AN INTERVIEW WITH PAUL & SARI AIZLEY An Oral History Conducted by Barbara Tabach Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project Oral History Research Center at UNLV University Libraries University of Nevada Las Vegas ©Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project University of Nevada Las Vegas, 2014 Produced by: The Oral History Research Center at UNLV – University Libraries Director: Claytee D. White Project Manager: Barbara Tabach Transcriber: Kristin Hicks Interviewers: Barbara Tabach, Claytee D. White Editors and Project Assistants: Maggie Lopes, Stefani Evans ii The recorded interview and transcript have been made possible through the generosity of a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grant. The Oral History Research Center enables students and staff to work together with community members to generate this selection of first- person narratives. The participants in this project thank University of Nevada Las Vegas for the support given that allowed an idea the opportunity to flourish. The transcript received minimal editing that includes the elimination of fragments, false starts, and repetitions in order to enhance the reader’s understanding of the material. All measures have been taken to preserve the style and language of the narrator. In several cases photographic sources accompany the individual interviews with permission of the narrator. The following interview is part of a series of interviews conducted under the auspices of the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Claytee D. White Director, Oral History Research Center University Libraries University of Nevada Las Vegas iii PREFACE Paul Aizley was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1936. He earned degrees at Harvard University, University of Arizona and his doctorate at Arizona State University. His 1968 move to Las Vegas was to begin a long career at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. From 1968 to 2008, Paul Aizley served UNLV in a variety of important capacities: a mathematics professor, dean of Continuing Education for 13 years, and the founder of the popular programs of OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.) In 2008 he was encouraged to run for the vacant District 41 State Assembly office. He won and held the position from 2009 – 2015. Among the legislations he championed was one to advance gender equity. He continues to be an active Democrat, firm that there are not enough seniors in these positions. Sari (Guffenberg) Aizley was born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where she was in a Jewish minority. She moved to Las Vegas shortly before Paul, who she would not meet until their paths crossed at UNLV. Sari was a single mother who worked for UNLV, where she also earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees. Sari’s resume includes working for the Jewish Family Services, ACLU, selling advertising for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and starting the memorable CLASS! with her son David Phillips and Paul. For 16 years, CLASS! was distributed to the students of Clark County schools; featuring articles for and by the students. For this oral history they highlight many of their accomplishments as individuals. Together they create a valuable legacy for the entire Las Vegas community, both Jewish and non-Jewish. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Interview with Paul & Sari Aizley November 13, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada Conducted by Barbara Tabach Preface…………………………………………………………………………………………..iv SESSION 1 Tell the story of how they met while at UNLV working in university’s president office. Paul talks about being director of summer programs, Dean of Continuing Education until 2008, and being a founder of EXCELL which later became OLLI [Osher Lifelong Learning Institute]. Sari was on the Jewish Family Services board during that period and its connection with the history of continuing education…………………………………………………………………..….1 – 5 Sari talks about family Russian ancestry; settling in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; family grocery; father was a clothing factory cutter. Paul recalls his family history of settling in Boston; regrets not learning Yiddish; growing up with Italians; discovering that he grew up near another Las Vegas resident, Mimi Katz. Each tells story of how they ended up living in Las Vegas: Paul, a Harvard alum; Sari moved from upstate New York to follow her former husband who was offered a position at UNLV. Both began living in Las Vegas in 1967-1968…………..….5 – 15 Recollections of Las Vegas was like in the late 1960s; Paul went to dealers school; working for UNLV President Don Baepler. Sari worked for Channel 5 TV station; getting involved with IBEW [International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers] union; then worked for Las Vegas Review-Journal for six years; helped initiate classroom program of newspapers………..16 – 21 Sari and Paul talk about Allied Arts Council, starting Art and the Great Outdoors using open billboards and involving Roger Thomas as a judge. Started CLASS! Newspaper in 1994; son David involved; Paul’s involvement with ACLU; more about civic organizations they were active in including Nevada Faculty Alliance; assorted publications Sari became responsible for at UNLV……………………………………………………………………………….