UNLV Class Notes are printed in every issue of UNLV Magazine. Alumni can submit to Class Notes using the online form.
1970s
Betty Codell Maguire Archambault, '72 BA Education, '83 M.Ed., was named the inaugural Elks National Foundation Community Investment Program Volunteer of the Year at the Elks National Convention. She was selected for her work creating a food pantry project at Millcreek High School and ensuring its continued success as well as for work on many other projects. She received $500 to donate to a local community project. She chose a Boy Scout troop sponsored by the St. George, Utah, Elks Lodge. She worked 33 years for the Clark County School District before retiring. She and her husband, Arthur, live in St. George.
Dennis McBride, '77 BA English, became director of the new $51 million Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas earlier this year. The museum, a 70,000-square-foot structure, is located on the grounds of the Springs Preserve. A native of Boulder City, he is an expert on that city and on Hoover Dam. He is the author of In the Beginning: A History of Boulder City, Nevada as well as Building Hoover Dam: An Oral History of the Great Depression (with Andrew Dunar), and Midnight on Arizona Street: The Secret Life of the Boulder Dam Hotel. He is an authority on Nevada's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history and is completing a book on the subject. Previously, he worked at the UNLV library and at the Boulder City Museum and Historical Association.
Steve Bruce, '78 BA Philosophy, describes himself as a reclusive contemplative focusing on the primordial consciousness. He lives in the high desert near Reno.
1980s
David Mancuso, '81 BS Hotel Administration, is the owner of Mancuso Limousine and one of the owners of Caesars Auto in Rochester, N.Y. He and his wife, Denielle, love boating on Lake Ontario and often cross from the Buffalo/Niagara region to Toronto, Canada, on their boat Mariah. They live in Batavia.
Gary Maida, '84 BS Hotel Administration, is regional vice president of operations for Hyatt Hotels. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Oak Ridge, N.J.
Lisa Griffith Story, '84 BA Communication Studies, competed at the U.S. Fencing Nationals in Anaheim, Calif., in July. She finished 16th in the veteran women's epee individual event -- the highest finish for an unranked fencer in the age group. She also fenced on the Desert Blades Wild Women epee team, which placed 12th in the veterans' competition. She works as senior public information coordinator for the Las Vegas Valley Water District and the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
Stan Johnson, '89 BS Architecture, has been hired by Rhodeside & Hartwell as a landscape architect. He has more than 20 years of experience and has practiced extensively in the western United States as well as overseas. His portfolio includes urban mixed-use developments, streetscapes, regional parks, sports and recreational facilities, and civic projects. He lives in Henderson.
1990s
Mark Bacon, '93 MA Communication Studies, published a book of short stories, Cops, Crooks & Other Stories in 100 Words. Each story is exactly 100 words, but contains a protagonist, a challenge, and a conclusion. Seven stories in the collection have been published in five different online fiction magazines. The 99-cent ebook is available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. This is his fifth book and first work of fiction. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, San Antonio Express-News, Denver Post, and Kansas City Star. Most recently he was a correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle. In the past he has taught journalism at both UNLV and UNR. He lives in Reno.
Brian Hurlburt, '93 BA Communication Studies, recently authored The Las Vegas Country Club: Chronicle of an Icon, a coffee table book that details the history of the first private golf club in Las Vegas. Founders include Irwin Molasky as well as Jerry Mack and E. Parry Thomas, after whom UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center is named. Many other UNLV buildings also were named after members of the country club. His hobbies include golf and his family. He is married to Heather Gust Hurlburt, '93 BS Nursing. They have three children, Hannah, Jacob, and Trey. The family lives in Henderson.
Mahika Chandrasena, '96 BS Hotel Administration, is group manager for corporate communications for the Mount Lavinia Hotel Group, which has an iconic heritage hotel, the Mount Lavinia Hotel; an all-inclusive adventure resort, Club Bentota; and an exotic luxury getaway, Vakarufalhi in the Maldives. After graduating from UNLV she returned to Sri Lanka to work at the Hilton Colombo. After reading for her master's degree in public administration, she went to work for SriLankan Airlines. Among her employers have been the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and the Ibrahin Nasir International Airport in the Maldives. She enjoys traveling, spending time with her family, and observing wildlife. She and her husband have one son. The family lives in Nawala, Sri Lanka.
