UNLV Magazine UNLV Publications

Spring 1994

UNLV Magazine

Barbara Cloud University of Nevada, Las Vegas

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Repository Citation Cloud, B. (1994). UNLV Magazine. In S. DiBella (Ed.),, UNLV Magazine, 2(2), 1-17. Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/unlv_magazine/40

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es

Part()f~at~akes UNLVA National Flagship University JUCG

lhe Physics Department

knows about motion :

it's moving into a $9.2

million, 65,000-square-

foot facility that's nothing

short of state-of-the-art. .. What's inside that building is even more impressive. Bright students learning

from brilliant teachers, teachers specializing in extragalactic

astronomy, condensed matter theory, and atomic and molecular theory.

\~ Maybe that's why anyone - student or teacher - who's

serious about physics is serious about UNLV.

It also explains why we were recently

named a National Flagship University.

\~ For more information call NATIONAL FLAGSHIP 895-3011 or 800-334-UNLV. UNIVERSITY

AA-EEO on the cover: features UNLV alumna Gingef, Bruner on the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall stage. Photo 5 The European Witch-hunts by James Romano. UNL V historian Elspeth Whitney explores the reasons fm' the deaths of tho1tsands of Western Europeans dur­ ing the 111itch·h1mtsof the 16th and 17th centuries.

BY BARBARA CLOUD Editor: Suzan DiBella Assistant Editors: Diane Russell, 8 A Nation's Disgrace, Susie Greene A Family's Honor Art Director: john Hobbes Contributing Editor: Tom Flagg UNL V professor Ed Wakayama intends to make Contributing Writer: Barbara Cloud certain that what happened in the World War II lllustrator: john Hobbes Japanese internm ent camps is not forgotten. Photographers: Tom Flagg, BY DIANE RUSSELL john Hobbes, james Romano Publications Manager: Donna McAleer 13 Ready, Willing, and More Than Able Director, University News and Publkatio ns: Les Raschko The challenges that UNL V graduate John Michael Vice President for Development and Stuart faces have inspired him to spread an impm'­ U niversity Relations: Lyle Rivera tant message abottt the l'eal1neaning of ability.

BY TOM FLAGG

In Tune with the Times, UNLV Munuu Association Officers 16 On Time with the Tunes President: Pamela Hicks ('70) l st Vice Pres.: Randy Campanale ('77) On any given day, UNL V alumna Ginger 2nd Vice Pres.: Russ Petersen ('76) Bruner might be found on the air at KNPR., at Treasurer: Kevin Page ('87) a concert playing hel' tuba, or at a photo shoot Secretary: Rafael Villanueva ('84) Member-at-Large: Art jimenez ('85) behind the camera. Past President: Greg McKinley ('80) BY SUZAN DIBELLA

Alumni Association Board Members Bruce Ford ('86) Ralph Piercy ('74) 20 Rewarding Determination Adam Keith ('89) Bob lbt her ('80) joe King ('72 & '85) Lynn Shoen ('74) The Jean Nidetch Women's Center Scholarship Marcia Koot ('68) ll1y Tuntland ('89) reJVards stttdent-ncipients for their perseverance Pamela Moore ('77) jim Zeiter ('87) and tenacious spifit. !larry Shinehouse ('69 & '70) BY TERRY BASKOT BROOKER departments

UNLV Mngn:.incis published two times each 2-4 News academic year in September and March by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland 14-15 Calendar Parkway, Box 451012, Las Vegas, NV 89 154· 1012. UNLV is an AA/ EEO institution. 22-23 Class N otes

SPRING /994 + NEWS NEWS

101 Best Values Names UNLV "Flagship University" Arriaza Attends Iceman Conference

"Nestled in a sun-drenched desert that have been UNLV has also been ranked in the UNLV antl1ropology professor "One of the most important tl1ings valley surrounded by purple mountain featured in other top third of 113 western colleges and Bernardo Arriaza recently attended a tl1at occurred at tl1e conference was that ranges, just minutes away from one of national publica­ universities rated by U.S. News and prestigious conference on tl1e Iceman, a certain agreements were reached on how the world's most exciting resort areas, is tions and seem World Report)s annual America)s Best 5,000-year-old mummified body fOLmd tl1e Iceman will be cared for," said America's youngest major university­ N ATIONAL to have "a sense Colleges 1994 College Guide. frozen in the Italian Alps, and on other Arriaza, who is an expert on the mummi­ the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. FLAGSHIP of institutional UNLV was ranked 35th, according mummies found in various regions of fication practices of an ancient South tl1e world. American people called the Chinchorros. Regardless of age, UNLV's ascendancy UNIVERSITY momentum." to Robert Morse, director of data to national status has been remarkably He writes analysis for the guide, placing it in the Arriaza (featured in tl1e Autumn He added that an international panel was swift." that UNLV's second quartile of regional universities 1993 issue of UNLV Magazine ) was one formed at tl1e conference tl1at will chan­ - 101 of the Best Values "exceptional leadership" has concen­ in the West. of 40 international scholars invited to nel research projects on tl1e Iceman and in American Colleges and trated on building resources for teaching Previously, UNLV was listed for attend tl1e expense-paid conference at oversee its preservation. Universities, 1994 edition and learning, and he praises UNLV's four consecutive years in the guide's the University oflnnsbruck. Scholars at "Naturally, they will try to accommo­ programs in fields such as business, eco­ "up-and-coming regional university" the conference shared information on date research needs while limiting dam­ UNLV has been named one of 34 nomics, humanities, hotel administra­ category, a classification the guide no conserving, presenting, and sn1dying age to the Iceman as much as possible," National Flagship Universities in the tion, education, and exercise physiology. longer uses. 1'.1 botl1 natural and artificial mttmmies. he said. "What makes tl1e Iceman w1ique 1994 edition of the book 101 ofthe Best The Iceman, which is considered a is that tl1ere are not many 5,000-year-old natural mummy because both its flesh mumn1ies of Europeans. Most mummies Values in America)s Colleges and Univer­ UNLV anthropologist Bernardo Arriaza sities, published by d1e Center for Col­ Alumni License Plates Now Available and bone were preserved in the ice, was are from otl1er regions of tl1e world." lege EnroLLment Studies, according to briefly examined by tl1e scholars. Viewing At the conference, Arriaza presented Looking for one more way to show go to the university. The $25 annual David Wilson, the book's editor. of the mummy is very limited because a paper on his research of the Cl1in­ He is currently writing an article your pride in being a UNLV alum? renewal fee will also go to UNLV. The UNLV first appeared an10ng tl1e the delicate preservation techniques be­ chorro's mummification practices, com­ about the 8,000-year-old Chinchorro Special license plates are now avail­ money the university collects from the book's 101 coLLeges and universities in ing used require tl1at it remain frozen, paring them to the preparation of the mumn1ies tl1at has been accepted for pub­ able for UNLV alumni through plates will be divided the 1993 edition. Arriaza said, adding that his own viewing dead practiced by other ancient cultures lication sometime tl1is year by National evenly between the ath­ "The Best Value National Flagship the state Department -~-----•••••r of tl1e mummy lasted only one minute. of the coastal regions near the Andes. Geographic Magazine. f.1 of Motor Vehicles. NEVADA letic department and Universities are those that we feel have • Featuring the the Alumni Scholarship national stature," Wilson said. The list of Rebel mascot and the Endowment Fund. 34 includes such institutions as UCLA, 153-DJW UNLV logo on a gray "This is a great way UNLV Alumni Association Offering Six Educational Tours UC-Berkeley, Duke, Boston College, background, the license to promote your school the University of Michigan, Penn State, The UNLV Alumni Association is $789 per person. plates will provide revenue and help with the grow­ $500, tl1ey can spend June 6-10 seeing Purdue, and Notre Dame. for both the athletic department and for ing scholarship program - and at the offering six educational tours in the The tl1ird group will head for Soutll­ tl1e new MGM Grand Hotel and Theme "When you mention these universi­ the UNLV Alumni Association. same time show some school spirit," coming year, all of them open to anyone east Asia May 2-ll to stay in the Park, the Excalibur, Luxor, Treasure ties anywhere in the country, tl1ey are who would like to go along. The cost of a special UNLV plate is said Pam Hicks, president of the Alumni world-famous Regent Hotels in Hong Island, and The Mirage, with a visit to known," he said. "People are familiar Organized by the association's travel Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore, with a $60 for the first year, $25 of which will Association. 1'.1 Laughlin. with them coast-to-coast, and they have and tour director, Claude Rand, an In September, a group will set out national respect." emeritus professor of hotel administra­ for London and the British countryside. Institutions were selected for inclu­ tion, tl1ese trips wiLl take travelers to Priced at $1,600, the trip is set for sion in the 400-page book on the basis some of the most desirable destinations Sept. 13-21. The group will visit of academic resources, student life, and in the United States and abroad. London, tl1e Salisbury and Canterbury cost, Wilson said. The first tour group will head to catl1edrals, Stonehenge, the Arundel "My own feeling is that a certain Hong Kong for six days, beginning and Windsor castles, Oxford/Coventry number of schools- the ones we call March 12. For a fee of$1,250, partici­ and Stratford-on-Avon, and the Tintern Best Value National Flagship Universi­ pants will cruise Hong Kong Harbor at Abbey. ties- will dominate higher education in sunset, visit tl1e People's Republic of The last trip of the year is a cruise tl1e 21st century, and UNLV is in that China, and tour the island of Macau and to Mexico on Norwegian Cruise Line's category," he added. "These are schools its famous casino. Southward. Set for Oct. 3-7 and tl1at have great resources, tremendous A Florida trip is set for April 10-17. day trip to Shenzhen, China. The cost priced at $624, tl1e cruise will take in energy, and attractive costs." It will take in Disney World and Epcot is $2,595. Catalina Island, San Diego, and Wilson said the center, which is lo­ Center, the MGM Studio Theme Park, A trip to see the new Las Vegas is Ensenada, Mexico. cated in Bridgewater, Mass., looks at Universal Studios, Church Street Sta­ designed especially for tl10se alum11i For information on any of tl1ese trips, schools nationwide, focusing on tl10se tion, and Cape Canaveral. The cost is and friends who live out of town. For call Claude Rand at (702 ) 895-3621. f.1