……..22 – 29 Sari talks about being on board of Jewish Family Services role in the community of Las Vegas (1987-); the mission to assist people in need, not just Jewish; who was on the staff at the time; how she put together a newspaper for fundraising, sold ads……………………………….29 – 31 Paul speaks about being faculty senate chair at UNLV; working for the university President Baepler; stepping into local politics; becoming assemblyman for District 41; working on a bill for transgender rights; the important role that older members of the Nevada Assembly can play. v Mention names of other notable Jewish people in local and state politics, such as Flora Dungan and Myrna Williams…………………………………………………..……………………31 – 35 Talk about the significance of being Jewish in their lives. Paul describes growing up Jewish in Boston; raising their blended family of children……………………………………………36 - 37 SESSION 2 Begins with conversation looking at copies of CLASS!, a publication that the Aizley’s started with son David Phillips in 1994; publication written for and by high school students. Talk about Elise (Ax) Wolff; how CLASS! was created and distributed; getting funding for it; support from leaders in the community, many who were Jewish. Sari talks about her thesis on how to start a nonprofit organization and researching Justice Thurgood Marshall. Talks about the success of CLASS!, closing it and donating equipment to Judi Steele and Public Education Foundation; the Review-Journal’s Regeneration page for school articles and competition with them; Spanish language section of CLASS!.................................................................................................38 – 48 Paul describes the Alliance, the American Association of University Professors, a national group and newsletter; adjusting to technologies and tools in doing publications, eventually on a Mac/Apple computer………………………………………………………………………49 – 51 Paul talks about education and the number of Jewish teachers. More about Jewish upbringing in Boston; importance of education for him; attending Harvard University; and long lasting friendships. Sari talks about growing up in Lancaster PA, where few Jews lived; being picked on by a teacher; cultural impact of being Jewish; assimilation of Jews into American culture; Yiddish……………………………………………………………………………………..52 – 55 Speak about raising children; sense of Jewish identity; Paul being only Jew in the Nevada Assembly at one time and then enough to form a Jewish caucus; irritation with prayer at the Assembly……………………………………………………………………………………56 – 58 Talk about ACLU and observations of anti-Semitism here; friction between northern and southern groups of Nevada’s ACLU. Anecdotes about FOCUS, Myrna Williams, Flora Dungan, George Rudiak, and others that they associated with. Story about hiring of Coach Jerry Tarkanian; how Sari came to be hired by ACLU in 1989; her experiences there………….59 – 66 Share 1977 article written by Sari about the Southern Nevada ACLA Strategies and Tactics; story about JFSA fund-raising dinner and newspaper she published, sought advertisers; 1977 summer course listings and cover art using………………………………………………...67 – 69 Index…………………………………………………………………….………………….70 – 71 vi vii viii This is Barbara Tabach. Today is Friday, the 13th, November 13, 2015. I am sitting with Paul and Sari Aizley. Tell me how you two met. PAUL: We met at UNLV when I was working in the president's office and directing the summer term. Sari was in the publications office. SARI: I was the publications director. PAUL: Trying to design the cover for my summer bulletin. We had really met long before that, but that's really when we got to know each other. You walked into the office or you asked her out on a date? What else do you remember about this? SARI: We actually met less formally before that as the president's office was just across the hall from my office and I would sometimes hang out over there and talk with secretaries. He came in and I really loved his beard. I mean that just really attracted me. He had a great beard. We started talking there and we got very friendly there. Then after that was when he had to use my professional university services and he came to me for a cover for the summer bulletin. PAUL: Which was designed with someone's foot on a skateboard and I thought the foot was ugly. SARI: It was a man's beat up foot, barefoot, this big on the cover. PAUL: We agreed on a compromise with repeated feet on the board so it looked like it had some motion to it as a summer activity. So what year was that? Approximately. PAUL: 1974, maybe, around then. 1 So in 1974, Paul, how long had you been living in Las Vegas at that time? I arrived in 1968. I had been in the math department as assistant prof. Elected to senate from Science/Math College; ran for the chair of the senate and lost (1969-70), but I won the next year (1971-72).