Frank Rodgers, '96 M.Ed., '03 Master of Educational Leadership, teaches special education for the Clark County School District (CCSD). For the past eight years he has taught in an intermediate specialized learning disabilities classroom at Hummel Elementary School. He completed the CCSD administrative leadership program. Among the honors he has received are the CCSD Southeast Region Distinguished Educator Award, the Outstanding Alumnus Award from UNLV special education department, the CCSD New Teacher of the Year in Special Education Award, and the Spirit of Nevada Award from then-U.S. Rep. Jon Porter. He and his wife, Abena Yeboah-Asuamh, have a son, Christopher Yaw Rodgers.
Ellen Levine-Bremen, '98 BS Education, '00 MA Communication Studies, just released her first book, Say This, NOT That to Your Professor: 36 Talking Tips for College Success (NorLights Press 2012). She describes it as the first book in the college success genre to tackle the student-professor dynamic, giving students the exact words to say to appropriately deal with everyday class-related issues. Her ultimate goal is helping students find their confident, competent voice in college and beyond. She is a tenured communications studies professor at Highline Community College. She lives in Albany, Ga.
Valerie Miller, '98 BA Communications, was presented the 2012 Michael Graham Entrepreneurial Spirit Award by the Small Business Administration in Nevada at a ceremony in May. She received the award for her reporting on both the economic crisis facing small businesses in Southern Nevada and on the signs of hope in local start-up companies. Included were stories about how downtown Henderson shops were impacted by a street construction project. After the reports appeared, the city of Henderson issued emergency grants to help those businesses stay afloat. She also received certificates of commendation from Nevada's congressional delegation and from Gov. Brian Sandoval.
Allison Wiede, '99 BS Hotel Administration, was promoted to contract specialist at the Syracuse (N.Y.) Veterans Administration Medical Center, which serves all of upstate New York. She expects to receive her master of social work degree from Syracuse University in May.
2000s
Chris Adolph, '00 BS Hotel Administration, started a food distribution business in California called Adolph Inc. During the past 10 years the company has grown into a manufacturing and processing plant. He played baseball at UNLV from 1996 to 2000 and was drafted by the San Diego Padres before an injury ended his professional baseball career. He lives in Fresno, Calif.
Stephanie Reidy Guerra, '01 BA Education, is the author of Torn, (Amazon Publishing), a book intended for a female teen audience. It explores the question of what it means for a woman to be a true friend. Her next book, a humorous book for middle schoolers, is slated to be published next year. She received a 2012-13 Seattle Arts and Culture grant, which she plans to use to establish a creative writing program at King County Juvenile Detention Center in Seattle. She teaches in the College of Education at Seattle University. Her research has been published in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy and in Children's Literature in Education.
Stacy Grasso Manobianca, '01 BA Psychology, received the 2012 Young Lawyers Section Achievement Award from the Essex County (N.J.) Bar Association. She also was installed as a trustee of the association's Young Lawyers Section. From 2007-10 she was co-chair of Essex County Law Day. She is a member of the product liability practice group of Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis. She lives in Elmwood Park.
Jason Feger, '02 BS Hotel Administration, has been elected president of the California Hotel and Lodging Association's Education Foundation. He is assistant general manager of the Hacienda Hotel and Conference Center at Los Angeles.
Phillip Thompson, '02 BS Architecture, is project manager of real estate development for CG Foundation, a nonprofit company focused on the development of world-class fitness and recreation centers for Competitive Gaines Fitness.
Stephanie Salamah, '03 BA Anthropology, is director of financial development for the YMCA of Southern Arizona. She assists in achieving the goal of making the YMCA one of Tucson's top philanthropic choices. That is done through increasing support through corporate sponsorships, major gifts and capital, donor relations, public relations, and planned giving. She and her husband, Scott, have two daughters, Lily and Ariana.
Clyde Northrup, '04 Ph.D. English, has published three books to the erearder format. Two books are poetry collections, Words Fail: Confessions of an Incurable Romantic and Stones in the Stream: Reflections on Matters of the Spirit. The third book, Chosen of the One, is the first book in an epic fantasy series titled The Redemption.
Myongjee "Michelle" Yoo, '05 MS Hotel Administration, '11 Ph.D. Hotel Administration, is an assistant professor at the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University. She lives in Miami.
Lorenzo Aranda, '06 BA Criminal Justice, is pursuing a master's degree in mental health counseling from the University of Phoenix. He was one of 10 graduate students nationwide to receive a $5,000 scholarship from the Hispanic Caucus Institute. A first lieutenant with the Nevada Army National Guard, he volunteers with Nathan Adelson Hospice, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Nevada, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He lives in Henderson.