2 + UN LV MAGAZINE SPRING 1 994 + 3 NEWS A PINC H O F SUPERSTITI ON THE CONJURING O F SOME LIES , A HANDFUL O F SUSPICION Harry Reid Center Receives Support for Lake Mead Study A ND HOW A RUMOR FLIES UNLV's H arry Reid Center for look at all the national parks, to see how base. We have struggled with manage­ Environmental Studies has received a little tl1ey know about the archaeology, ment decisions oflate because we have $500,000 donation from the Lincy geology, and biology of their parks." lacked the scientific data to help guide Foundation to fund an extensive five-year Alan O'Neill, superintendent of tl1e our decision making." study of the Lake Mead Recreation Area. Lake Mead National Recreation Area, The project will involve UNLV sm­ Lincy is a charitable foundation said, "We see this as an incredible break­ dents as well as researchers in the Harry funded by Kirk Kerkorian, the majority through for Lake Mead, as tl1e science Reid Center, Baepler said, adding that shareholder ofMGM Grand Inc. produced from the studies will be in­ after the study is complete, the center The grant will allow the Harry Reid valuable to park management as a tool will raise funds for an endowment to Center, which employs some 65 scien­ for assuring that we perform our legis­ fund long-term monitoring of the envi­ tific researchers, to develop a base of lated public duty to protect tl1e resource rotmlental health of the area. 11.1 information about the distribution of plants, birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles in the vast Lake Mead Rec­ Thousands of Western Europeans were hanged, burned, or reation Area. Continuing Education Offers Kenya Trip "Regardless of whether it's a plant or drowned during the witch-hunts of the 16th and 17th an animal species, we will be able to pro­ Geology professor Steve Rowland observing from above. vide information about its relative abtm­ will lead a UNLV Continuing Education Other stops include a visit to the centuries. UNLV historian Elspeth Whitney asks why in her dance and distribution in the park, its group on a 13-day trip to the parks and Samburu Game Reserve- which fea­ research on women, their roles, and the prevailing beliefs ecological associations, whether it lives game reserves ofKenya July 21-Aug. 2. mres a rhinoceros sanctuary, as well as in ravines, wet spring areas, or out on "East Africa is simply the most fan­ giraffe, zebra, and ostrich populations - during that dark episode of history. the open desert - all the types of things tastic place on eartl1," Rowland said. "It and nearby Lake Nakuru, that you need to know to come to deci ­ is the place where the human spe- home to millions BY BARBARA CLOUD sions about managing the area," said cies evolved. In a of pink flamingos Donald Baepler, director of the center. sense, visiting seen taking Kenya is like llight in many Scientists from the Harry Reid Cen­ SK SOMEONE TO DEFINE THE ter will also do an inventory of all the stepping into a television wildlife word "witch" and the response time machine - a documentaries. archaeological resources, including some will likely conjure up an image excavation of materials. kind of Pleistocene Rowland, the I of a snaggletoothed hag with a black The Lake Mead National Recreation park. The flora and 1992 recipient of cape and tall, pointed hat. the Extended Edu­ Area attracted more than 9 million visi­ fauna that we Silhouetted against the moon, she cation Faculty Ex­ tors in 1992, not including visi tors to evolved witl1 are still llies off astride her broom to commit cellence Award, Hoover Dam. The recreation area ex­ there to be seen, some outrageous act. has led several in­ tends from Catherine's Landing on Lake smelled, and heard." Or she stirs a giant cauldron, adding Mojave all the way up to Overton, cov­ The Kenya itinerary ternational trips for eye of newt and wing of bat to tl1e brew Continuing Educa­ ering some 1.5 million acres in Arizona will include a stay for and muttering incomprehensible spells and Nevada. Lake Mead itself is 150 several nights in safari- tion, most recently while her black cat watches approvingly. to the former Soviet miles long. like tents at the Masai But if you ask UNLV historian Union. Rowland, "The park service projects that by Mara Gan1e Reserve, Elspeth Whitney to define "witch," the who teaches geol­ the mrn of the century, they will have 15 where wildebeests, impa- thoughtful scholar will respond more million visitors a year in the Lake Mead las, gazelles, jackals, and ogy, paleontology, cautiously. National Recreation Area," Baepler said. hyenas can be seen. and environmental "Well, it's rather complicated," says death in the 16th and 17th centuries? empowered to do "low magic," such as "Clearly, they are going to have to plan Another unique lodging science at UNLV, Whitney, a historian of the Middle Ages, By the time of the witch-hunts of finding lost objects, making it rain, fore­ for new roads, campgrounds, boat experience on the trip will be led a previous trip to who explains that defining the term raises that era, Whitney says, Western Europe­ telling the fumre, or cursing someone to ramps- all of the things they will need an overnight stay at The Ark, Kenya in 1986. questions about how and why beliefs in ans believed a witch was someone who sicken and die. Accusations of perverse to take care of this rush of people. And a famous "tree hotel" located in tl1e The cost of the upcoming trip is witches developed. In particular, had made a pact with the devil in return sex, baby killing, and cannibalism also the park service's data base is very poor." footl1ills of Mt. Kenya. This popular $4,450 per person, double occupancy. Whitney asks, how did beliefs in witches for gifts and certain powers . Among emerged. Baepler said the National Park Ser­ lodge rests on a platform in the trees For more information on Continuing become so strong that thousands of those powers were being able to fly ­ However, notions of the witch as vice, in general, has had very little money above a flood-lit watering hole visited by Education's African Advenmre, call Western Europeans were drowned, the genesis of the broomstick image - the handmaiden of Satan were relatively for research. "It's pathetic, when you local wildlife to tl1e delight of guests Michelle Baker at 895-3254. 11.1 hanged, burned, or otherwise put to and to change shape. Witches were also new in tl1at period and tl1eir origins are

4 + UNLV MAGAZINE SPR I NG 1994 + 5 man, was a loose woman - dangerous by ilie "inquisitorial" system, in which obscure, according to Whitney. .C011tteui1od generic 'she' in reference to ~ e Apprehenfion and subversive," Whitney explains, an individual complained to tl1e authori­ In trying to trace those origins, olthrcc notorious W icchu. witches." But historians rarely adding that without a man, a woman she has fow1d a number of gaps rUfrreiy,ned and by fuji ice comltmntl 4nJ seem to wonder why most witches ties, who, in turn, conducted an imper­ was vulnerable to a different male sonal investigation. "The person who and apparent contradictions in txrcmui 3t {h.f,..rf.frrtlr. in the Couotyc: of were women. Effcx, :luI· tl..y.[ li

