Connie McNeill came to ASU in the summer of 1976 as head of the payroll project and retired in the summer of 2006 as the West Campus Assistant Vice Provost for Information Technology. Interesting stories include:
1) her role in developing both academic and administrative computing services on the Tempe and West Campuses
2) bringing PC’s onto the Tempe Campus
3) the “Space Wars”
4) short stories about Roland Haden and Darel Eschbach

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

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

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!

Born in Arizona, the son of educators, Lattie F. Coor was the 15th President of ASU. He attended NAU for his undergraduate degree and went on to receive his masters and PhD from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He remained at Washington University as a faculty member, eventually becoming its Vice Chancellor. In 1976, Lattie left to become the 21st President of the University of Vermont. In January of 1990, Lattie returned to Arizona to become the 15th President of ASU, remaining as President until 2002. After his retirement as President of ASU, Lattie stayed as a Professor and Ernest W. McFarland Chair in Leadership and Public Policy in the University's School of Public Affairs. He also co-founded the Center for the Future of Arizona where he continues to serve on the Board of Directors.

In his interview, Lattie recaps his life growing up in Arizona during the war years, providing many stories of his experiences with the various prisoner of war camps located in Arizona. He indicates that originally he thought he would become a lawyer and perhaps enter a political career, but then early on in his post-secondary work, he was greatly influenced by one of his professors at NAU and turned to pursuing a career in academics. From there he unfolds the story of his life as a professor and an academic administrator.