Brent Brown, a faculty member of the School of Public Programs, served for many years as ASU's chief lobbyist. The interview covered a number of topics including: working to get ASU to be viewed as a player at the Legislature and Board of Regents, planning for West Campus, Downtown Campus, and Polytechnic Campus, the arrival of the NFL and becoming a Research 1 University.

Dr. J. Russell Nelson came to ASU in 1981 to be University President and he retired in 1989. He was born in Oregon but grew up in California and Utah. He received his PhD from UCLA and proceeded to teach at the University of Minnesota. He honed his administrative skills at the University of Colorado. When he arrived at ASU he was given the task of moving the university to a research university. In the interview he talks about the lack of teaching space and the effort required to reorient the faculties’ focus. Nelson spoke at length about several buildings, Hayden Library and the Nelson Fine Arts Center. There is discussion about getting around the Regents to get funding for the West Campus and the effort required to clean up the athletic department.

Destined to be the third generation working at the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co., the Cleveland born and raised boy who got kicked out of High School 5 times before graduating, became a key founder of not only Channel 8 but also the ASU Retirees Association! Bob Ellis speaks very candidly about his life growing up in Cleveland, military service and then student at Arizona State College as a secondary education major with an emphasis in speech and drama; his first job at KOY and how he married his boss, his biggest influence in his career. Bob was an on-air personality at KOY. He was lured to come to ASU to help start a new television station that would become Channel 8 (KAET). In his interview, he tells stories of the beginnings of Channel and how it grew from being a place for “tele-courses” to a member of the PBS family. He also tells of another contribution he made to ASU – one of the founders of the ASU Retirees Association!

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.

A native of Akron, Ohio, Jack Kingsinger started his career fresh out of high school as a navigator in the Air Force toward the end of World War II. When the war ended, he pursued a double major Bachelors degree in Chemistry and Mathematics at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. He then went on to get a Masters degree in Chemistry from Cornell University. While working in private industry, he took advantage of the education benefits offered by the company he was working at and worked at getting his PhD in Chemistry from Penn. Academia was calling him, so he joined the faculty in the Chemistry Department at Michigan State. He later became the Chair of the department before leaving to become the Director of Chemistry at the National Science Foundation. He returned to Michigan State as the Assistant VP of Research which led to becoming the Associate Provost.

His journey to Arizona State University was actually initiated on a trip he made to visit the Chemistry Department as part of his role with the NSF. He was very impressed with the campus and when the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs opened up, he was quick to pursue it. He was hired by then President J. Russell Nelson and worked on many initiatives until his retirement.

Paige Mulhollan came to ASU in 1978 as ASU’s first Provost. He left in 1985 to become President of Wright State University in Ohio. Paige discusses the impact of Frank Kush’s firing on President John Schwada and the birthing of ASU West. At several points Paige discusses the need for ASU to take advantage of Phoenix rather than just being located in Phoenix. Aspects of the University budget are discussed. There are a set of ASU reflections and reflections on an academic career.

Gus Edwards, Professor of Theater and Films, retired from ASU in 2010. Gus first came to ASU as Playwright in Residence in 1984-86 and returned as an Associate Professor in 1988.

In the interview Gus talks about growing up in St. Thomas and moving to New York City in 1959. Gus goes on to discuss:
• Living and Working in New York
• Becoming a Playwright culminating with presentation of “The Offering” performed by the Negro Ensemble Company.
• His Academic Career teaching theater at ASU
• His thought about writing
• His experiences teaching film, the creation of a Film School, and Running Wild Films
• Challenges, the need for University’s to promote experimental work, and the need to follow your passion

Robert (Bob) Barnhill came to ASU in 1986 as Chair of the Computer Science Department and left in 1997 as the Vice President for Research. The interview addresses a number of topics including the beginnings of Computer Graphics, moving the Computer Science Department to a more research-oriented effort, achieving Research 1 status, working with the University of Arizona to develop a new statewide Intellectual Property template, dodging the Unabomber and playing soccer. Common themes throughout the interview include Bob’s success at getting groups of people to actually do something other than just meet and the importance of a strategic plan.

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