SPRING 1994 + 7 6 + UNLV MAGA Z I NE "internment" camps - a euphemism for about his family's experiences at And he's the first to tell you tl1at concentration camp, Wakayama says­ Manzanar and other camps. That is also today in tl1e United States, there is no where Japanese-Americans and Japanese why Wakayama recently gave a talk about discrimination, that anyone can become nationals alike were detained during his famil y's ordeal a part of U LV's anything he or she has the determination World War II. University Forum lecture series. to become. 4 Although Wakayama was not quite Life has turned out all right for ' 3 years old when his family was released Wakayama, who, in many ways, is living and does not remember the relocation tl1e American dream. After growing up in he story of the Wakayama f.1m­ camps, he is very much aware of that Japan (where his family went after being ily- as told by Ed Wakayama­ episode of American history .. released from tl1e camps), he attended begins decades ago, just before Today, he talks about it not out of three U .S. universities, receiving a bache­ the turn of the century. In 1895, A bitterness or vindictiveness, but because lor's degree in biology and medical tech­ Ed Wakayama's father, Kinzo, he believes it is a chapter in U .S . history nology from Northeastern University, a was born in the territory of Hawaii, mak­ tha ~ Americans must not forget, lest it master's degree in clinical chemistry from ing him a U.S. citizen. During World BY DIANE RUSSELL should happen again. the University of Oregon H ealth Science War I, he served in tl1e U.S. Army as "I think that talking about it and Center, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry part of the medical corps, receiving writing about it is the only way that you from the University of Nevada, Reno. an honorable discharge when the war can keep this alive so that the same thing Now, he directs UNLV's small, but was over. He was only 2 years old when he and his family were will not happen to any other groups," he growing clinical laboratory sciences pro­ Afterward, he attended college, first says. gram and conducts research concerning in Japan and tl1en at the University of released from the camps. Although he doesn)t remember That is why Wakayama has been both the cause of jaundice in newborns Chicago, where he studied law. Later, he being there, he intends to make certain that what combing through public records and us­ and exactly how aspirin and similar drugs settled in Southern California, eventually ing the Freedom of Information Act to work in the human body. He's married becoming tl1e first Japanese-American happened is not forgotten by the rest of the world. get information he needs to write a book and has two daughters. elected secretary/ treasurer of tl1e

E WAS BORN INTO A quickly sold them for much less than said of the rain, "Even God is crying world of barbed wire and their worth. Any money they had set for us." machine guns, populated by aside in the bank was useless to them; During the next four years, his family people wary and frightened their accounts were frozen. was moved from armed camp to armed of what those in power had in When the time came to leave for the camp - until the war ended, and those store for them next. camps, armed sailors came to his family's in the camps were freed. Already, his parents had seen their home to make sure they went. His If this story sounds like that of a Nazi civil rights tossed aside. With only 72 grandmother, who had been forced to concentration camp victim, think again. hours notice, they, along with their fam ­ leave the hospital to make the trip, was It did take place during World War II, ily and friends, had been ordered to so ill that her son had to carry her on his but in California, not Germany. The leave their homes and businesses, taking back. armed camp described was Manzanar, with them only what they could carry. As his family waited in the rain for the birthplace of UNLV professor Ed They abandoned the rest - houses, cars, the bus that would transport them, an­ Wakayama. furniture, personal belongings- or other woman who was also Manzanar was one of several

8 + UNLV MA GAZINE SPR I NG 1 994 + 9 .....

be foolish to attempt to resist. of war. His outspokenness landed him in they were delivered in Japanese, which He and his wife, who was also a U.S. a local jail, and a Los Angeles newspaper violated camp rules. Also, he complained citizen ofJapanese descent, and his wife's wrote about the incident, using the to camp authorities about rations in­ motl1er, sister, and brotl1er left for tl1eir headline "First Jap Spy Caught." tended for the internees that were being first camp, a makeshift fac ili ty at tl1 e Eve ntually, he was released without sold on the black market instead. Santa Anita Racetrack, where they slept having a trial. By that time, his family Before long, he found himself in jail in horse stalls on mattresses they fas h­ had been relocated to Manzanar, and again, this time in Lone Pine, Calif. It ioned from hay. he was sent there to join them. "My was while he was there that his wife gave It was at Santa Anita tl1at the elder dad arrived at tv/0 in the morning," birth to the first of their three sons, Wakayama first spoke up for tl1e rights of Wakayanu says. "The entire Manzanar Junro Edgar Wakayama, on March 22, tl1e internees and tlms obtained the label camp was waiting for him . He was al­ 1943. Ed Wakayama's middle name was that was to follow him ilirough tl1e years ready a hero." in tribute to Edgar Camp, an American Despite his family's internment of internment to come- troublemaker. Being a hero carried a price, however. Civil Liberties Union lawyer who sympa­ during World War II. UNLV professor Shortly after arriving at Santa Anita, When other internees, many of whom thized with the plight of the internees Ed Wakayama. who now heads he spotted otl1er internees who had been spoke little or no English, had questions, and fought unsuccessful legal battles on UNLV's clinical laboratory sciences put to work converting fishing net into they mrned to the elder Wakayama. That behalf of the elder Wakayama. program. feels no bitterness toward camouflage. That, he announced, was in role did not sit well with camp authori­ About the time of his incarceration The Wakayama family in 1945 during their internment at the America. "You have to live in a violation of the Geneva Convention, ties, who disliked his dispensing advice in Lone Pine, the elder Wakayama was Crystal City. Texas. camp. A young Ed Wakayama (right) and foreign country to appreciate what his brother. Carl. are held by their parents. Kinzo and June. which governs tl1e treatment of prisoners and giving speeches - particularly when persuaded by the U.S. government to we have here," he says...... sign a document renouncing his U.S ...... citizenship. He signed the paper, but ing with a company that distributed U.S. U.S. Army, received a medal issued by the Originally published in the Seattle Post-lntel/igencer. this photograph shows underneath his signature wrote the ftlms in Japan and by teaching English at Veteran's Administration for World War fishermen's union for the West Coast. evacuation day. March 30 . 1942. at Bainbridge Island. Wash. (This photo. words "under duress." Gakugei University in Fukuoka. I veterans commemorating tl1e 75th an­ Then came the "day that will live in which was reprinted in 1991 in Executive Order 9066. appears here Because he had been labeled a Although June Wakayama remrned niversary of the war's end. At his son's infamy" - Dec. 7, 1941 -when Japan by permission of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center.) troublemaker, the family was moved to the United States, moving to Hawaii request, a U.S. Army official presented bombed Pearl Harbor. again and again. Next, they were sent to in 1954, Kinzo Wakayama wohldnever the medal t Kinzo Wakayama in Japan. According to Wakayama, his fatl1er a camp at TuleLake, Calif., where their again return home. 'Ed Wakayama grew up in Japan, liv­ knew tl1at the bombing meant trouble second son was born; then to one near But, according toE :Wakayama, his ing there until he was 18 . He heard al­ for those ofJapanese descent living on Santa Fe, N.M.; then to one at Crystal 98-year-old father is not bitter. " think most nothing about what happened to his the West Coast. In a futile effort to head City, Texas. Finally, when the camps he likes the American system, the democ­ fa ily in America during World War II. off or at least diminish tl1e trouble, he were closed in 1946, the Wakayama fam ­ racy. He likes the peop)e, but he just It was not w1til he was about 13 that he wrote U.S. officials, to no avail , saying ily was sent to Seattle and, from there, doesn't trust the go er eat or those in realized he was not a Japanese citizen; at tl1 at tl1 e many fishermen of Japanese de­ deported to Japan. high offices." that time, he had to go to city hall to be scent in California would be willing to "Once we arrived in Japan, my father Yet his father, like many other fingerprinted because he was a foreigner. donate their vessels for war purposes. looked for his relatives in Hiroshima and Japanese-Americans, feels better about And it was not until he was 18 and Witlun montl1s of Pearl Harbor, tl1e found out that everyone in his family the U.S. government since Congress received a draft notice from the U.S. Wakayama famil y, along with tens of had been annihilated by the atomic passed a reparation bill in the late 1980s Army during the Vietnam War that he thousands of others, was ordered to tl1e bomb," Wakayama says. At the camps, providing a payment of $20,000 each learned about his family's internment. relocation camps. Thinking tl1at his ser­ none of the internees had been told for every living Japanese-American held There had been bits and pieces of vice in the U.S. Army would mean about the bombing. in an internment camp, Wakayama says. information over the years, learned something to tl1e government, tl1e elder With that devastating news, More importantly, he adds, they also mostly from visiting friends who would Wakayama wrote a letter to U.S. military Wakayama says, "It occurred to my fa­ received a letter of apology from then­ mention the days in the camps. His officials reg uesting that the Japanese­ ther to kill the whole family and to kill President George Bush., parents didn't talk about it. And, for An1erican veterans ofWorld War I be himself," but when he looked at his two While the money did not ake up, for awhile, he misunderstood what his par­ exempted from the order or be separated young sons, he changed his mind. the time spent in the camps or for me ents' friends were talking about. from tl1e Japanese nationals. The written The Wakayama family then made its property lost, it was an important step be­ "When you're a kid, you think tlut reply he received stated, "A Jap is a Jap." way to the southern Japanese city of cause it symbolized an acknowledgement 'camp' is like a sun1mer can1p, like Boy There was to be no distinction. ,. Kumamoto, where Ed Wakayama's of past wrongs by the U.S. government Scout camp," he says. He thought of trying to delay the mother, Toki "June" Wakayama, had and helped to heal old wounds, he says, But when he received his draft no­ relocation by bringing his legal training relatives she had never met. Recently, Wakayama's failier r,eceived tice, he went to his fatl1er to find out to bear and filing legal motions protest­ They made a home there and had another valued acknowledgement from ilie more about his family's history. ing what he was convinced was an their third son. The elder Wakayama U.S. government. The elder Wakayama, "My fatl1er told me, 'You are a U.S. illegal action. But when armed sailors eventually was to make a living by work- who is quite proud of his service in the citizen, and you have to serve your own came to get his family, he knew it wo uld

