When Landra Reid – then Landra Gould – enjoyed studying political science at Nevada Southern University in the late 1950s, she had no idea just how useful her newly gained knowledge would be later in life.
As the wife of U.S. Sen. Harry Reid for more than 40 years, she's had ample time to offer political advice as the single most trusted adviser to the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate.
"When I started college, I thought I wanted to be a teacher," she recalls. "But the classes I remember most were the history and political science courses taught by Dr. Wright. I loved his classes."
A quick clarification confirms that she is referring to John Wright – the namesake of Wright Hall on campus – not his son, current history professor Thomas Wright. "Oh, I go way back," she says, smiling at the implication.
Though Landra left Nevada Southern in her sophomore year to help put her husband through school, she has fond memories of the campus in the early days when she served on the cheerleading squad.
"It was such a small school; everyone knew everyone else," she says, noting that former Congressman Jim Bilbray was also a cheerleader at the time. "It was just as the school was getting started and the first athletic teams were being formed. We felt it was important to bring some kind of school spirit to the games."
Since those days, Landra has enrolled in UNLV courses. She notes she would love to finish her degree – possibly in art – "if Harry would ever retire." There are, no doubt, a few Republicans that would encourage her academic aspirations.
As for her husband, he regrets having taken her away from her college education. He's often quoted saying that he probably should have put her through school. "She's much smarter than I am," he says.
After all, she did study at UNLV.
