchool District,Wells Fargo, WesternDentistry, Tripp Nevada Supply Group, Partners Success The Bank, West Sun Union, Credit Federal Pacific Sierra Grill, & Bar Scruples Mary's, Saint Group, Rose-Glenn Inc., International Half Robert Relations, Panattoni Construction, Pitts Orthodontics, Proctor, Davis and Company, Q&D Construction, Reliable Framing, Inc., eNVy, Reno Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce, Reno Vulcanizing, Public Weekly,Associates Business & Nevada Olsen Northern Bank, State PayrollNevada Nevada Services, Collection, Harrah The Museum, Automobile National Alliance, NAI Anderson, Muckel Manpower,MassMedia, M3Planning, Associates, and Team,Lumos Lessinger WealthPlanning, Legacy Group, Lazzarone 2, Channel - TV KTVN Incorporated, JLH IGT,Inc., Firm, IntoHomes Law Dillon Insurance, Eclipse Running, EDAWN, Eisman & Newmarker Peak Dental Practices, Fahrendorf, Viloria, Oliphant & Oster, Firestone, First Independent Bank of Nevada, Fuel Reno, Hale Lane International, Colliers Apartments, Courtyard College Reno, of City Bank, National City Nevada, Northern of Association Builders Advertising, BBC Solutions, Staffing Applied Inc., Accountants, Alumni Jot Travis StudentUnion,Auditorium p.m. - 12a.m. •MovieSeries9:30 ASUN Reno-Sparks ConventionCenter 7p.m.Dinner 6 p.m.Cocktails, Annual HomecomingGala Nevada AlumniAssociation 11 a.m.-1p.m.•UniversityofNevada,RenoQuad •QdobaBurritoEatingContest ASUN OCTOBER 4 BusinessBuilding,Room207Ansari p.m. p.m.-6:30 Student LoungeDedication•4:30 AlumniAssociation andASUN COBA University ofNevada,RenoQuad •11a.m.-1p.m. Beat theBulldogsBBQ ASUN University ofNevada,RenoCampus Office DecoratingContest•10a.m. Nevada AlumniAssociation OCTOBER 3 Jot Travis StudentUnion,Auditorium Wolves Frolic(Talent Show)•7p.m.-10 ASUN Morrill HallAlumniCenter, ClarkRoom Scholarship Reception•6p.m.-7 Nevada AlumniAssociation Hidden Valley CountryClub AlumnusoftheYearMackay Reception Jot Travis StudentUnion,Auditorium Root BeerPong Tournament •4p.m.-6 ASUN University ofNevada,RenoQuad Bulldoze theBulldogsGame•11a.m.-1p.m. ASUN OCTOBER 2 Jot Travis StudentUnion,Auditorium 7 p.m.-10 •HomecomingCharityDateAuction ASUN OCTOBER 1 Stadium Northwest CornerofMackay &Beer•Throughout theGame Game DayBBQ Nevada Football AlumniChapter Wolf Pack Stadium) Alley(NorthofMackay Pre-Game Party•2hoursbeforekickoff Nevada AlumniAssociation SEPTEMBER 29 Stadium Northwest CornerofMackay &Beer•Throughout theGame Game DayBBQ Nevada Football AlumniChapter Wolf Pack Stadium) Alley(NorthofMackay Pre-Game Party•2hoursbeforekickoff Nevada AlumniAssociation SEPTEMBER 15 HOMECOMING 2007 MARK YOUR CALENDAR. Special thankstothesebusinesses forencouragingemployeestowearblueonHomecoming Friday. If yourbusinessis“goingblue”, us. too,andyou’re notonthislist,pleasecontact 1:05 p.m. • Mackay Stadium 1:05 p.m.•Mackay Homecoming Football Gamevs.FresnoState House Theta 11 a.m.•PhiDelta 3rd AnnualFamilyWeekend andAlumniBBQ Theta Phi Delta Pre-Game Party•11a.m. Parent FamilyWeekend Chapter. Sacramento Chapter, andtheYoung Alumni Alumni Chapter, NativeAmerican Chapter, Friends Mackay oftheReynoldsSchool, Chapter, HonorsProgramChapter, Alumniand Joined By:AsianAmericanPacificIslanderAlumni Wolf Pack Stadium) Alley(NorthofMackay Pre-Game Party•11a.m. Nevada AlumniAssociation Jot Travis StudentUnion,AlumniRoom Homecoming Brunch Orvis School ofNursingAlumniChapter Virginia Street,From9thStreetto 16thStreet Homecoming Parade:BeattheBulldogs•9a.m. ASUN a.m.Check In,8a.m.RaceBegins 7:30 Wolf Trot 5KFunRun Lombardi RecreationCenter OCTOBER 6 House Delta Delta 10 p.m.-4a.m.•Delta PancakeBreakfast Delta Delta Delta University ofNevada,RenoQuad HomecomingSocial•9p.m. ASUN Red's LittleWaldorf Saloon Old Guy'sNight•9p.m. Nevada AlumniAssociation Stadium Parking LotNorthofMackay •7p.m. •Bonfire ASUN Alumni Dinner•6p.m.Wolf RunGolfCourse Nevada Cheer, DanceandMascot AlumniChapter Silver Legacy, Room SilverBaron 7p.m.Dinner 6 p.m.Cocktails, •HallofFameDinner AAUN B Ballroom Circus Reno,MandalayBay p.m.Dinner 6:30 p.m.Cocktails, 5:30 College ofEngineering•ScrughamMedalDinner Harry ReidEngineeringLaboratory, Rooms109-110 2 p.m. Scrugham MedalRecipientsPanelwithStudents College ofEngineering andWelcome Reception•12p.m. BBQ Parent FamilyWeekend University ofNevada,RenoQuad p.m. a.m.-1:30 •11:30 Blue FluBBQ Nevada AlumniAssociationandASUN OCTOBER 5 FALL SEMESTER 2007 A LOT. A Northwest Corner of Mackay Stadium Northwest CornerofMackay &Beer•Throughout theGame Game DayBBQ Nevada Football AlumniChapter Wolf Pack Stadium) Alley(NorthofMackay Pre-Game Party•2hoursbeforekickoff Nevada AlumniAssociation OCTOBER 27 Featuring ClayJenkinson DistinguishedWriterRobert Laxalt Program Alumni andFriendsoftheReynoldsSchool OCTOBER 24 Red's LittleWaldorf Saloon a.m. PhiAlumni"BlueberryBreakfast"10:30 Pi Beta OCTOBER 7 www.unr.edu/alumni 888.NV.ALUMS 775.784.6620 visit asun.unr.edu. of Nevada,Reno.For moreinformation, =The AssociatedStudentsoftheUniversity ASUN Stadium Northwest CornerofMackay &Beer•Throughout theGame Game DayBBQ Nevada Football AlumniChapter Wolf Pack Stadium) Alley(NorthofMackay Pre-Game Party•2hoursbeforekickoff Nevada AlumniAssociation DECEMBER 1 Stadium Northwest CornerofMackay &Beer•Throughout theGame Game DayBBQ Nevada Football AlumniChapter Wolf Pack Stadium) Alley(NorthofMackay Pre-Game Party•2hoursbeforekickoff Nevada AlumniAssociation NOVEMBER 16 Immediately followingthegame•SigmaNuHouse Sigma NuHomecomingattheHouse Immediately followingthegame•ATO House andParty Family BBQ Alpha Tau OmegaAnnualHomecoming Stadium Northwest CornerofMackay &Beer•Throughout theGame Game DayBBQ Nevada Football AlumniChapter List as of7/31/07 Oct. 4 Homecoming Gala: 6 pm Cocktails • 7 pm Dinner & Program • Reno-Sparks Convention Center Oct.Oct. 55 Blue Flu Free Community BBQ: 11:30 am to 1:30 pm • University of Nevada, Reno Quad Oct. 5 Old Guy’s Night: 9 pm • Red’s Little Waldorf Saloon

