Tight Squeeze If you were an Italian American growing up in the early to mid- 20th century, chances are that you or a sibling or one of your friends was forced to learn to play the accordion. So it was for 9-year-old Al Lazzarone, seen here (third row, third from left) playing with a band in Sacramento in 1932. Lazzarone, who moved to Reno in 1943 to attend the University, contributed this photo and his life story to a massive project being compiled by the University’s Oral History Program. It tells the story of the contributions of Italian Americans to northern Nevada’s history. More photos and information about the project can be found on page 8. 2 Nevada Silver & Blue • November/December 2005 INSIDEMARCH 2006 Departments From the President, 2 Quad & Beyond, 3 Alumni News, 23 The Way We Were, 44 10 Nevada Ingenuity Engineering faculty and alums are turning the world upside down. Stomachs too. By John Wheeler ’86, ’87 M.A. and Melanie Robbins 15 Beyond the Flesh Med School professor delivers for patients’ spiritual needs. By John Wheeler ’86, ’87 M.A. 16 Happiness is Not Normal New acceptance and commitment therapy helps psychology professor boost coping skills. By John Wheeler ’86, ’87 M.A. 18 The Judge’s Eyes Judge Steven Kosach weighs life’s sometimes surprising truths. By Mike Sion 20 The News is Not Good Dwindling audiences and declining influence have traditional journalism worried. A new grad program searches for solutions. By Brandon Stewart ’05 22 Surprise: Stomachs Have Pacemakers The gastric system turns out to have its own starter. By John Wheeler ’86, ’87 M.A. 40 Pack Track Family’s influence leads future engineer to all-around success. By Pat McDonnell 44 The Way We Were From a humble shrub to a pack of wolves. By Brandon Stewart ’05 Nevada Silver & Blue • Spring 2006 1 From the President SilverNEVADA & Blue Serving the households of 50,000 University of Nevada, Reno alumni and friends. This is not permanent Vol. XVII, No. 4 © Copyright 2006 www.unr.edu/alumni hen I recently and reluctantly agreed to spend six or seven months as interim president of the NEVADA SILVER & BLUE is published by the Office W of Marketing and Communications, University of University, several friends reminded me that last time Nevada, Reno. I took the interim job here I stayed for nearly 23 years. A few people made bold to ask whether I might want Jones Center/108 to mount a similar effort this time around. I’m sure this University of Nevada, Reno was a rhetorical question, given that such an undertak- TheresaPhotoby Danna-Douglas Reno, NV 89557-0129 (775) 784-4941 ing would leave me installed in the president’s office FAX: (775) 784-1422 until I reach age 95. True, Eliphalet Nott, the fabled 19th e-mail: [email protected] century president of Union College, was 92 when he left ADDRESS CHANGES the presidency, having served for 62 years. He might University of Nevada, Reno Foundation have been there longer had he not been carried out of MS162, Reno, NV 89557 the office feet first, enroute to the cemetery. (775) 784-1587; [email protected] But fear not! I will be back in the bosom of my fam- ily this coming summer, by which time the Board of Interim President Joe Crowley Regents will have turned the job over to someone else and the individual will be called — in the common but Managing Editors Jane Tors ’8 • [email protected] mysterious argot of modern higher education — the “permanent president.” He or she will Ed Cohen • [email protected] be number 15 in the institution’s long history. Graphic Designers Permanency seems an odd mantle for a position whose occupants these days seldom Claudia Ortega-Lukas • [email protected] make it to a decade in office, let alone the six of them enjoyed by Dr. Nott. When I began Lucy Walker ’05 M.A. • [email protected] my presidential labors 28 years ago, average tenure among my colleagues around the Photo Editor Jean Dixon • [email protected] country was said to be 4.5 years, a statistic also used at that time to describe the average Contributing Writers length of service of a running back in the National Football League. The two jobs are not dissimilar. Jill Boudreaux • [email protected] Whatever the current average may be, and however oxymoronic it is to think of a Bob Conrad ’95 • [email protected] president’s job as permanent, it is certainly important to recognize the importance of the Vikki Ford ’88 M.A. • [email protected] task upon which the regents (and the search advisory committee assisting them) are now Patrick McDonnell • [email protected] embarked. They have discussed the many desired attributes of the person they hope to Robert Pearson • [email protected] appoint, understanding that there are few people around to answer that ambitious call. Melanie Robbins • [email