S PRI NG 1 994 + 11 10 + UNLV MAGAZ I NE graduate work, "You know what tl1ey have, in a he went into the brown bag1 I made a copy. They have his adv, U.S. Army and U.S . Army honorable discharge papers was comnlis­ from World War I and Ius driver's licenses sioned as a sec­ from Hawaii and California. There were ond Lieutenant. two passes to the U.S. Congress and 1- He was stationed Senate. He had social security cards and at Fort Ord, a membership card to tl1e American Le­ Calif., where he gion. That's what tl1ey confiscated." worked as chief Despite the injustice of the intern­ The challenges that hospital labora­ ment of his fanlily and so many other tory officer dur­ Japanese-American families, Wakayama is UNLV alumnus John ing the Vietnam not bitter. In fact, he's far from it. What When this photo of the Manzanar Relocation Center was a re Michael Stuart faces taken. the photographer. Toyo Miyatake. was interned there. War. By the happened to his fanlily has affected his (Photo courtesy of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. time he was dis­ Life greatly, he says, but tl1e effect has have inspired him to charged two been a positive one. years later, he "I tllink I learned about tl1e value of spread an important country and defend your own Constitu­ had obtained the rank of captain. freedom, what tl1e Constitution stands message about the true tion. That's your duty. You must go Wakayama is clearly proud of his for, especially after the redress," he says. an Able back to the United States and serve,"' military service and has served as a mem­ "This is a great country. You have to live meaning of ability. Wakayama recalls. ber of the Army Reserve for the past in a foreign country to appreciate what Wakayan1a says he wanted to serve, 18 years, working his way up to the rank we have here. BY TOM FLAGG in part because he was aware of the con­ of colonel. "I have so many opportunities that tributions of the 442nd Regimental While pleased with the military as­ became available to me when I returned Combat Unit, the segregated Japanese­ signments he has received thus far, he to tl1e United States. I took advantage of OHN MICHAEL STUART IS physical and speech tl1erapy, and such prototype of tl1e talk he uses today, American unit that fought during World still harbors a military dream: to command every single one of them. I served in the a young man of considerable tools as an electric scooter and a device which he calls "Turning a Disability into War II and became the most decorated the famed 442nd/ 100th Regimental military. I used the G.I. Bill to furtlm ability. that allows him to type witl1 his head an Ability." U.S. military wlit in history. To turn his Combat Unit. This reserve wlit, wllich my education. There are scholarships, A professional motiva­ ratl1er tl1an Ius hands, he has been able to Stuart joined a local Toastmasters back on serving his country would have today, of course, is integrated, is based in which are Lmheard of in Japan. tional speaker, Stuart has pursue his education and embark on a club and worked on his public speaking been to turn his back on the acrifices of Hawaii, but Wakayama says he would "In America, whatever you want to delivered more tlun 70 talks career. skills, perfecting tl1e talk tl1at he says has those people, he says. gladly commute. "It would be an honor." be, you can become," Wakayama says. to groups large and small . He had planned to use his political evolved over time. "It was because of them that the Wakayama also has a dream concern­ "It's the greatest country in the world." 1.1 The new MGM Grand Hotel and science degree as a stepping stone to law continued on page 24 Japanese-American citizens were able to ing Ius work at UNLV. He wants to help Theme Park has hired him to present a school. But one night he saw the integrate into U.S. society after the launch a master's degree program in Japanese-Americans had only 72 hours series of talks to its employees. movie Edward Scissorhands, a fantasy war," he says. "Suddenly, it opened the clinical laboratory sciences, which he says to get their affairs in order and report Last year, he !liked the Grand Can­ about an odd young man who has doors for everybody, including me." would be the only program of its kind in for internment. (This photo. taken by yon to raise fimds for tl1e Easter Seals scissors in place of hands. Also, he says, his parents made it the region. With a master's degree offer­ Russell Lee in Los Angeles in April 1942. organization, and, as a member of tl1at "Being disabled, I could relate clear to him and to his brothers that ing, UNLV's progran1 has the potential appears here courtesy of the UCLA group's board of directors, he now heads to Edward Scissorhands," Stuart the problems they had experienced to become one of the leading clinical Asian American Studies Center.) its speakers bureau. says. "He was different from other during World War II were not their laboratory sciences progran1s, according Stuart, who graduated from UNLV people, and he was a very loving children's problems. to Wakayama. in 1991 witl1 a bachelor's degree in po­ person. Something inside me said, "They didn't want their childreu to When he is not busy at UNLV or litical science, also recently began study­ 'What could I do to spread the mes­ carry the same burden. They knew that serving in the Army Reserve, Wakayama ing full-time in tl1e master of social work sage tl1at it doesn't matter what life for us would be much different in is trying to complete the research he program. you are on the outside, that it's the United States [than it had been for needs to write Ius book on his family's He is articulate, personable, and in­ what you are on the inside that's them], and it's certainly true," he says. experiences during World War II. telligent. As he hin1self says, Ius abilities important1'" After receiving his draft notice, he One interesting find he has made are far outweigh his disabilities. Not long after that, Stuart met returned to the United States for the some documents that the government Stuart, 28, was born with cerebral a woman who suggested he go first time since his family had left the took from Ius mother while his father palsy, a disease tl1at significantly reduces into public speaking, and the idea camps. Receiving a deferment until he was in jail in Lone Pine. "I was curious," the control he has over Ius body. He has seemed right. He enrolled in a pub­ finished college, he enrolled at Boston's Wakayama says of the documents that are difficulty walking, talking, and control­ lic speaking class in the Greenspw1 Northeastern University. still held in Wasllington, D.C. "They ling his arm and hand movements. Witl1 School of Communication as a UNLValumnus Shortly after completing his under- must be very sensitive documents, right1 the support of his fanlily, the help of special student and developed the John Michael Stuart