Oct.Oct. 66 Nevada vs. Fresno State Football Pre-Game Party: 11 am Wolf Pack Alley (north of Mackay Stadium) 775.784.6620 : 888.NV.ALUMS KICK OFF: 1:05 pm Mackay Stadium www.unr.edu/alumni

For a complete list of Homecoming events, go to www.unr.edu/alumni. nevada alumni association Burke Family Tree Capurro-Ferris Family Tree

Robert S. Capurro married Suzanne (Ferris) Capurro Siblings Gary A Ferris B.S. Management, 1964 B.S. Elementary Education, 1969 B.S. Biology, 1994

Sarah Burke Marena (Burke) Brian Forrest Natalie Burke Burke, M.D. B.S. Conner B.A. Journalism B.S. Biochemistry (Public Relations) Management B.A. Spanish 1991 2002 1999 Jennifer 1988 M.D. Medicine, 1995 Corinne E. Capurro Steve L. Cupurro Brendan A Ferris B.S. Health Science (Capurro) Marini B.S. Supply Chain 1995 B.S. Biology B.A. English Management 2005 married married MD Medicine 2006 Casey J. Conner Karen (Lindsey) Burke 2000 1998 B.S. Geological Engineering, 1989 B.A. Social Work, 1993

A success story from the past. A stepping stone to the future. nevada alumni association Burke Family Tree Capurro-Ferris Family Tree

Robert S. Capurro married Suzanne (Ferris) Capurro Siblings Gary A Ferris B.S. Management, 1964 B.S. Elementary Education, 1969 B.S. Biology, 1994

A success story from the past. A stepping stone to the future. 56 Nevada Silver & Blue • Fall 2007 are planning a fall 2007 wedding. 2007 afall planning are also recently engaged to Nick Serrano. They was Hannah relations. media and vertising ad marketing, communications, member Lodge at Lake Tahoe. Hannah oversees ing manager for the historic Thunderbird market and relations member named been Canada. Windsor, Jennifer, married on April 21, 2007, in Cooley Law School. She and her partner, currently in her second year at ThomasM. Chicago. in Consulting position with Alvarez and Marsal Business and has accepted a management consulting at I of Business School recently completed his MBA at the Kelley cess at Renown Regional Medical Center. ac of patient director assistant as working is currently working on her MBA while ’00s http:// visit International, about more out and India. find To to Transformed Rwanda non-profit his take to like would Daniel future, near In the widows. for microbusinesses starting and orphans educating needy, the for food shelters, children, for beds to going proceeds with Reno to products African handcrafted of shipments sending includes organization this of undertaking One tional. Interna named Transformed States the in United anon-profit and Kenya in organization ment govern a non-profit started has Daniel orphanage. an at work to Kenya to aplane on himself Daniel Lipparelli ’02 (social work) quit his job, sold his car and, with his brother Luke found (political science) has science) has (political ’02 Zive Hannah ’01 Crosby (general Cherlyn studies) is ’01 Kurdziel Eric ’01 Peterson Courtney www.transformedinternational.or (logistics management) ndiana University, University, ndiana (general studies) g . - - - plans to move to York New to plans City. tory. Brian recently recorded a new CD and Conserva England of New life the to tions contribu extraordinary made has dent who stu agraduate to awarded Medal, Schuller performance. Brian also won the Gunther jazz in other the and composition jazz in vatory, graduating with two degrees, one Conser England New at the class top of his sity’s master of fine arts program in fiction. fiction. in program arts of fine master sity’s (English) was accepted to I to accepted was (English) (journalism), ’03 Crespo ’07M.A.Juliana ’02 Landrus Brian (logistics (logistics management) Eric Kurdziel ’01 (applied music) was (applied music) Brian Landrus ’02 ndiana Univer ndiana -