Kara Robertson, '06 BA Social Science, married Jeremy Miller on Aug. 3 at Lake Tahoe. She is cofounder of the largest U.S. master's swim team in Southern Nevada, Swim Las Vegas, and co-race director for Slam the Dam Open Water Swim, an annual event at Lake Mead that draws participants from around the globe. Held the first Saturday in October, it's for both novice and endurance swimmers. She is a distance swimmer who has completed swims over 10 miles from the base of Hoover Dam (in 53-degree water), a 10-kilometer swim from the Golden Gate Bride to the San Francisco Bay Bridge, and numerous triathlons. She is an American Swimming Coaches Association level 2 and U.S. master's level 2 coach.
Marcus Affeldt, '07 BS Business Administration, is on tour with the country/rock band Sugarland as a guitar tech. He wrote, recorded, and released an album, Ceiling Noise. He is recording and collaborating on new music with the band Daylight Trade. Hobbies include music production, singing, songwriting, and playing as a studio session guitarist. He lives in Franklin, Tenn.
Joshua Ellison, '07 BS Business Administration, is chief financial officer for Nevada Gypsum Floors. He is on track to receive an MBA degree from UNLV in December. He was part of the UNLV team that took home the $30,000 first prize in the Reynolds' Cup Tri-State Competition earlier this year with its water-saving geyser flow control device. He is married to Kirsten Ellison, '07 BA Education. They live in Henderson.
John Green, '08 Ph.D. Civil Engineering, and his wife, Margaux, are the proud parents of John Gregory Green Jr., who was born Aug. 20, 2011. The family lives in Plainfield, Ill.
Denise Balfour Simpson, '08 Master of Educational Leadership, married Tourgee Simpson Jr. on March 4 at the Lesner Inn Catering Club in Virginia Beach, Va. She is working toward a Ph.D. in higher education at Old Dominion University, where she works as assistant director in the office of student conduct & academic integrity. The couple lives in Norfolk.
Costa Magoulas, '09 Master of Hospitality Administration, was named Southeast Region Chef Educator of the Year for 2012 by the American Culinary Federation. The award recognizes a culinary educator who has given culinary students leadership and guidance. He is dean of the School of Hospitality and Culinary Management at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Fla. His career began more than 50 years ago when he washed dishes in his father's restaurant. He went on to work in a number of restaurants and to own his own operation. In 1995 he began teaching in public schools in Florida. Fourteen years later, at age 68, he decided to teach at the college level. He and his wife live in Ormond Beach.
Amy Mae Langworthy, '10 MS Accounting, is a staff accountant with the public accounting firm of Malin Bergquist in Pittsburgh. She has six years of in-house experience working for construction companies in Nevada and Arizona with significant experience in large airport construction accounting. She lives in Bridgeville.
Alexandra "Allie" Singer, '12 BS Hotel Administration, recently accepted her first career-related position at Treasure Island Hotel.
Obituaries
Richard Beckman, retired professor of architecture, died on Father's Day, June 17, surrounded by his family at his home on Bainbridge Island, Wash., from cancer. He joined the UNLV faculty in 1988 and remained 20 years. After retiring, he continued to design individual homes. He also was an avid gardener. A graduate of the University of Oregon and Harvard University, he spent many years in private practice in Oregon, California, Nevada, and Washington before going into teaching, first in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and then at UNLV. He also worked for the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency on the redesign of that city's waterfront. He is survived by his wife, Sally; daughter Jennifer; son Jesse; granddaughter Juliette; sister Liz; and brother John.
Robert Blum, longtime UNLV sports announcer, died July 22. He began broadcasting several UNLV sports, including football and men's basketball, but it is for his broadcasts of the Lady Rebels' basketball games that most fans will remember him. He had served as the voice of the Lady Rebels for the past 27 seasons. Blum, who also worked for the Las Vegas 51s baseball team, previously had called games for the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Chargers, and Oakland Raiders. In 2000 he was inducted into the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame. On Feb. 4, 2006, he called his 1,000th UNLV event, a women's basketball game. A native of South Bend, Ind., he is survived by his brother, Jack; sister Bettylee Balsam; and several nieces and nephews.