12 + UN L V M AGAZ I NE SPR I NG 1 994 + 13 CALENDAR CALENDAR

16 Alumni Event: Board of Directors meeting. 6pm. 21 Ceremony: Honors 19-29 Rodeo: Helldorado Rodeo & Carnival. Call Tam Alumni Center. 895-3621. Convocation. lOam. for details. Thomas & Mack Center. 895-3900. Artemus Ham Concert 17-27 Senior Adult Theatre: Full Circle. March 17- 28&29 Nevada Opera Theatre: The King and I. Concert: UNLV Wind Ensemble. 7:30pm. Hall. 19 & 23-26, 8pm; March 20 & 27, 2pm. May 28, 8pm; May 29, 2pm. Artemus Ham Artemus Ham Concert Hall. 895-3801. Judy Bayley Theatre. 895-3801. 24 Concert: Universiry Concert Hall. 895-3801. 2-6 University Theatre: Peyote jokes. March 2-5, Musical Sociery 19 Nevada Symphony Orchestra: John Metz, 8pm; March 6, 2pm. Black Box Theatre. Orchestra. 2pm. harpsichord. 8pm. Artemus Ham Concert 895-3801. Artemus Ham Concert Hall. 895-3801. Hall. 895-3801. 3 Men's Basketball: UNLV vs. San Jose State. 3 Summer Session 1: Session ends. 20 Nevada Dance Theatre: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. 8:05pm. Thomas & Mack Center. 895-3900. 25 Chamber Music 8pm. Artemus Ham Concert Hall. 895-3801. Southwest: "From 4&5 Musical Arts Society: "Bizet to Broadway." C. Everett Koop International Film Series: Strictly Ballroom. Baroque tO Bebop." June 4, 8pm; June 5, 3pm. Artemus Ham 24 International Film Series: Salaam Bombay!7pm. 7pm. Wright Halll03. 895-3547. March 28 James Huntzinger, Concert Hall. 895-3801. Wright Halll03. Free. 895-3547. trombone. 7:30pm. 4 Chamber Music Southwest: "A Caribbean 6 Summer Session 2: Session begins. 27 Musical Arts Society: "African Sanctus with Artemus Ham Concert Hall. 895-3801. Carnival." 7:30pm. Artemus Ham Concert David Fanshawe." 3pm. Artemus Ham Hall. 895-3801. 27 Performing Arts Center: I Solisti Di Zagreb. 11 Concert: Las Vegas Gamble-Aires. 8pm. Artemus Concert Hall. 895-3801. 8pm. Artemus Ham Concerr Hall. 895-3801. Ham Concert Hall. 895-3801. 5 Women's Basketball: UNLV vs. New Mexico 28 Barrick Lecture: C. Everett Koop. 7:30pm. State. 7:30pm. South Gym. 895-3900. 30 Concert: Sierra Wind Quintet. 8pm. Black Box 15 Alumni Event: Board of Directors Artemus Ham Concert Hall. 895-3801. Thearre. 895-3801. meeting. 6pm. Tam Alumni 6 Concert: Universiry Musical Sociery Orchestra. Center. 895-3621. 31 International Film Series: Ginger and Fred. 7pm. 2pm. Artemus Ham Concert Hall. 895-3801. Wright Halll03. Free. 895-3547. 23-24 Meeting: Board of Regents. Men's Basketball: UNLV vs. Pacific. 1pm. 9am-5pm. Tam Alumni Thomas & Mack Center. 895-3900. 3 Concert: Universiry Chorus. 8pm. Artemus Ham Center. 7-15 Exhibits: Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibits. Concert Hall. 895-3801. 9am-5pm. Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery. 2 Nevada Symphony Orchestra: St. John's Passion. Mummenschanz 8 Concert: Jazz Ensemble I. 2pm. Judy Bayley 895-3893. 8pm. Artemus Ham Concert Hall. 895-3801. JulY.. March 9 Theatre. 895-380 I. 8 Summer Session 2: Session ends. 9 Master Series: Mummenschanz. 8pm. Artemus 7-17 University Theatre: Dancing at Lughnasa. 12 Alumni Event: Dinner/ballet event. 6pm. Tam Ham Concert Hall. 895-3801. April 7-9 & 13-16, 8pm; AprillO & 17, 2pm. Alumni Center. 895-3621. 11 Summer Session 3: Session begins. Black Box Theatre. 895-3801. 9-13 University Theatre: Spring '94 One-Act Play 12-15 Nevada Dance Theatre: Peter & the Wolf 11-29 Workshop: National Stage Festival. March 9-12, 8pm; March 13, 10 May 12-14, 8pm; May 15, 2 & 7pm. Judy Combat. $900. 895-3666. Paul Harris Theatre. 895- Bayley Theatre. 895-3801 . 20 Alumni Event: Board of Directors Principal Dancers of the 10 13 Exhibit: Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibit. 9am-5pm. meeting. 6pm. Tam Alumni New York City Ballet Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery. Free. Center. 895-3621. AprillO 895-3893. (thru July 1) 29 Play: Friday Knight at the Fights. Graduation: Universiry Commencement 8pm. Judy Bayley Theatre. 895-3801. West Tournament. Details Ceremony. 7pm. Thomas & Mack Center. Thomas & Mack Center. Student Exhibit. 9am-5pm. 895-3900. 14 College Diploma Ceremonies: Health Sciences, Beam Fine Art Gallery. 895-3893. 9am, Artemus Ham Concert Hall (HCH); 11-13 UNLV Opera Theatre: MayS) Education, 9am, Thomas & Mack Center 12 Summer Session 3: Session ends. March 11-12, Orfeo ed Eurydice. (TMC); Human Performance & Develop­ 8pm; March 13, 2pm. Black Box Concert: UNLV Communiry Band. 8pm. 17 Alumni Event: Board of Directors meeting. 6pm. ment, lOam, Judy Bayley Theatre QBT); Theatre. 895-3801. Artemus Ham Concert Hall. 895-3801. Tam Alumni Center. 895-3621. Science & Mathematics, noon, HCH; Liberal Arts, noon, TMC; Fine & Performing Arts, 13 Community Concert: 21 Alumni Event: Dinner/theatre event. 6pm. Tam 29 Fall Semester 1994: Instruction and late 1pm , JBT; Engineering, 3pm, HCH; Hotel Tennessee Waltz. 8pm. Artemus Alumni Center. 895-3621. registration begin. Administration, 3pm, TMC; Business & Ham Concert Hall. 895-3801. University Theatre: Sunday in the Park with \ Economics, 6pm, TMC; Greenspun School of Yo-Yo Ma COMING APRIL 8-10: T11e Names Project AIDS Memoual OUIII. 14 Master Series: Yo-Yo Ma. George. April21-23 & 27-30, 8pm; April24 Communication, 7pm, HCH. March 14 featunng 1.200 of the 25.000 panels. eacl1 commemoratmg the life 8pm. Artemus Ham Concert & May 1, 2pm. Judy Bayley Theatre. \ 16 Summer Session 1: Session begins. of someone who has d1ed of AIDS. Moyer Student Un1on. 2nd floor Hall. 895-3801. 895-3801. L______J

14 + UN L V M A GA Z I N E S PR ING 1 99 4 + 15 ___the lift. been painting and teaching art ..,,e_, in Souiliern Nevada for me past 40 years. In fact, UNLV gave her an honor­ ., ary doctorate because she's such a cool lady. [Spire Bruner was a 1982 recipient for my sense of h w11or even men." of an honorary doctorate from UNLV for She was also known for her musical exactly how much, but most of an art her contribution to me development of ability, so much so, in fact, mat after degree. In me first couple of years, I was me visual arts in Souiliern Nevada.] She playing in almost every available band in playing in five ensembles and singing in taught me how to draw and paint when jwlior high and high school, she was re­ one. So I was playi ng a lot. It sort of put I was a kid. Later, when I was learning cruited to play in UNLV's marching band a cramp in my regular schooling." how to use a camera, I realized mat my in 1982. And so began her somewhat She adds for me record mat during eye for composition came from my lengiliy tenure at college. her 10 years at UNLV, she played in me grandmoilier's lessons." "My tin1e at UNLV was, shall we say, marching band, the wind ensemble, the Bruner also seemed to have an ear for extended?" she says wiili a wry smile. "It jazz band, chamber groups, and me or­ music at an early age. took me 10 years to graduate, but tl1en I chestra, and sang wiili the Collegium "When I was in fourili grade, a fella have my music degree and, I don't know Musicum Madrigal Singers. She also came to school and demonstrated all iliese instruments, and I just iliought mat was so cool. So I went home and At classical radio station KNPR, UNLV alumna Ginger Bruner seNes as week­ said, 'I want to be in me band."' day afternoon disc jockey, as well as producer of several programs, Though she was a year shy of me such as Guess Who 's Playing the Classics and Desert Bloom. BY SUZAN DIBELLA minimum grade requirement, she was allowed to join. She took up me trom­ bone, following in her dad 's footsteps. But by me time Bruner was in sixili Did you hear the F YOU EVER HAVE THE OCCA­ grade, her school needed a tuba player sion to meet Ginger Bruner and for me county honor band tryouts. one about the lady you're lucky enough to obtain "Nobody else would even try to one of her business cards, you learn to play it, so I said, 'Oh, pull-eze, tuba player who was might be shocked, but at least a little I could play mat in a week.' So I took a D]/photographer amused, by its unique, though concise, lessons for a week, and I made it." in her spare time? message: The tuba's size and lack of popu­ Ginger Bruner larity among her peers didn't deter me MeetUNLV Bitchin' Renaissance Chick concert. Then, when she's not booked unpretentious yow1g Ginger. She took as a musician, she's picking up freelance it all in stride. alumna Ginger "I didn't make it up. A friend who work as a professional photographer. "One time I took my tuba home Bruner. In an era made up the business card did," says the All in all , Bruner is a pretty busy from school, and I don't know why, 1992 music department graduate, who Renaissance chick. but I carried it back to school me next when most people has turned her love of the arts into three "Hey, it's wacky," she says of her day. It would be like carrying some­ different professions - all at the same schedule. "But it's a way to do several body in a big black box all me way to find it difficult to time. things that I enjoy doing and make a school. So me kids were asking, manage one career, Brw1er currently serves as me week­ living at the same time." 'What's mat?' So I told iliem it was my day afternoon DJ at radio station KNPR, The roots of her renaissance orienta­ sister," Bruner laughs hysterically. "It she juggles three. spinning discs by some of her favorite tion can be traced back to both her fam­ sort oflooked like a coffin. A coffin classical composers and producing several ily and her education, she says. wiili a bulge." special programs. Often, when she leaves "The arts run in the fan1ily. My And how did me oilier kids react? me station, she is on her way to play her father played the trombone, and my "They iliought it was a combination of tuba at a Dixieland jazz gig or a classical grandmother, Lucille Spire Bruner, has strange and hilarious. But I was known