------industry.” Sherry works as executive Director Director executive as works Sherry industry.” one state’sthe number in promoting efforts volunteer exceptional recognized award According to Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, “The on Tourism. Commission Nevada the from Tourism award in Excellence an awarded Wolf Pack nation has never looked so good! Brad Platt ’00 (electrical engineering). The Nevada Wolf Pack sports apparel store with busy Silverstarting and Blue Outfitters, a lawthe review. edited and year first her Diego, where she was moot court winner in law school at the University of California, San tends law school at Drake University. State to study fiction. study to State Ohio at program arts of fine master the in English. in program ate doctor University Stanford the entered has Oregon. studying law at Lewis & Clark in Portland, photographer. and works in Sacramento for ABC as an editor Chapter. American Native Association’s currently the president of the Nevada Alumni I Nevada of the (finance) ’05Rupert Sherry (finance) ’05 Rupert Sherry was recently ’04 Glodowski Mark ’04 Figurski Hannah Amanda Brookhyser ’04 Brookhyser Amanda Claire Watkins ’07 Watkins Claire ’06 Yamboliev Irena ’06 Sell Alauria Mary (journalism) ’05 White currently Barry ndian Commission and is is and Commission ndian (English) is enrolled (English/biology) (English) is finishing (journalism) WhiteBarry ’05 (marketing) is very (English) is is (English) (English) at (English) - - Alumni Nevada Silver & Blue • Fall 2007 57 - - ) - - - San , San Los Los American Jour ing Knight Ridder’s Ridder’s Knight ing Washington strong bureau with Mc Clatchy’s. In a time large other when newspapers ( Times Angeles Francisco Chronicle nalism Review has lauded McClatchy for foreign its keeping bureaus and blend advertising environ been has This ment. a but time, challenging challenges those with greatest the come rewards. 4. The Questions Questions With 5 Photo by Jean Dixon Newspapers will still be — inNewspapers still here will We are really proud of our bureaus. bureaus. our of proud really are We print, online or on whatever platform or on whatever online print, next.comes news informa and Reliable been — they, always valuable have tion the when ago years 400 valuable were and published, was newspaper first come. to they’ll the be years in valuable evolving models are business Of course, be will it and evolve, to continue will and able are that newspapers successful the taken They have will change. embrace to reach advantagefull of technology to with compelling audiences growing looking forward it. I’m to content. we are determined to remain true to our true to remain to determined are we service public includes which mission, better aimed at informing journalism is that journalism of kind that It’s citizens. sustaining and creating in indispensable democracy. our or 20 years hence, Ten 5. what do you see as the future for newspapers? Some of the best reporting in the the in reporting best the of Some like issues national major on country S. Iraq the and U. in of WMDs the lack of out come has scandal firings attorney McClatchy At bureau. Washington our are making headlines for axing staff staff axing for headlinesmaking are bureaus,foreign eliminating and let’s that McClatchy about it is what it hear a different drummer? - - - We see “platform the as future We Very busy. It was a complex transac a complex was It Very busy. 2. What strategies are newspaper to using McClatchy as such chains embrace a future that includes new media? deliver we’ll words, other In agnostic.” readers our to content and news our it when they they want where users and its has legal it. chal of This course want lenges, as we work in areas of media that that media of areas in work we as lenges, traditionally newspapersour haven’t more becoming means that So been. with dealing in experienced creative and con videos, blogs user-generated and the Internet, on platforms including tent ways for look We PDAs. and phones, cell technology use to to work creatively to advantage. greatest our The3. McClatchy Company purchased Knight Ridder — at chain largest second the time the of newspapers in the country was What 2006. 27, June on — for counsel general being like it McClatchy during the merger? tion because not only did it involve involve it did only not because tion but also we a big company, acquiring great although that, newspapers 12 sold newspapers, fit not McClatchy’s did the Knight Unfortunately, strategy. the at just happened acquisition Ridder difficult very a into come we’ve that time - - way they handle way sources confidential the on be to and wheneverrecord there But possible.

Certainly the the Certainly

Karole Morgan-Prager ’84 (journalism and political science) is vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for the Sacramento-based McClatchy the Company, third largest newspaper company in the United States. Karole Morgan-Prager is an associate editor of Nevada Silver & Blue. Melanie Robbins ’06M.A. 1. Is it harder1. to de fend reporters since the Valerie Plame CIA in investigation leak New former which Times reporterYork was Miller Judith jailed for contempt of court and former Time reporter Mat was Cooper thew with threatened for imprisonment testify? to refusing involving situations and Miller Judith give Cooper Matthew advising attorneys newspapers and reporters for cause sources confidential where concern note to interesting It’s involved. are been has never a nationally there that it’s — privilege reporter’s recognized Department, the Justice that forjust to become has willing more example, subpoena reporters it perhaps than the past. of in was a the lack As a result, more become has law shield national efforts and federal problematic to pass continuing. are legislation law shield the about smart be to need Reporters of assurances where instances be will tonecessaryare in order confidentiality bring important the public. to stories have not would that news the of Think been not had if sources light to come the — Abu confidentiality promised Reed Medical Army Walter and Grhraib two. name In to just scandals Center journalists of ability the protect to order so is that the role play to continue to imperative it’s democracy, to important reveal to reporters forced not that are compelling a without sources their reason. 58 Alumni Nevada Silver & Blue • Fall 2007 COBAAA at http://www.unr.edu/alumnialumni webpage and events, contact Renee (Wong) Gonzales ’96 or visit our University of Nevada, Reno. For more info about membership American and Pacific Islander alumnifrom all schools of the The AAPI Alumni Chapter plans to address the needs of Asian [email protected] ’96 Gonzales (Wong) Renee IslanderAlumni Chapter Asian American Pacific visit http://journalism.unr.edu. please school, the on updates frequent more For information. your update to (775) 784-4471 or [email protected] at development, of director Burgarello, Kristin contact please so, event. exciting another to speaker. forward We’re looking year’s this be will 24. Jenkinson Clay October Wednesday, on Program Writer Distinguished Laxalt Robert annual our for calendars your mark please Also, there! you –see school the of faculty and friends with visit to alumni RSJ for specifically table edu/alumni for more information on this event. We’ll have a www.unr. Visit game. football the to prior tailgate Association’s alumni of the Reynolds School are invited to the Nevada Alumni [email protected] ’97 Burgarello Ghiggeri Kristin Reynolds School Alumni & Friends of the October! in you See friends. the plans for Homecoming 2007, as well as updates on your old us right now to get on the mailing list and find out about all Band shirt. What, you didn’t know about Alumni Band!? Email Alumni your found and reeds, new some bought valves, your coming, and that means Alumni Band! By now, you have oiled [email protected] Wolf ’92, ’97 (Donohue) Kiara AlumniBand career services office funding. Upcoming COBAAA-sponsored COBAAA-sponsored Upcoming funding. office services career and sponsorship, event remodel, lounge student support, of COBA, including student scholarships, student organization approximately $12,000, to be used towards continued support [email protected] ’03 Lazzarone Ro Join the Asian American Pacific Islander Alumni Chapter! Chapter! Alumni Islander Pacific American Asian the Join job? If anew started or married gotten moved, Have you On Saturday, October 6 during Homecoming week, all Home for time already. almost It’s September is, it Here On May 3, COBAAA’s annual golf tournament raised

