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.

Conrad Storad came to ASU in 1986 where he split his time between the ASU News Bureau and Vice President for Research where he was tasked to create a research newsletter. Conrad talks about working in a small-town newspaper, going to graduate school at ASU, working at the National Cancer Institute and returning to ASU. He tells how ASU Research magazine grew to include social science and humanities articles and how he came to publish a research magazine for children, Chain Reaction. The interview ends with how he came to write Don’t Call Me Pig, a children’s picture book.

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.

With hundreds of different stories, the following tips are given to make it easier to find interview(s) of interest.

1. If you have a specific person, topic, or event, enter this in the "Search this collection" box and hit return. Any and all interviews having the search text somewhere in the interview will be listed to the right.

2. If you would like to listen to stories from a certain group of people, e.g., Deans or Faculty, then use the Series tab located in the gray area at the left side of the screen.

2A. Open the tab by clicking on the carrot at the right of the tab. You will see choices, e.g., Faculty / Administration, along with the number of interviews for that group.

2B. Click on your choice which reduces the interviews to only those of the group selected and a new set.

2C. You can refine your selection by clicking on one of the new groups displayed. All interviews that satisfy both categories selected will be displayed to the right.

3. If you would like to listen to stories about a topic, e.g., West campus, use the Subject tab located in the gray area at the left of the screen. The process is identical to that described above in item 2.

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