protected] It has long been the wish of those charged with finding a new president that the person John Trent ’85, ’87, ’00 M.A. finally hired should have, in the too often-used and inelegant phrase, the qualities of God John Wheeler ’86, ’87 M.A. • [email protected] on a good day. It’s good to aim high and it is reasonable to expect an impressive group of candidates to apply. Ours is a strong, thriving, attractive institution, after all, full of both Student Writers rich traditions and great promise. Come July or August, the 15th president will set out to Adam Carter ’06 • Jason Ching ’06 • Cecelia Ghezzi ’05 build on those traditions enroute to playing a major role in fulfilling that promise. And, my interimship at that time ending 38 years short of breaking his record, Dr. Nott can continue Contributing photographers to rest in peace. John Byrne • David Calvert ’07 • Ted Cook • Theresa Danna-Douglas • Matt Theilen ’03 Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents Mark Alden Joe Crowley, interim president Stavros Anthony Jill Derby Thalia Dondero Dr. Crowley returned as interim president in December after John M. Lilley, the University’s Dorothy Gallagher, Vice Chair president since 2001, was named president of his alma mater, Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Doug Hill Linda Howard James Leavitt Howard Rosenberg Jack Schofield Steve Sisolak Bret Whipple, Chair Michael Wixom Stay informed. Subscribe to Nevada News Online at James E. Rogers, Chancellor www.unr.edu/nevadanews Nevada Silver & Blue • Spring 2006 Quad&Beyond Starrs named 2005 Nevada Professor of the Year he Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Tthe Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) named Nevada geography professor Paul F. Starrs the 2005 Nevada Professor of the Year. Starrs was selected from nearly 400 professors nominated in the United States and its territories. This year there were winners in 40 states, Guam and the District of Columbia. There were only 40 state Photo by JeanPhotoby Dixon winners because Holocaust Center brings in some states no nominee was Anne Frank exhibit to Reno deemed worthy of the award. he Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Peace Studies brought Starrs’ affable Tan educational exhibit, Anne Frank: A History for Today, to personality as Reno from Feb. 1 through March 11 at the Downtown Reno well as his near- Library. encyclopedic The exhibit was created by the Anne Frank House in Am- knowledge of sterdam and was one of several copies in various languages cultural geogra- touring Europe, Australia, South America, the Caribbean and phy makes him other parts of the world. very popular in Thousands of middle-school students from districts in the classroom. northern Nevada and California were expected to view it while In his Introduc- it was in Reno. Geography professor Paul F. Starrs, pictured tion to Cultural “The purpose of the exhibit is to promote tolerance for and here during commencement last year, was Geography class, acceptance of diversity,” said Viktoria Hertling, the Nevada named 2005 Nevada Professor of the Year. for instance, center’s director, adding that he has been known to use orange-crate labels from the early 1900s Frank’s story holds a special Background: On June that depicted a golden West of mountains, sunshine and beautiful resonance for young people. 12, 1942, Anne Frank’s women to explain how Southern California attracted easterners to Frank was only 15 when she parents gave her a small what was at the time a poorly developed region. died in a concentration camp red-and-white plaid diary This is not the first time Starrs has been honored for excellence after spending 25 months in teaching. He received the Regents Teaching Award in 2004, the in hiding during World War for her 13th birthday. F. Donald Tibbitts University Teaching Excellence Award in 2001 II along with her family and More than 50 years later, and the University of Nevada College of Arts and Science Alan Bible four others. Their refuge was this diary has become Outstanding Teaching Award in 1998. an annex of rooms above her one of the most well- Starrs said, “I am happy to be at an institution that recognizes and father’s office in Amsterdam. rewards good teaching. It’s nice to see this great University holding The panels consist of known memoirs of the to its roots.” narrative text and photo- Holocaust. Available in Six University of Nevada professors have previously been honored graphic reproductions that 67 languages, more than with the Carnegie-CASE award: Gary Hausladen (geography), Phil tell the story of Frank’s life in 30 million copies have Boardman (English), Gene LeMay (chemistry), Dale Holcombe (ani- historical context, enhanced been sold.