- Nevada, Reno. This event also supports local scholarships to the University of Fallon in 26. Aug. on Ranch Frey the at barbecue aWestern held We publication. of time at amystery still is location The raiser. fund scholarship trip bus mystery annual its held 5, chapter the Aug. On time. agreat had Everyone Tech game. Pack/Louisiana took a sold-out bus of Pack fans to Peccole Park for the Wolf Eric Tavor and Alexandria Pierce. On May 6, the Fallon Chapter Lecker, Rachel 2007: of Nygren, Amy Class School High County scholarships to the following graduating seniors of Churchill [email protected] ’71 Diedrichsen Roger Fallon officers! outgoing COBAAA’s to Thanks Vance ’96. (Moschetti) –Nicole Relations ’05; VP Development – Jennifer Boland ’00; and VP Public President-Elect – Dan Flowers ’97; Treasurer – Justin Thomsen and has just elected new officers: President – Ro Lazzarone ’03; ongoing contact with students, alumni, and local businesses through growth membership focus to continues COBAAA fall. early in opening lounge student the 1and Aug. Wednesday, events include the Disney-themed Pack Picnic on the Quad The Fallon Alumni Chapter recently awarded four $1,000 Thomas. Front row: Shane Smith-Triplett and Lorraine Marshall. Lorraine Smith-Triplett and Shane row: Front Thomas. Shana and Alvarez, Mikel DeLorme, Marcey Jamieson, Nicole Rogers, row: Ryan back left, From Hall. Morrill May 3at on reception Graduation American Native 2007 and 2006 - Rupert at (775) 687-8333. event on Aug. 8 at the University. University. the 8at Aug. on event also sponsored and volunteered at a “Pack Picnic on the Quad” members and raised money by selling alumni apparel. The NAC in Carson City, Nev. At the powwow, the chapter recruited new 15 Father’s Powwow June Day 17 to the in Stewart volunteered ing local and university events. The chapter participated and sponsor and for volunteering by community the in active more [email protected] ’05 Rupert Sherry Native American Chapter details. for ’75 (775) 423-6607 at (Austin)Pontius Shelia or ’77 Pontius 15, Ernie March call on dinner 2008; Winterfest Annual tion. informa more for (775) 423-5889 at ’70 (Pearce) McGinness dinner and show trip in http://www.unr.edu/alumni/chapters.asp at website chapter the visit please events, upcoming on tion Jane (Jabines) Moon ’92 at (775) 423-6983. “Steppin’ Out” Out” “Steppin’ ’92 (775) 423-6983. at Moon (Jabines) Jane If you would like to join the chapter or want more informa more want or chapter the like join to would you If The Native American Chapter is excited about becoming Coming Up: A Football Rooter Bus; for information, call call information, for Bus; Rooter Up: AFootball Coming C hapter Updates hapter

late fall; call Mike McGinness ’71 or Dee x , or contact Sherry - - - Alumni Nevada Silver & Blue • Fall 2007 59 - On July 11, YAC welcomed families YAC and friendsOn July 11, for the Melissa Melissa Molyneaux, Chris Kinney. Young Alumni Chapter Alumni Young Seema Bhardwaj ’02 [email protected] summer’s first Pack Picnic membersYAC on the Quad. served refreshments and participated in the fun and games, while en joying the cool sounds of Sol’Jibe. In August, YAC members hit hit members YAC August, In Sol’Jibe. of sounds cool the joying latestReno’s hot-spot: Nikki Beach at the Grand Sierra Resort. setting beach sandy a in drinks and food enjoyed Attendees without leaving Reno! Stay tuned fall for more details on YAC’s events, including Homecoming in October and the ever-popular Mystery Bus Dinner! - m

Melissa Molyneaux ’06, Chris Kinney ’01, Ro Lazzarone ’03, Lesley Davis ’04, ’04, Davis Lesley ’03, Lazzarone Ro ’01, Kinney Chris ’06, Molyneaux Melissa Arkaitz Aldecoaotalora Lauren Sankovich ’01, ’98, Seema Bhardwaj ’02. As of our last meeting, OSNAA is 85 members strong and and strong members 85 is OSNAA meeting, last our of As OSNAA Kathie Baldridge ’05 still growing. We are forming several special subcommittees subcommittees special several forming are We growing. still and have had a strong response from members wishing to vol unteer. The Orvis School of Nursing will be hosting a brunch to celebrate its 50th anniversary on Oct. 6 in the Jot Student Travis Union, so mark your calendars for this special event! [email protected] Nevada Football Alumni Chapter held its annual golf golf annual its held Chapter Alumni Football Nevada The Young Alumni Alumni Young The welcomed Chapter friends and families first summer’s the for July on Picnic Pack members YAC 11. refreshments served the in participated and fungames, and while sounds cool the enjoying Jibe. Sol of Chris Kinney. Arkaitz Aldecoaotalora, Lauren Sankovich, Chapter Jim ’99 Farley [email protected] more were There Course. Golf Lakeridge at 1 June tournament formerthan 120 players, coaches and football supporters who sponsors, our to thanks special A tournament. the in played tournament. successful another for contributors and players at available website a has now Association Alumni Football The http://nevadawolfpackfootballalumni.com.For football alumni interested in joining the email Jim chapter, Farley. Nevada Football Alumni Alumni Football Nevada 60 Nevada Silver & Blue • Fall 2007 graduating, he worked sum he worked graduating, joined SAE Fraternity. After drums in the ROTC band and Ski Team, the Glee Club, played where he was a member of the cepted a scholarship at Nevada, Academy. ac He later Naval an appointment to Annapolis High in 1935, and received Reno. He graduated from Reno June 10, 2007 at his home in (electrical engineering) died it swim.” watched shore and a duck egg and then sat on the like “the chicken that hatched her kids. Ruth once said she felt totally accepting and loving of is most remembered for being well as math and reading. Ruth occasionally taught music, as her time of teaching, she also Jim, Carol and Karen.” During girls. Our children are Jeanie, we started again with two little oldest were almost grown when two families in that our two my husband and family... really profession was homemaking for my education. However, my teacher upon completion of year the University of Nevada the “My father began teaching at words she wrote about her life. Alpha Theta. Beloware some a member of the sorority Kappa member of Phi Kappa Phi and She was an honors student, English and teaching courses. strong record in math as well as from the University with a very June 22, 2007. Ruth graduated died peacefully at home on on the Whittle jet engine to work on the B-29 and worked 1943, he won an “E” medal for mers on the Hoover Dam. Ralph Wilson Shearer ’41 Shearer Wilson Ralph ’37 (English) King Ruth I was born. R emembering Friends emembering I became a I - - n

to the Mackay School of Mines lywood, Calif. Charles returned Hol in Don, Pearl bride-to-be, Bulge. Afterthe war, he methis battalion in the Battle of the his service with the 16th Army atres, but the most difficultwas the many in He was surveyor. to war as a forward artillery knew how to survey, he went listed in the Army. As Charles studying mining engineering the University of Nevada, Reno son City. Charles was attending Car in 2007 2, away on March (mining engineering) passed Steven and Douglas Shearer. ceded in death by both his sons, pre He was family. her and JeffCooper; daughter Lynne Mike and Amy Ballinger and Ballinger and grandchildren Sierra; daughter Debra (Bob) Karen (Ken); granddaughter, sister, Gwen Patton; daughter, munity. Ralph is survived by his com and friends family, by his tleman and will be sadly missed gen generous spoken, soft kind, the lunar module. Ralph was a He tested Gemini engines for Pacific Powerand Rocketdyne. University Planetarium, Sierra professional engineering at the later returned to Reno and did of an MBA degree and certificate of California, Los Angeles with graduated from the University had three children. his life, Jeanne Thomas. They he met and married the love of support the Bell P-59. June 1947 Charles and Pearl and graduated in May 1947. he en when graduation, until He only had one semester to go when World War I Charles E. Johnston ’47 Johnston E. Charles ndustrial Relations. He II broke out. I n 1954, he I n 1948, -