16 + UNLV MAGAZINE SPRING /994 + 17 served as a photographer or beautiful. You have a local photographer who was specializes in arts photography and is and photo editor for the to add the human a volunteer aru1ouncer at currently working on a series on jazz shJdent newspaper, and off factor -the music KNPR, and he knew that tl1ey artists. Several photos from tl1at series campus, she picked up that comes out of a were looking for a regular have already been exhibited by tl1e Clark a part-time job as an person - and Jim weekday evening announcer. County Library. announcer at KNPR. Stivers can teach He also knew tl1at I, being a "I'm lucky tl1at I'm involved at Add to that a long list of ex­ you how to bring musician, had some music his­ KNPR in that I have wonderful access to tra art and photography classes, that out. tory and that I liked classical mu­ tl1e jazz artists that play at the Four Bruner points out, and it's easy to "Cathie Kelly was sic. Well, he suggested I try out, Queens on Monday nights. I'm taking understand why it took so long. in Rome doing re­ and I said, 'Oh, please, radio? Get black and whites of tl1ese artists willie "People thought I was search for a book one real, Frank. I have a dumb voice.' tl1ey're playing. Notlung is set up. I just completely bananas," she says. summer when I happened "If you treat a foreign language as a But I came down here and learned how show up and hide out and try to get But looking back, she knows to be visiting there. So she musical thing, you can phrase it and get to use tl1e equipment, and they put me some nice shots," she says in her typical, she wasn't crazy; she was just showed me all of the sruff in person a really good pronunciation. People were on the air." unassuming style. interested in taking a more that I had seen in her art history class, just amazed. In fact, all the nice people I After seven years at the station, And, it's just tl1at simple to tl1e still interdisciplinary approach to her whatever period we were shJdying, which which was anuzing and so cool." met in Japan were amazed tl1at I knew Bmner still considers tl1e music to be unpretentious Bruner. It's not a big deal education. was really interesting. I was in her music Another of her favorite music profes­ more about their history and culhm the best part of her job. to be a Renaissance chick. You take "I think the disciplines are too segre­ history classes and doing renaissance and sors, Frank Gagliardi, was responsible than some of them did. And they were "Being on the air is nice, but I've got some shots, you play some music, you gated. It just makes so much more sense baroque music, which was r:eally great for getting her- along with some of flabbergasted that we would even try to to tell you tl1at after you've been doing it spin some discs . And, above all, you have to me to study art and music together. fun. The more styles you learn, the bet­ her fellow members of the UNLV Jazz speak their language." awhile, it's not all tl1at glamorous. You're some fun doing it. 1'.1 What's the use in being a one-dimen­ ter musician you are. Ensemble- a gig in a Japanese amuse­ Visiting Japan expanded more tl1an on the air, you know; you do it. sional person in a multi-dimensional "Jim Stivers was my private lesson ment park. her foreign language skills. Essentially, what I want to do is world?" teacher and also the orchestra director, "Mitsui Greenland, which is an "I used to be a picky eater. Not play nice music for the listeners Her favorite instructors at UNLV so I spent a lot of time learning from amusement park on the southern island anymore. I've eaten live shrin1p and and have them be happy. If include faculty from both the music and him. He's very musical . ofKyushu, called Frank and asked him jellyfish - a lot of really weird food. I they're happy and like the mu­ art departments, including music profes­ "When somebody hands you a piece to bring a marching band to play in their like seaweed, which is not tl1e sort of sic, tl1en I've done my job. I'm sors Isabelle Emerson and Jim Stivers, of music, it has all this indecipherable park for two months. He said, 'Gee, I'm thing you'd typically hear from your not here to be a personality on and art historian Cathie Kelly. stuff on it. Unless you know what all of a jazz band director. How about I bring average desert-bow1d Las Vegan. the air; they're not listening to "Dr. Emerson would occasionally that means, you can play the notes per­ you both?' So, essentially what we had in "Japan is like my home away from me. It's a different scene here bring in slides of images of art from fectly, but it's not going to sound human 1985 was the jazz band, plus all the home. The furniture is too small, but than it might be on a different other first-chair players you would need then I'm really tall [ 5 feet, ll inches] .. . type of station. I like to keep for the music to round out a small "People recognize my voice occasionally," says Bruner. "but since I am a and very different." it as much music and as little marching band. We had a 35-piece little bit different in person- more effusive. shall we say?- than I am on the After she rerurned from Japan for the Ginger as possible." marching band, and we took three danc­ air. it doesn't happen too often. When it does. I think, 'Holy cow! I thought I third time in 1989, she decided to crack Nonetheless, she acknowl­ was safe in radio! '" ers, a baton twirler, and a drum major the books with one goal in mind. edges she has gained somewhat and went over and played." "I promised myself that I wouldn't of a celebrity starus. Despite their rigorous schedule - go back to Japan or anywhere for an ex­ "People recognize my voice tl1e band performed several times a day tended period or miss anymore school occasionally, but since I an1 a in parades and shows- Bruner says she until I graduated. I gave myself the little bit different in person - had a wonderful time, so much so, in deadline of my 1 0-year reunion, and I more effusive, shall we say? - fact, tl1at she returned once with UNLV did it." than I am on tl1e air, it doesn't and tl1en again with an all-girl Dixieland Toward the end of her college days, happen too often. When it jazz band that she led. Bruner's part-time work at KNPR ex­ does, I think, 'Holy cow! I As for culrure shock, she was sur­ panded into a full-time position. Now, thought I was safe in radio!"' prised to have experienced very little in addition to introducing and playing Her work as a photogra­ while there. classical music each weekday afternoon pher has brought a certain "I don't know why, but I got along on the air, she produces the regular an1ount of notoriety as well. real well. The university put together KNPR programs Guess Who)s Playing the Altl1ough she began as a two 10-week classes- a Japanese his­ Classics, Desert Bloom, Nevada Yester­ photojournalist, she expanded tory and culture class and a language days, and Book Reviews. She still seems a her repertoire to include a class, which helped immensely." little surprised to find herself in radio. variety of styles and processes She believes her musical ability also "Before I started here in 1986, I was while srudying at UNLV. helped her bridge th.e language gap. working as an assistant to Frank Mitrani, Not surprisingly, she now