Robert Boord, emeritus professor of education, died July 30. After completing his doctoral degree in children's literature, he joined the faculty in 1963 as one of the founding professors of the College of Education. He retired in 1993. During his time at UNLV he served as chair of the department of curriculum and instruction. He also spent one year as an exchange professor in New Zealand. Earlier in life he had worked as a teacher and principal in his home state of Indiana before entering the U.S. Army and serving in Germany. He enjoyed traveling, including trips to Europe and China. He is survived by niece Alice Stonecipher and nephew William Clemens.
Nasser Daneshvary, professor of economics and director of the Lied Institute of Real Estate studies, died unexpectedly Aug. 17. A member of the UNLV faculty since 1990, he had served as chair of the department of economics, interim chair of the department of management, associate dean, associate vice provost for academic resources, and chair of the Faculty Senate. He frequently was quoted in the media about the local housing market and foreclosure situation. While at UNLV he oversaw the creation of the executive master's degree in business administration as well as of the dual master's degrees between business and the dental and law schools. Before coming to UNLV he taught at Southeast Missouri State University, Norwich University in Vermont, and Tusculum College in Tennessee. Survivors include his wife, Rennae of UNLV's Center for Business and Economic Research, and son Arash.
John "Jack" Dettre, emeritus professor of educational administration, died Sept. 1. A native of Ohio, he earned four degrees from Ohio State University. He had a career as a radio announcer before changing job paths. He worked as a high school teacher, principal, and county superintendent in rural Ohio. He then taught at the State University of New York, Buffalo; the University of New Mexico; the University of Kentucky; and North Texas State University before joining the UNLV faculty. Besides teaching at UNLV, he served as interim director of the library. He also was one of the first announcers at Runnin' Rebel games. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He is survived by his wife, Judith; sons Jay and Jeffrey; daughter Janna Jensen; and grandchildren Justin Dettre, Mikaela Jensen, John Church, and Joseph Church.
Leonard "Pat" Goodall, UNLV's fourth president, died July 2. Goodall, who came to the university as president in 1979, chose to leave that post in 1984, becoming a professor of management and public administration -- a post he held until retiring in 2000. He was emeritus president and professor of public administration. While battling inoperable brain cancer, he wrote his book, An Investor's Memoir: Lessons Learned From Sixty Years in the Stock Market Without One Day on the Sidelines, which was published earlier this year. During his tenure as president, UNLV's physical campus changed markedly. Both Frank and Estella Beam Hall and the Alta Ham Fine Arts Building were constructed. The 18,000-seat Thomas & Mack Center also was completed. His tenure also saw the creation of the UNLV Foundation, the launching of the Barrick Lecture Series, and the establishment of graduate programs in geoscience, hotel administration, and accounting. Before coming to UNLV, he served at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle, Arizona State University, and the University of Michigan-Dearborn where he was the campus's first chancellor. The Missouri native, who picked up the nickname "Pat" because he was born the day before St. Patrick's Day, served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1958 to 1964. He is survived by Lois, his wife of nearly 53 years; daughters Karen Crane and Karla Powers; son Gregory; and nine grandchildren.
Ronald Smith, vice president for research and dean of the Graduate College, died June 23. He recently had completed his 40th year at UNLV, having arrived in 1972 as an assistant professor of sociology. He had served the university in a number of administrative posts, including department chair, assistant dean of the College of Arts and Letters, interim senior vice president and provost, and interim president. During his time as dean of the Graduate College, UNLV established more than 60 doctoral and master's degrees. He created the office of research integrity and was the founding executive director of the urban sustainability initiative. He published three books and more than 30 journal articles and book chapters. His academic specializations were community and urban sociology, community sustainability, architectural sociology, and organizational performance. He is survived by his wife, Susan Thompson, director of UNLV's office of international programs; daughter Kelleen Pellegrino; granddaughters Zoe and Kate Pellegrino; and sister, Eleanor Cranmer.
Herman Westfall, emeritus vice president for business affairs, died April 9. He moved to Las Vegas in 1962 and became the first business manager for what was then the Southern Regional Division of the University of Nevada. He retired 25 years later as vice president of business affairs for UNLV. The campus's Herman Westfall Building is named in his honor. Born in Arkansas, he served two years in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II as an aerial gunner. In retirement he enjoyed spending time with family; fishing; square dancing; playing cards; traveling to Dana Point, Calif.; and rooting for the Runnin' Rebels. Survivors include Faye, his wife of 63 years; daughters Cheryl Brecheisen and Kathie Lewis; granddaughters Jamie, Jessica, Shannon, and Rebecca; and great-granddaughters Ariana and Cassidy.