I - n - - - - - of Charles Coe to the scholar the to Coe of Charles A gift may be madein memory Coe and Peter Frederick Coe. and grandsons Charles Alexei and Francesca Coe Sherrill; by his daughters Lizabeth Coe Charles will be deeply missed 1981. Besides his many friends, ing Achievement Medal in NASA’s Engineer Exceptional for his work, Charlie received tests a success. mentation that made these instru airload tile unique the space shuttle tiles. He designed special wind-tunnel tests on he proposed and carried out Space Shuttle Structure Team design. As a member of the tural dynamics and instrument struc elasticity, aero loads, on aerodynamics, dynamic Center after 32 years of research from NASA Ames Research of New Orleans. Charlie retired 1945 he married Shyrle Uhalt, Theater of Operations Medal. Leaf Clusters and a European Air Medal with three Oak the Distinguished Flying Cross, Hell’s Angels. He was awarded the 303rd Bomb Group — the ropean theater as a member of on B-17’s Eu navigator the in Charlie flew 31missions as a Calif. During World War March 15, 1923 in San Mateo, Calif. Charles was born on April 17, 2007 in Cupertino. (mechanical engineering) died and Caleb. along with two grandsons, Jon their husbands, Jay and Doug, survived by his daughters and loved very much. Charles is Nancy and Anita, whom he for 59 years. They hadtwo girls, Don married, and were together Charles Frederick Coe ’48 Coe Frederick Charles I n recognition II - , - - -

- I n Achievement Award. Bill is Athletic Directors Lifetime nationally recognized Neyland 1987. into the UNL football,” Bill was inducted ored as the “Father of UNL Hon 1972. in director athletic team and became the school’s to lead UNL I Coast regional championship. team to win the NCAA West Nevada, leading his baseball and assistant football coach at became the head baseball coach ships in four years. winning 10 state champion 10 state winning sports at Fernley High School, year later in 1953, he coached all athletic director Jake Lawlor. A firstgraduate assistant under ment was at Nevada as the assign coaching first Bill’s raised four girls and three boys. dance floor. Togetherthey heart from across a crowded blonde Pi Phi who captured his Jeanne Brunetti, a beautiful Nevada Bill met and married role model. While a student at exceptional coach, teacher and players regarded him as an everyone who knew him. His Bill was loved and admired by family on July 31, 2007 in Reno. died peacefully surrounded by collegiate athletic programs influential forcein the state’s ’52 Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557. Mail Stop 256, University of of Engineering – Dean’s Office, Contact Melanie Perish, College of Nevada, Reno Foundation. ment through the University Endow Scholarship Family ship he established, the Coe n 1967, Bill moved to Las Bill “Coach I” Ireland (physical education), an I n 1997, he received the V V ’s first football Hall of Fame in I n 1960, Bill - V V - - egas - Alumni Nevada Silver & Blue • Fall 2007 61 egas. Cathy Cathy egas. V 19, 1957 in Las Las in 1957 19, certification CPA her received in Nevada of State the from knew who Everyone 1982. her remember will Cathy special her life, for exuberance laugh, people making of knack playing talent exceptional her enthusiasm her and piano the regret one Cathy’s golf. for was illness her of learning upon time have wouldn’t she that survived is Cathy 90. break to Stephanie children, her by Mother, Chichester, Alex and Father McCown, Charlotte Sister, McCown, (Carol) Chuck Nephew, Buss, (Wayne) Christy McCown, (Ewa) Dustin (Brad McKaig Brian Partner, Fluffy, cat, beloved her Bo); and uncles, aunts, numerous and family Her friends. and cousins care the acknowledge to wishes the from Cathy to provided Circle Life of Hospice. with pancreatic cancer. Cathy Cathy cancer. pancreatic with Accounting the in worked of College the of Department as Administration Business while student study work a She University. the attending business successful a was several owned having woman recently most and businesses, was Cathy firm. CPA own her June born Nevadan native a - - - - - Patti, Patti, nc., nc.,

I . (geol Cathy (McCown) (McCown) Cathy Chichester, (CPA) ’79, and and

business business

, (CPA) (MBA, (MBA, (CPA) , devoted to his three three his to devoted

Bert Scales F. ’61M.S (Garfinkle) Charlotte (McCown) Cathy mental consultancy mental Alaska, in elsewhere Seattle. in settled ultimately was Tom and Noah Chloe, children, is He 11. and 14 19, ages Cedric, sister, his by survived also and Bruce brother, (history). ’64 the at 2007 18, June died ogy) his of time the At 74. of age of president the was he death, Group, Reserves Natural and exploration gas and oil an production company in Hous by survived is He Texas. ton, and sons two Yvonne, wife, his three grandchildren. O’Ryan ’75 (social psychol age at 2007 8, June died ogy) the for worked Charlotte 72. Employment State Nevada Abuse Drug a as also and Office She House. Omega at counselor daughters, sons, by survived is grandchildren and great-grand children. Chichester, ’79 1984) University, Gate Golden age the at 2007 21, Jan. died battle valiant a after 49 of there, moved he his environ Charlotte (Garfinkle) (Garfinkle) Charlotte (social ’75 O’Ryan psychology) 67 67 ’ - After a decade decade a After

