Veteran UNLV communication studies professor Allan B. Padderud has died following a long battle with cancer. He was 49.
A memorial service will be held for him on the UNLV campus Dec. 7 at 5 p.m. in the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall lobby.
Padderud, who joined the UNLV faculty in 1976, pioneered in the development of broadcasting and television production education at the university, teaching such courses as introduction to broadcasting, videotape editing, television production, and mass communication theory.
Known by his students as "Dr. Al," he was widely praised for his accessible and friendly teaching style and received the Alex G. and Faye Spanos Distinguished Teaching Award at UNLV in 1986.
Padderud was also recognized for his contributions to many television documentaries, such as "Computer Imagery: Visions of the Mind's Eye," which was aired by 60 PBS stations nationwide, and "Zzyzx: The Last Word in the Mojave," also broadcast by several PBS stations. He produced many television public service announcements for UNLV as well.
He was the coauthor of several articles in such scholarly publications as "Journalism Quarterly" and "Journal of Communication" and presented many professional papers at national and regional communication conferences. A textbook he coauthored with three UNLV colleagues is currently under review.
Padderud often worked side by side with graduate students on mass communication research projects, providing them with the skills and guidance necessary to have their studies published in scholarly journals.
He was also a leading force in the establishment of UNLV-TV, which enables students to see their work aired locally on cable.
Padderud held a bachelor's degree in mass communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle and master's and doctoral degrees in the same subject from Ohio State University.
Padderud is survived by his wife, Joanne; parents, Al and Nancy Padderud; brothers, Eric and Dave; and sister, Linda Fisher.
His family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to The UNLV Foundation Allan Padderud Memorial Fund.
