Spring 2008
Message Board
Six Degrees and Grateful
by Nita Tallent-Halsell ('89 BS Biology, '98 MS Biology)
I am sending this e-mail to share with UNLV Magazine how much UNLV means to my husband, Jeff, and myself. We both graduated with our undergraduate, master's, and, very soon, our doctoral degrees. Jeff completed his Ed.D in fall 2007, and I defended my Ph.D in biology April 2. Jeff opted to attend the spring 2008 ceremony so that we may share one of most fantastic moments of lives together. Our journey has been shared with our four children and our careers: Jeff with the Clark County School District and me with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. UNLV has enabled us to fulfill a dream that we started on together in 1986.
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Correction
Due to an error in the records, the wrong photo ran in the Fall 2007 issue related to the first recipient of the Centennial Medallion. Dominic Daileda, '64 BS Accounting, picked up that honor, which is presented each year by the Rotary Club of Las Vegas to the graduate with the highest GPA. Daileda owned his own accounting firm in Las Vegas before retiring to Washington's San Juan Island.
William Carlson, chief administrator of what was then called Nevada Southern University, presents the first Centennial Medallion to Dominic Daileda.
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Tarnished Timeline
by Andre Helm ('87 BA Communication Studies)
As a class of 1987 alumnus, I was highly insulted by your omission of my class year in your feature "A Half Century Of Rebels: UNLV Through The Years" (Fall 2007). As you claim in the article, "Assembling a timeline in just 10 pages is a tall task." That may be true, but making a mistake like that is inexcusable. I think that errors like yours are representative of the sleepwalking that is flourishing in this society, often with dire results, such as a person going to the hospital for a tonsilectomy and having a limb amputated instead. I submit that my analogy is an extreme one and its use more a reflection of my temporary irritation than anything else. I have enjoyed your magazine through the years and look forward to reading future issues.
Editor: We must admit that in abbreviating our timeline for print we left out the highlights for a couple of years. A much more extensive version is posted on the 50th anniversary website. For the record, the UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame debuted in 1987. The university also completed a campus beautification effort, planting grass and trees around the campus perimeter, particularly at the intersection of Tropicana and Swenson avenues to impress visitors arriving from the airport.
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Anyone? Anyone?
by Laura Brady
Since I read your article "Basketball Fever Hits Thomas & Mack" (Spring 2006), I've been dying to find the song "Walk Like a Tarkanian." Pretty soon I'll start losing sleep if I don't find this song. Please help!
Editor: We know that song, a spoof of the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian," was played on local radio stations when the Runnin' Rebels won the national championship in 1990. Unfortunately, we had no luck digging up a copy in the university archives. If you have the lyrics or a recording, please contact us.