ernon; a sister, sister, a ernon; V Bert F. Scales ’61MS ’61MS Scales BertF. (geology) llinois, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania llinois, n his twenties and and twenties his n died of cancer on on cancer of died I I ThomasD. Beardsley II llinois State Geological Survey Survey Geological State llinois Main in active was he where ll. ndustrial Minerals Division. Division. Minerals ndustrial (biology) Edmonds, in 2007 30, April of member a was Tom Wash. block his earned and Nu Sigma that talent a cross-country, in N military brief his to over carried career, when the won he cross- Ft. at championship country basic undergoing while Ord training. thirties, traveled he exten Dutch in settling finally sively, Alaska. Harbor, I Eldorado, in resided he 1993, in I his enjoyed and activities Street Harrisburg the with association Barbershop the of Chapter (barbershop Society Harmony by survived is Henry singing). and Constance daughters, two Christie stepdaughter, a Paula; stepson, Lee; six Eric; grandson, one Ann; five and grandchildren; step grandchildren. great-step employment in Texas, Nevada, Nevada, Texas, in employment Arizona, Mexico. in years 10 almost and the of member active an was He Engineers, Mining of Society the of chairman as serving I the from retirement his After - - , - n I II V reland reland reland reland reland reland Bill “Coach I” Ireland ’52 ’52 Ireland I” “Coach Bill education) (physical I reland reland I I reland reland I I reland Scholar daho, on Aug. 5, 5, Aug. on daho, I ll. He was the widower of of widower the was He ll. reland, Michael Michael reland, I I Henry Ehrlinger III ’57 ’57 III Ehrlinger Henry reland and Terrence Terrence and reland ship, Wolf Pack Athletics, Athletics, Pack Wolf ship, service during World War War World during service Philippines the in service seeing Luzonon and the battle Ma of nila with the 754th Tank Bat to led career mining His talion. in Kellogg, Kellogg, in 18th his after weeks Six 1925. military the in was he birthday, whom he married in 1949. 1949. in married he whom Butler Rose married he 1970 in him preceded who Wilson, born was Henry 1997. in death Mills, Mills, Ehrlinger, (Schaublin) Lorraine (metallurgical engineering) engineering) (metallurgical Carrier in 2007 25, May on died Legacy Hall 232, Reno, N Reno, 232, Hall Legacy 89557).. can be made to the Bill Bill the to made be can scholarship baseball endowed AAUN: I (c/o I survived also is He Tran). (Linh as well as grandchildren, 16 by (Jim Helmick Patricia sister his mother-in-law, his Helmick), sister-in-law, and Brunetti Rina Donations Brunetti. Eleanor (Joe Herold), Kimberly Carano, Carano, Kimberly Herold), (Joe Kelly Patrick Owens), (Lucinda survived by his wife and their their and wife his by survived Christopher children: Kerry Masten), (Davis Ralph Wilson Shearer Wilson Ralph (electrical ’41 engineering) 62 Nevada Silver & Blue • Fall 2007 Breaking the football racial barrier for more information. http://unr.edu/oralVisit history and the Intermountain West. history and culture of Nevada histories that document the preserves primary-source oral and produces Program History The University of Nevada Oral with his description of the I of the description his with recorded interview, Motley’s account opens 79. 1999 in age at died Motley 1994, in team NFL’s the on backs 75th anniversary running best seven the of one as Wolf Named the Pack. with games road in competing while faced he discrimination racial of days difficult the about of Nevada Oral History Program, Motley talks University the for Blue M. Helen with interview 1992 In April an tackling. aggressive and ing block powerful running, superior his 1968 for inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in was 1942, to 1940 from Nevada for competing linebacker and Wolf fullback Pack aformer ley, Mot leagues. major the in playing from players baseball’s unwritten mandate excluding black more media coverage, Jackie Robinson toppled in 1946. A year later and with a good deal good for line color football’s pro break helped Woody and Strode, Washington Kenny Rams teammate Bill Willis, along with Los Angeles aggravated and called me over. got very Jim afreshman. Iwas play because play.”can’t Icouldn’t him; told he That’swhat “Well, Marion can’t play the first half. He said, over and Aiken Jimmy called Bank] correction.] that reflects below transcript the of version 1941. in edited The program be allowed to compete in the 1940 Nevada- 1940 the in compete to allowed be not he would that player Motley first-year Wolf Pack head coach Jim Aiken and black informing kickoff, the before just staff, ing T [Due to technical difficulties during the the during difficulties [Due technical to Marion Motley and Cleveland Browns Marion Motley: Marion ell Me How Nevada Was

[ I daho Head Coach Ted Coach Head daho took over the cis Schmidt, who Fran with Ted Bank I 1940 apparently confused Motley interview, I Moscow, in played I daho. During the the During daho. daho football game, daho coach daho I daho coach coach daho went over - V andal andal - - - From the files of the University of Nevada Oral History Program Oral History of Nevada the of University files the From the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is the only Nevada athlete so honored. so athlete Nevada only the He is Fame. of Hall Football Pro the to induction his 1968 with in fame to claim biggest his gained but 42, to 1940 Wolfthe from Pack for football in He lettered ways. many in athletics (41) Motley Nevada for Marion apioneer was and said, “You go out there, Motley, and tell them,” He me that.” tell to time game the to right me bring my football team up here and wait on, we’re going home.’” He told Bank, “You let there and tell all the football players, ‘Come “Motley, told me, go over Jim and it, cussing do. Romans the like you did Rome, you were in When it. to you were used days those in me because saying all that type of stuff. were They bait!” alligator that Kill nigger! that Kill nigger! that “Get were roaring, bench.” sit on the Ican game. play the and You go ahead Jim. guys of that, no need “Oh, Isaid, him. fight to going he was mouth; feet up. He was going to punch this guy in the his keep and ground the off hold him and to grab Jim and pick him up around his waist When he told Jim that him. to talking there standing Iwas and there, Then Bank said, “Wait aminute. Wait, wait, were dis Bank and guy this and But Jim stands the though, started, game the Before I started out. I couldn’t play, I t didn’t bother I had - sounds reasonable.” second half.” the play can but he half, first playthe can’t “Marion said, he Then 30-0! us beat to posed sup were they but full, were stands The wait.” that? that? of Nevada. University the with career my college during Ihad incidents of the one was that But us! beat have wouldn’t They bad. that us beat have wouldn’t they half, first they only beat us 6-0, and if I back! ball the brought they and line, or four plays later back. ball referee was beckoning me to come bring the it was a touchdown. the goal line. When firsttime for us started in the second half, because the Jim thought about it and said, “Well, that Motley: three about Then 55 yards. 50, about I ran So Blue: I didn’t play the first half, butthe game Were there any other instances like I put my hand on the ball, When I I went to Brigham Young, went to about the 6-yard Photo courtesy University of Nevada Special Collections Special Nevada of University courtesy Photo I I dropped the ball down, looked back, and the I had played the I went to n all, n all, - Nevada Silver & Blue • Fall 2007 63 - ’m going going ’m t was I just wouldn’t wouldn’t just I got my chance to to chance my got I f you hit me, me, hit you f I *** f I caught in one way, my Well, ourWell, players didn’t a have Did you feel that way when you were were you when way that feel you Did ’ll get the you next game.” n the pros we had guys doing the same same the doing guys had we pros the n I Blue: Motley: Motley’s emergence at the University of us names and everything, and and everything, and names us even talk to them. I I ran him. over I ran smack him. over I tried to take him going in end and one coming out the respect of so a lot other, got we that way. They finally just wentalong with programour there. be to going were we because thing. They called us all kindsof names and hit us when turned we our backs. Thereferee would be standing within looking distance when but it, call never and hit those of one guys, I hit him! I didn’t let up him.on I hit him right through the elbow and tried to bash his brains. Thosewere the times when had you to make the best it.of I rough. rather was it tough; the type treatment of got. we Bill and I were battered really were We year. first the there from side to side with the referees calling not anything when they saw just it, were we but get and fight and up jump to not determined kicked the of out game, so just we stayed and they as well as just them punished We it. took “ though. us, punished to hit back. you I might get not this you game, I but here at UNR? wasproblem; it the other players. They called ard atard fullback and brought to relieve in Tabor the in Heath Stan quarterback All-American Howard and 65-14, won, Nevada half. second in compete to blacks first the were Tabor and college football in Oklahoma. Nevada inspired Aiken to recruit Horace Gillom and Bill Bass, two black players who played and Pack in 1946. for 1947 the In Wolf Alva Sheeketski, Joe coach head under 1948 for up suited Howard Sherman and Tabor team the with season second their In Nevada. it appeared they would be barred from playing but Tulsa, of University the against game a in Sheeketski would not relent. started He How - - - - -