18 + UNLV MAGAZ I NE SPR I NG 1994 + 19 of so-called bourgeois ideas and customs requirement that only people under 24 "This scholarship is a very important and to recaph1re tl1e revolutionary zeal years of age would be recruited to major financial resource enabling me to achieve of early Chinese communism. in English; I was required to study library my career and education goals. If forced to Students called the Red Guards were science. After I graduated, I was required find a job, I would have less time to study joined by workers and peasants as tl1ey to work at the Chengdu Library and be­ and my plans would be delayed,;, she says. staged sometimes violent pro-Maoist came the first person with a university Wei Xia didn't take the task of applying demonstrations. Intellectuals, bureau­ degree in our library. " for the scholarship lightly. She worked on crats, party officials, and urban workers Later, Wei Xia also spent a year work­ her essay for nearly two montl1s in order to were their chief targets. All educational ing for a Chinese tourism company in the make sure that her tenuous command of her instimtions were closed. Huainan province; her work there would second language wouldn't thwart her desire Too yo ung to serve the revolution in prove pivotal to her future. She enjoyed to be considered worthy of tl1e award. political demonstrations at the age of 12, tl1e job, and her supervisors encouraged Mastering Engli sh is still a challenge Wei Xia was forced to remain at home for her to pursue a career that would com­ to Wei Xia. "Although I have been in the next three years. At 15, she returned bine tourism and tl1e hotel business. America for over two years, I still have a to school, but was allowed to study only lot of difficulty witl1 English and must The first Jean Nidetch Women)s Center Scholarships were awarded the writings and documents of Mao. By spend all of my spare time sh1dying," age 17, she was sent to tl1e countryside she says. this year to four UNLV students who have overcome great adversity for a peasant's education. he soon recognized tl1at her inter­ But she recognizes life in America pre­ in order to attend college. One of them - a victim of the Chinese "I was literally isolated from tl1e ests in American culmre and in sents many challenges. world," she says. "We had no running tl1e hotel industry would be Becoming comfortable with a new cul­ Cultural Revolution - tells her story. water, agriculh1ral machines, or electric­ served by studying hotel manage­ ture and accepting an openness and free­ ity. I was fed only rice with pepper jam, ment in America. In 1990, she passed an dom unknown in her homeland will take a BY TERRY BASKOT BROOKER and I slept on a straw mat on a dirt floor exam tl1at permitted her to leave China to period of adjustment, she says. There are in a thatched-roof cottage that I shared come to America. also bouts of homesickness because her with two women students. Wei Xia carefu lly researched her op­ family remains in China, and she says they "We were forced to work 10 hours a tions. Seeking tl1e best hotel administra­ are never far from her thoughts. OST SCHOLARSHIPS REWARD day, and after work we were forced to tion college available, she soon was able Yet, her new life is in Las Vegas. She is excellence in academics or study politital documents. My job was to to narrow tl1e field to Cornell or UNLV. now married to a UNLV doctoral student athletics. carry nahrral fertilizer to tl1e fields. The The international reputation ofUNLV, in physics, Robert Vauglm, whom she met But some reward excellence women were given this job because a combined witl1 the reasonable cost of at UNLV. She plans to become a natural­ in character and tenacity. peasant woman student was considered to living in Las Vegas, brought her here. In ized citizen in 1995. Such is the case with the Jean be inferior to a peasant man." August 1991, Wei Xia enrolled and began And, if her approach to past challenges Nidetch Women's Center Scholarship, But she held tight to her belief that her studies in the William F. Harral1 Col­ is any indication, achieving that goal, along which was awarded for the first time this things would change. lege of Hotel Administration. with the rest, is just a matter of time. ILl year to four UNLV students who dem­ "Although I was a farmer for five Now in her third year at UNLV, Wei onstrated strength of character and tena­ years, I continued to study matl1ematics Xia is quite clear about her educational cious spirit in their efforts to overcome and the English language at night, using goals: She plans to obtain a bachelor's de­ adversity. an oil lamp I constructed from an ink gree in hotel administration and an MBA Vegan Jean Nidetcb, The students- hotel administration bottle. I had faitl1 that knowledge would at UNLV witl1in tl1e next three years. the Weight Watchers International. major Wei Xia, engineering majors in some way be my salvation," she says. After tl1at, she hopes to become the The scholarship provides $2,500 Johnnie Dornak and Angela Molnar, and When tl1e Cultural Revolution ended owner and president of a Sino-American annually to recipients. education major Dorothy Vanette- all in 1976, Wei Xia's fortunes improved trade and cultural business that will spe­ Applicants are required to be full­ have faced some form of adversity. slightly. She left the farm and was assigned cialize in the organization of international time UNLV undergraduate or gradu­ As part of the scholarship application to work at tl1e library of tl1e Chinese trade shows and conventions. ate students who have a minimum 2.0 process, they were asked to describe Academy of Science at Chengdu. In 1977, "I intend to accomplish this goal by GPA and who have conquered some form of adversity in their personal their experiences. Their essays reveal that the universities reopened, and shJdents the time I am 48 years old. I am now Jives. were allowed to take entrance exams. 39 ," she says, acknowledging that the they share little in common except a In addition to funding the schol­ fierce determination to get an education (pronounced we-shaw), a 39-year-old he was 12 years old and in fifth In 1979, Wei Xia passed an English urgency with which she pursues her pro­ arship,Nidetch'sdonation helped fund at UNLV and the ability to overcome woman who moved to the United States grade when the Great Proletarian language exan1, but fow1d herself a victim fessional goals comes from knowing that me UNLV Women's Center, estab­ past life experiences that made such a in 1990 after living through the Chinese Cultural Revolution in China be­ of age discrimination. the Cultural Revolution stole 10 years of lished in October 1991 as a campus goal difficult to achieve. Cultural Revolution. The following is an gan in 1966. The movement, "I was 25 and not allowed to study her life that could have been spent on and community-wide support and One of the essays tells tl1e compelling account of her hardships, aspirations, which was launched by Chairman Mao English," she says. "At tl1at time, tl1e formal education. That is why the Nidetch ~t wor~:snc>P center for women . story of scholarship recipient Wei Xia perseverance, and achievements. Tse-tung, sought to eradicate the remains Chinese government issued an age scholarship was so important to her.

20 + UNLV MAGAZINE SPRING 199 4 + 21 CLASS NOT ES CLASS NOTES

Inc., one of the world's largest phar­ 40,000-member international asso­ Bruce F. Dyer, '86 BA Communica­ Kennetll Deutsch, '87 BS Hotel auclitor for Fireside Financial Ser­ Diana L. Grimmesey, '92 BS Nurs­ maceutical companies. He li ves in ciation for water and wastewater tion Sniclies, is president and co­ Administration, is assistant director vices in Newark, Calif. ing, works as a registered nurse at Scottsdale, Ariz. treatment professionals. founder of B.F.D. Productions, a of food and beverage at the Las the Lion's Burn Care Unit at Uni­ 900/800 number telecommunica­ Vegas Hilton, where he oversees 13 John C. Tsitouras Jr., '88 BS versity Medical Center and also '70s Steven Sagen, '78 BS Hotel Ad­ Deborah J. Dinkel, '83 BS Hotel tions service bureau whose national restaurants, 12 bars, and more than Hotel Administration, is operations works for a home health company. ministration, is the founder and Administration, is a lawyer with the customers include Sony, P.C. World 1,000 employees. manager for Beachcombers Inc., She plans to pursue a master's de­ owne r of Winery Direct Marketing, firm of Tobin, Lucks & Goldman in magazine , NeXT Computers, Lucas which operates Henry's Sports Cafe gree in nursing at UNLV. Ernie Domanico, '70 BS Geogra­ a company that handles sales and Sherman Oaks, Calif. She specializes Films, and McDonalds. Jack Cheung Lau, '88 M Nursing, in Kocliak, Alaska. phy, is a general contractor. His marketing of the products of smaU in labor law, workman 's compensa­ '92 BS Nursing, works in the Quick Barbara E. Hinden, '92 Bachelor Kevin Poit, '92 company, Domanico Construction, California boutique wineries to tion defense, and cases involving tl1e Care facility at University Meclical of Liberal Stuclies, won first place in specializes in custom homes and has hotels and restaurants nationwide. Americans witl1 Disabilities Act. Center. He is also pursing a master's the fiction eli vision of the annual Kevin Poit, '92 BA Dance, is a built houses in several Las Vegas He lives in San Diego. degree in nursing at UNLV and feminist writers' contest sponsored professional ice skate r and ice skat­ developments, inclucling Spanish Karen L . Ekstrom, '83 BS Geol ­ plans to become a nurse practitio­ by the National Organization for ing instructor. He is a national and Trail and Deserr Shores. David D. Robeck, '79 BS Business ogy, is an envi ro nmental geologist ner. During his years at UNLV, he Women. She wrote the 'vinning world competitor in ice skating and Administration, '87 MBA, is a Peace in Helena, Mont. , with ERM-Rocky also obtained an Asian stuclies '90s story, "The Snake Stomper," as Corps volunteer in the fo rmer Soviet Mountain, a worldwide environ­ minor offered through an interclisci­ part of a collection for her honors Union. He is based in Saratov, a mental consulting company. She plinary program in the College of senior project. city located about l ,200 miles from opened the firm's Montana office in Bruce F. Dyer, '86 Liberal Atts. Terry Gemas, '90 BS Athletic Moscow, where he consults with 1989. She has also received certifica­ Training, is completing his second Jaime J. Matis, '92 BA Communi­ local businessmen in their efforts to tion from the state of Wyoming as a Lori Ebel, '86 BS Business Adminis­ Kelly A. Owens, '88 BS Business year of meclical school at the Uni­ cation Stuclies, is a receptionist and move from communism to capital­ professional geologist. tration, has opened her own certified Administration, is a certified public versity of South Carolina School of assistant in the human resources ism. He went overseas in November public accounting firm in Las Vegas . accountant working as a senior Meclicine in Columbia. While at department of CEMA, a record 1992 as a member of the fi rst group Her practice primarily involves tax internal auclitor for the Hilton Ho­ UNLV, he received national certifi­ clistribution company whose labels of Peace Corps volunteers to be sent and consulting work. tels Corp. Based in Las Vegas, she cation in athletic training. include EMI, Virgin, IRS, and Ernie Domanico, '70 to the former Soviet Union. Before auclits the hotel chain's Nevada Capitol. She previously worked going overseas, he lived in North Rae Lamotlle, '86 BS Hotel Ad ­ ganJing properties. She previously Patrick A. Rose, '90 BA Political for the Los Angeles Raiders as Charles H. McCrea Jr., '71 BS Las Vegas and worked in the bank­ ministration, is completing her final worked fo r the accounting firm of Science, received a law degree from director of operations for the Raid­ Business Administration, is a partner ing industry in Southern Nevada, as year at Southwestern University KPMG Peat Marwick. the University of Utall CoLlege of ers' merchanclise catalog and for in the litigation department of the weLl as at UNLV's Sma Ll Business School of Law in Los Angeles. She Law and is now serving a one-year the fan club. She lives in WoocUand law firm of Lionel Sawyer & Collins. Development Center. won the best oralist award for the Rodney S. Richter, '88 BS Busi­ juclicial clerkship with U.S. Magis­ Hills, Calif. His practice includes general com­ school's 1992 Intramural Moot ness Administration, is an internal trate Roger L. Hunt in Las Vegas. merciallitigation, commercial torts, Karen L. Ekstrom , '83 Court Competition and was a mem­ trade name and trademark infringe­ ber of tl1e team that rook the first ment, and anti-corruption law. He is Drew V. Max, '83 BA History, is place award in the National Tax a contributing eclitor to Nevada certified in graphanalysis, which Moot Courr Competition. ~------~--1 Lender Liability and is a member of qualifies him as a handwriting and 1 the American Trial Lawyers Associ a­ '80s document examiner. He is also Jann Reizner, '86 Master of Educa­ tion. His son, Charles Joseph the creclit manager for Desert tion, is a reading inlprovement pro­ We'o·liKe·lo·Hear·from·You! Lumber Co. gram teacher at Adcock Elementary We would like to invite all UNLV alumni to submit information about themselves to UNLV Magazine for inclusion in the Class Notes section,; Please fi ll McCrea, is a history major in his Debra Bolding, '80 BS Biological senior year at UNLV. School. out the form below completely, type or print clearly, and avoid abbreviations. Also, please supply home and office telephone num bers so we can reach Sciences, is laboratory director of Charles Lewis, '84 BS Hotel Ad ­ you ifthere is a question about your entry. We encourage you to submit a black and white photograph of yourself to accompany yo ur Class Notes entry. the city of Las Vegas' Water PoLlu ­ Bruce W. Miller, '72 BS Zoology, ministration, is the regional sales tion Control Facility. She was re­ is li ving in Belize, Central America, manager for Raclisson Hotels in the Name ___~ ~~------cently appointed to the national where he is a research feLlow with Boston area, where he oversees sales and marketing for the Raclisson Year Graduated ______Major ------Type of Degree{s) ----:---::--:-:--7:---:-:----:-::-:----:----- Wildlife Conservation International, {e. g., Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science) the research clivision of the New Heritage Hotel in Chelmsford and for the Days Inn at Logan Interna­ Address York Zoological Society. He is a City State Zip conservation biologist whose re­ tional Airport. Phone Numbers: Home ------Offi ce ______search is related to establishi ng and Tera Ellenburg-Connor, '85 BA maintaining tropical forest reserves Raquel Denese Culmer, '87 in the Neotropics. He was instru­ Education, '90 Master of Educa­ mental in the creation of the tion, teaches kindergarten at Marion Raquel Denese Culmer, '87 BS 267,000-acre Chiquibul National Earl Elementary School. She has Hotel AdminiStration, is a sales rep­ been witl1 the Clark County School Park in Belize. Debra Bolding, '80 resentative for the Bahamas Tourist District for eight years and has taught Office in New York City. She previ­ Joe Gauzens, '77 BS Hotel Admin­ at Sandy VaUey, Goodsprings, and ously sen,ed as clirector of catering at executive comminee of the Water Entries llhould be mailed to: UNLV Class Notes, University News and Publications, 'l505 Maryland Parkway, Box 451012, Las Vegas, NV 89154·1012 istration, is a district sales manager Mack elementary schools. the An1bassador Beach Hotel in Environmental Federation, a for the Cerenex division of Glaxo Nassau, Bahamas.

