ASU Retirees Association (ASURA) Video History Project Interviews

Roy Doyle was born and raised in Arizona, the son of a cotton farmer and a teacher. Roy’s father passed away when he was in the 6th grade leaving his mother to raise 3 boys and a daughter. Roy began his working career as a morning and evening paper boy for the Arizona Republic and the Gazette. After high school, he enrolled in what was then Arizona State Teachers College to pursue a degree in Education. His college career was interrupted by the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the war, he returned to ASTC, along with his new bride, to complete his degree.

His first position after graduation was at the Madison School in Phoenix. During the summers, he attended the Teachers College at Columbia University where he earned his masters and PhD in Education and Administration. He returned to now named Arizona State University where he began his career in the College of Education. His first position was as Principal of the Payne Training School, an on-campus K-8 school designed as a training school for future teachers. He served as assistant and associate dean for the College of Education prior to his retirement.

Donald (Don) Dotts began his association with ASU first as a student and then as a staff member in the ASU Alumni Association. He later became the Director of the Alumni Association before moving to the Development Office to work as a fund raiser prior to his retirement.

This interview recaps Don’s experiences working with the founder of the Alumni Association, Jimmy Creasman in developing the Alumni Association as well as his continued work in expanding the role of the Alumni Association at ASU. He also recaps experiences working for the various University Presidents who served during his tenure at ASU. He has many, many stories that will hold your attention as you listen to this interview!

Quinton Bogart came to ASU in 1970 from Texas Southmost College, a community college in Brownsville, Texas where he had been President. He joined the Center for the Study of Higher Education, now called Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, in the Education College. Quinton’s area of interest was community colleges and the important role they play. Universities and Community Colleges are often in competition and this interview shows how he was able to work for both sides: helping community college districts, developing future community college teachers and administrators, and working to smooth the transfer from community colleges to Arizona’s universities. Quinton discusses working with President Michael Crow to have the Retiree’s Association officially recognized as part of ASU.

Dr. Larry E. Penley was the dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business for 12 years. Dr. Penley came to ASU in 1985 and served for one year as the Chair of the Management Department within the College of Business. He was born in Virginia but grew up in eastern Tennessee. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lake Forest University and then went on to receive his PhD in management from the University of Georgia.

As mentioned, Dr. Penley came to ASU in 1985 as the Chair of the Management Department. He assumed the role of interim Dean for the College of Business when then Dean, John Kraft left ASU. In this interview he describes the College of Business as it developed a top ranked graduate program as well as a top ranked undergraduate program. He also touches on how the College would later become known as the W. P. Carey School of Business.

Kristin Valentine came to ASU in 1976 and joined the Communication faculty in the Fine Arts College. She retired as professor of Human Communication in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication twenty-eight years later. Kristin describes what oral interpretation of literature is and the interview includes numerous examples of oral interp and how it enhanced the transfer of new ideas to an audience / community. The interview covers the creation of the School of Public Programs and the changing role of women at ASU. The interview ends with a discussion of the importance of community.

Charlie Arntzen joined ASU in August 2000 as the Florence Ely Nelson Presidential Endowed Chair and retired in 2016 from the School of Life Sciences and Biodesign Institute. Charlie was the founding Director of the Biodesign Institute.
Important ASU stories include:
1) the creation of the Biodesign Institute,
2) the design and operation of the Biodesign labs,
3) the development of ZMapp to fight Ebola,
4) The New American University - a discussion of the importance of collaboration, and
5) several comments about Presidents Coor and Crow and Provost Glick

Charles Allen graduated from ASU in 1960; worked at KAET for four years; moved to Allentown PA; worked in Hollywood for 14 years; returned to KAET in 1980; and retired in 1995 as the third Director of KAET. His interview is divided into three videos: Early Years, ASC/U Years, and KAET Years. There are stories about the name change, the Tempe campus (size and faculty), Kay Gammage and Al Michaels. There are ten Hollywood stories many involving well know Hollywood personages. As Program Director of KAET, Allen recounts two memorable programs: the Supreme Court nomination hearings for Sandra Day O’Conner and the live coverage of an open heart surgery.

Dr. Milton Glick grew up wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a jeweler. However, his father had other plans for him and insisted that he attend college. Milt received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Augustana College in his hometown of Rock Island, IL. He went on to receive his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He spent 2 years as a Post-Doctoral student at Cornell University before joining the faculty of Wayne State University. From there, he went to serve as Dean at the University of Missouri and then Provost at Iowa State University, serving as interim President in his final year. In 1991 he joined the administration of ASU as Provost and remained here for 15 years. He spent almost 5 years as President of the University of Nevada, Reno before unexpectedly passing away of a stroke in April 2011.

In this interview, Milt talks about his goals of improving the quality of the faculty at ASU from being the “ordinary” that he found when he arrived to becoming the “extraordinary”. He attributes his success in improving faculty salaries as one aspect of achieving this goal. He talks about the challenges ASU had living in the shadows of the greatness of the University of Arizona and overcoming those to where the UofA now looks up to ASU! Milt also talks about his role as the “Zen master of managing limited budgets” during his years at ASU. And he speaks of the special relationship he had with now President Michael Crow, from his years at Iowa State, to using Michael as a consultant and mentor to him in his role as Provost at ASU and finally to having Dr. Crow as his “boss”. Throughout the interview, Milt stressed his love for ASU and mentioned that ASU was “more than just a destination for sunlight.”