[Ar I was was I ’d love to come up up come to love ’d I brought my family with family my brought stayed and played football football played and stayed said said I I I got there about one, and we had had we and one, about there got I was playing football for Great Great for football playing was n this era, yes. Bill Willis and I I Well, theWell, deal so wasn’t big as I What happened is that when when that is happened What got back home, Jim Aiken tried to to tried Aiken Jim home, back got I OK. Can you just go through again again through go just you Can OK. Were you one of the Were first black players? Being the first black at UNR and then was supposed to get out in July or or July in out get to supposed was I n the middle of the season in 1947, he he 1947, in season the of middle the n I llinois] I heard that a team was forming, Blue: Motley: Motley: Blue: Motley: Blue: When When the up I went next and they day, had prac Anyway, Anyway, ton, my hometown. hometown. my ton, me, and I was inducted into the service right here in Akron, Ohio. real briefly how you came to be with the Cleve land Browns? Browns? land ing in 1921]. was the beginning playing of the for Browns. a As 1946. of all played We two. first the were We 1947. in one another got we fact, of matter Horacegot Gillom, who played University at was He Nevadaof a punter 1946]. and [in an end. came the of out service, and picked we him up Browns]. the for play [to later in the NFL must have been a big deal thur James Elko of is the earliest documented black football Nevada, player to play for letter get in touch with me to get me to come back to to back come to me get to me with touch in get school, which I wascontemplating. Then Paul Brown called night one me about three weeks after the training camp had started in Bowl ing Green, Ohio, and asked he if me I would out. try to up come out. try and three. at tice that of things did and ran we so sprints, wind sort. Thenme I made he told the team! That in I later that team the on guys couple a because They contracts. had Browns the for out came 1945, in war the during players signing were 1946. in and Lakes. the coached [who Brown Paul and August, Browns asked from 1946 to me to stay 1962] to help him with out the football team to get season. the through third, the December then and him, for released from the service and back went home. was at Great Lakes [Naval Training Station Station Training [Naval Lakes Great at was - ’ll daho I ’m not not ’m I think I told the guys, guys, the told I ” Then Then ”

was treated very well. No one one No well. very treated was I ’m going back to campus. campus. to back going ’m I No. No. San Jose had some. San Francisco Francisco San some. had Jose San Yes, I left Yes, then and came to Can Yes. Yes. f you don’t get away from me, me, from away get don’t you f Yes, we did we beat Yes, Arkansas pretty I You leftYou here, then,You 1942? stayedin Were there any other Were black students at first that for one only the were You Of any of the teams you played when when played you teams the of any Of What about the Arkansas [now A&M said, “ said, Motley: Blue: Motley: Blue: Motley: Motley: Blue: Blue: Blue: Motley: I think that Jim being from the East meant meant East the from being Jim that think and played that season, and then you left? gave me any flak; no one called me names. names. me called one no flak; any me gave I players. black of lot a coached had he in. coming me for way the paved of sort he nice. was Everybody the time here at UNR? UNR? at here time the year? [Motley said another black student, Ray Freeman, came the for academic year 1941- 1942, left but after football seasonconcluded.] you were here at UNR, were there ever other black players on other teams? had two. or one I think College the of Pacific had two, or one the but other colleges didn’t have any. we did beat Arkansas pretty bad. bad. pretty Arkansas beat did we don’t rememberbad. what the don’t I score was, but avoid it by going by it avoid back So I went room.” to my game, the played we Then hotel. the to back actually teams two [the 6-0 us beat they and tied 6-6]. Those guyswere supposed to beat us 30 played 35-0. or them right We to the up hilt 70 or 60 about had they and players, 15 with team. football the on out players some was There game? Arkansas-Monticello] was there think don’t I too. that, about flap you prevent to trying were they where anything you that somewhere heard I but playing, from really wiped them out. They were calling you names. put my foot in your in foot my put look, “Well, going this to have kind carrying of on. I can [in Provo] Utah Provo] weeks [seven [in before the I thegame], kids used to follow us around on before walking out were we when street the the game, and they asking were me, “Where’s supposed a tail.” to have your tail? You’re 64 Nevada Silver & Blue • Fall 2007 W YOU’RE OF? PROUD MOST ute to the lives of those surrounding them. them. surrounding of those lives the to ute contrib who people splendid are They years. her beyond compassionate and thoughtful Rica working with primates, she is mature, Clara University in 2008. Currently in Costa daughter, Hailey, will graduate from Santa enthusiasm and a sense of humor. Our energy, with winery the joined recently has and graduate, aStanford is Loren, son, Our and respect for others and a passion for life. children. They haveintegrity, compassion grown our to values on our we have passed way proud of the Iam division. his in racers Porsche GT3 Cup cars. He’s among the top ( childhood or fourth third his entered has John, band, hus My wonderful family. splendid crazy, turn-on. areal is day of their enjoyment the that in some small way To wine. think of our abottle with evening a restaurant and see people enjoying their I accolades! Terrific America. North in varietal Bordeaux red best, the Sauvignon Cabernet our judged Decanteryear, This 1980. in magazine, wine and food French by the organized Olympics 1979 [at Wine in the Paris in world” the in Chardonnay was recognized as the “best Family major role in the development of Trefethen industry status. wine business had not yet earned “cottage” V Napa the in wineries 30 than in 1973. John, my husband, with winery our started me proud. Professionally, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THAT Silver &Blue Silver Wh think of my of my Ithink when Ibeam Personally, To have played and to continue to play a Thereare three facets of mylife that make a t I’ve D t I’ve hat I’ve Done With My Life V I t was a time when there were fewer ineyards, is very rewarding. Our , University of Nevada, Reno, Mail Stop 0007, Reno, NV 89557-0007. Include a phone number. Don’t exceed 650 words. Submissions may be posted at http://www.unr.edu/nevadasilverandblue. at posted be may Submissions words. 650 0007, Stop Mail Reno, exceed number. Don’t 89557-0007. Nevada, of NV Reno, aphone Include , University t is also very fulfilling to go to to to go fulfilling very also t is I e W on ’ve lost track) and is now racing now racing is and ’ve track) lost Gault Millau th M ith y L I if have contributed to e I am proud to have asks an alum who has been out of school for a while to answer the three questions above. Email your submission to [email protected], or send it via regular mail to: mail regular via it send or [email protected], to submission your Email above. questions three the answer to awhile for school of out been has who alum an asks magazine has ], and again alley and the the and alley