22 + U N L V M A G A Z I N E SPR I NG 1994 + 23 Ready, Willing physically, it's OK They can get back up tl1at sends him on speaking engagements and get on with their lives. in public schools. continued from page 13 "We can help ourselves to get back Having spent his undergraduate years up," he says, "if we accept ourselves for at UNLV and now continuing Ius studies "When I first started public speaking, who we are." here, Stuart has observed considerable my talk was very mechanical and struc­ Stuart continues to draw inspiration improvement in tl1e campus' accommo­ tured," he explains. "But as I spoke from the story of his ride down tl1e Beam dations for people witl1 handicaps. more, I realized that there are things in Hall steps. "I still carry that briefcase "I've seen a great evolution in tl1e my own life that I should bring out, that around witl1 me," he says. "The tl1ing awareness of the disabled population at people really want to hear." holds up great." UNLV," he says. "I think tl1at when I Stuart tells a story about his first Stuart's talks for tl1e MGM Grand first came here, I was one of tl1e few dis­ day at UNLV that is both humorous are designed to familiarize supervisors abled students. I felt like a lost soul at and touching. Feeling apprehensive and and other employees witl1 the intent of orientation, and I tl10ught, 'How am I more than a little insecure, he hoped, the Americans with Disabilities Act, tl1e going to do this1"' like virtually every freshman, that he federal law that requires businesses to Stuart eventually found help, for in­ would fit in at tl1e university. So it was make accommodations for employees and stance, in test-taking, during which he witl1 agonizing embarrassment that customers who have disabilities. It re­ needs someone to write down his an­ he stumbled and feU at tl1e top of the quires, for instance, wheelchair access to swers for him. But he believes the system concrete steps in Frank and Estella buildings. is much improved today, and he credits Beam Hall, landed on his Samsonite "It is really a law tl1at says employers Anita Stockbauer in Student Support briefcase, and rode it to the bottom like should look at people's abilities, not ilieir Services witl1 building up the program. a sled. disabilities," Stuart says. "So I come in He is also pleased to see that access to "I looked up, and tl1ere was a girl and give a 15- to 20-minute speech on buildings is being improved with the standing tl1ere looking at me and smil­ discovering your perfections and unique addition of automatic doors. ing," he recalls. "She said, 'Are you abilities, and tl1e perfections of your co­ "It's not a program tl1at gives dis­ OIG' and I said, 'Yeah,' and my eyes workers and tl1e people you serve." abled persons an easier way," he says. "It started watering a little bit, because I was Stuart finds that a little humor goes a accommodates students' Uiuque needs, so embarrassed. "She said, 'That really long way in helping him relate to audi­ physically, but it doesn't make it easier was quite funny. I've never seen anyone ences and make his point. He under­ academically." take such an exciting ride.' And she stands that when he first waLksinto a Stuart has unique needs, no doubt started laughing- not at me, but at the room to speak, people are looking him about it. But he has also developed abili­ situation. It made me feel so much bet­ over, tlunking tl1at he moves strangely ties tl1at enable him to meet tl1ose needs. ter that she came up and smiled, not in a and shakes. So he introduces himself as a Speaking mainly to groups of non­ condescending way, but as if to say, 'It's mover and a shaker. handicapped persons, he urges them to OK We all fall down in life."' "And tl1ey laugh, and you can kind of focus on what people can do- what Stuart uses tint story in his talk see tl1em tlunking, 'Oh, he knows he's they can contribute - rather tl1a.I1wha t to make the point tl1at we can make different. Now we can relax."' tl1ey can't. In telling his audiences that a big difference, just by smiling at Stuart has spoken to chmch and everyone has Ius or her own "perfec­ someone. school groups, civic and service clubs, tions," he is also saying tl1at everyone "We need to be able to tell people numerous businesses, and conventions. has disabilities to overcome. we meet or work with tl1at, when He is also working witl1 Jostens, a maker "You can see my challenge," he says. tl1ey are down, eitl1er emotionally or of class rings, which has a speakers bureau "What's your challengd" g

Witch-hunts the Middle Ages. as scapegoats by mainstream society, "You wouldn't tl1ink on the surface she notes. continued from page 7 tlut tl1ese groups would have had any­ Considering witches as an outsider tiling in common, but tl1ey tended to group, rather than a unique aberration, at tl1e history of witches when she be­ be treated very much tl1e same in lots points to new directions for research and came interested in various deviant or of ways." For example, at one time or confirms tlut the question of witches is,

outsider groups, such as heretics, Jews, another all were accused of sodomy, in­ as Whitney warned, fa.~·more "compli­

gays, and lepers, as well as witches, in fanticide, and cannibalism, and were used cated" than a Halloween image. 1'.1

24 + UN LV MAGAZJNE rMlill

~·J:ll

From heavy metal concerts to light-hearted comedy, bears on bicycles to men on bulls, Las Vegas Thunder ice hockey to Runnin' Rebel basketball, the Thomas & Mack Center has been the site of just about every type of entertain­ ment and sporting event imaginable. On this, our tenth anniversary, we'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of Las Vegas for the support and patronage over the past decade and promise to bring better shows, more variety and the same exceptional service. So if our first ten years have been this great, just imagine what our teens will be like!

~~~~SHt~ THOMAS & MACK ~ - ~ CENTER fi /)' P' ~ ltAPPt~'> The Valerie Pida Plaza, located southwest of the Flora Dungan Humanities Building, provides a pleasant spot for students to meet, socialize, and relax.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas Non- Profit Org. 4505 Maryland Parkway U.S. Postage Box 451012 PAID Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-1012 University of Nevada, Las Vegas