- - By Janet Trefethen (journalism) By ’71 Janet at cutting! horse, Wholly Cats. What a tothrill succeed on my cutting 2005 in top5nationally the in wines. delicious and conversation good by stimulated usually is table dinner Our exclusively from the family’s own vineyards. family’s own the from exclusively ayear cases 60,000 It produces 1968. since Oak Knoll district, has been in business trefethenfamilyvineyards.com/, in the http://www. Trefethen Vineyards, County. gravity-flowwinery surviving in Napa John, the only 19th-century, wooden, Trefethen manages, with her husband, resident of the University’s Manzanita Hall, in California’s Napa Valley. A former winery aworld-class owns (journalism), for an American winery, Janet Trefethen, ’71 officers executive chief female first the of One Another feather in my cap was finishing Photo Courtesy of Janet Trefethen Janet of Courtesy Photo

journalism. one to in addition in degree abusiness ing regret not hav Iregret at Nevada. double major on. and go on could list The Tour the France. de win tration degree… climb Mount Everest… and adminis of business have amaster and gual multilin be piano, playthe classes, art take Icould Iwish of regrets. sorts all be can there about life and wants to do so many things, WHAT YOU DO REGRET? MOST each stage of life. stage each enjoy to remember and persevere and heart yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. Follow your to love what you do. is work great waydo to The only work. great be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is a large part of your life, and the only way to Your lovers. fill to for your going is work is it work as for your true as is that And love. you what find to time Take the lives. our in times enjoyed at different and experienced be to things different are there and today COLLEGE? AFTER TO SOMEONE JUST STARTING OUT WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE accomplishments. become can regrets is life left tolive, and perhaps some ofthose But there others. and farmers Chinese the share our sustainable farming practices with ago. years 30 V Sun in land buy to wanted But, specifically, passionate is me who like For someone Don’t be in a hurry. People live longer longer People live Don’t ahurry. in be I John when “yes” said Ihad I wish regret that we have not found a way to I wish I f you haven’t found it I had pursued a alley, I alley, Nevada daho, daho,

- - - Fostering Nevada’s Future

‘I hope to convey my strong beliefs in the power of hard work and education to students attending the University of Nevada, Reno…’ A charitable gift annuity dward C. Coppin ’62 (physical sciences) has created a scholarship at is a contract between the Nevada to provide financial assistance to students from Pershing County through a gift annuity with the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation. Foundation and the donor, EAn annuity provides a fixed-sum income to a donor during his or her lifetime, whereby the donor makes an and ultimately funds an area of particular interest. In Ed’s case, his annuity will initial gift of cash or securities later fund the endowed scholarship bearing his name. During his lifetime, Ed has opted to fund the scholarship on an annual basis with his annuity income, and to the Foundation, and the the first Edward C. Coppin Scholarship was awarded this fall. Foundation agrees to pay the Raised in Lovelock, Ed received the Josephine Beam Educational Scholarship to donor a fixed-sum income for attend Nevada. His dedication to learning and hard work was instilled at an early age. “My mother was a strong believer in education and my father valued a strong the rest of his or her lifetime. work ethic,” says Ed. “After graduating from Nevada,I received a National Science The establishment of a gift Foundation grant to attend graduate school at Indiana University and have always annuity provides valuable tax deeply appreciated the financial support I received throughout college.” Higher education led to a teaching career. Ed taught at Pershing County High benefits for donors, but perhaps School for a short period, Traner Middle School in Reno, and then Incline Village more valuable is the satisfaction High School until he retired in 1993. He enjoyed a parallel and distinguished 29- donors gain by helping students year military career in the Air Force and Nevada Air National Guard, eventually retiring with the rank of colonel. Following his retirement from teaching, Ed and continuing the mission and became involved in the banking business and was instrumental in the formation good works of the University. and success of several banks in Lake Tahoe and Reno. After several very successful careers, Ed now says he feels a responsibility to share his good fortune. “I hope to convey my strong beliefs in the power of hard To learn more about gift work and education to students attending the University of Nevada, Reno and annuities, contact Lisa Riley or hope that they benefit from financial support as I did.” Bob Eggleston in the Planned Ed is part of an ever-growing group of alumni and friends whose contributions Giving Office at (775) 784-1352 make an incredible difference for students at the University. or [email protected]. Oct. 4 Homecoming Gala: 6 pm Cocktails • 7 pm Dinner & Program • Reno-Sparks Convention Center Oct.Oct. 55 Blue Flu Free Community BBQ: 11:30 am to 1:30 pm • University of Nevada, Reno Quad Oct. 5 Old Guy’s Night: 9 pm • Red’s Little Waldorf Saloon

Oct.Oct. 66 Nevada vs. Fresno State Football Pre-Game Party: 11 am Wolf Pack Alley (north of Mackay Stadium) 775.784.6620 : 888.NV.ALUMS KICK OFF: 1:05 pm Mackay Stadium www.unr.edu/alumni For a complete list of Homecoming events, turn to page 52 or go to www.unr.edu/alumni.

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