Program from Christmas with Class at the Thomas and Mack Center, December 16, 1983

CHIRSTMAS WITH CLASS, THOMAS & MACK CENTER, DECEMBER 16, 1983 OUR GRATITUDE to FRANK SINATRA DEAN MARTIN AND DIANA ROSS TO SAMMY DAVIS JR. OUR GET WELL WISHES FROM THE CITY YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL "HOME" LAS VEGAS, NEVADA E. PARRY THOMAS AND JEROME MACK It is appropriate that the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' new sports arena, which will be the site of some of the na-tion 's finest displays of teamwork, bears the name, Thomas and Mack Center. Afterall, no other "team" has been more instrumental in making the dream of the arena into reality than E. Parry Thomas and Jerome D. Mack. The business relationship and personal friendship of the twosome go back nearly three decades to 1954, when Thomas arrived in Las Vegas with plans to form a new bank. He met Mack, who along with his father had established the Bank of Las Vegas (now known as Valley Bank) several years earlier, and they soon became good friends and business partners. Since that time, Thomas and Mack have advanced to chairman of the executive com-mittee and vice chairman of the board of Valley Bank, respectively. The prominent bankers have participated in numerous philanthropic and civic ventures. Together they founded the local chapters of the United Fund and the National Conference of Chris-tians and Jews, and they played prominent roles in the creation of the Nevada Develop-ment Authority. Higher education also has been a top priority for both men. Recognizing the value of a university within a community, they have contributed their time and money individually to their alma maters and collectively to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. E. Parry Thomas Mack and Thomas' support of UNLV began in 1966 when they learned that the school owned just 55 acres of land in Clark County. They knew that Nevada Southern (as UNLV was known then) would never develop into a full-fledged university campus without more land, and they also knew that state funds for the university were scarce. So, the two men solicited the support of other community business leaders and formed the Nevada Southern (now UNLV) Land Foundation. With major backing from the Bank of Las Vegas, Mack negotiated the real estate transactions for some 300 acres of land and Thomas handled the intricate financial details. Then, over the years as the state allocated funds for land purchases, the Land Foundation sold the land to the state at cost, saving the university $40 million. Thomas and Mack have continued to support UNLV as members of the board of trustees for the UNLV Foundation. In fact, Thomas is serv-ing as chairman of the current annual giving campaign. While their teamwork has reaped benefits for so many organizations and institutions, Thomas and Mack also are known for their individual accomplishments. A native of Ogden, Utah, Parry Thomas was graduated from the University of Utah in 1947. He then entered the banking business in Salt Lake City. In addition to his involvement in UNLV and previously mentioned organizations, Parry is an active member of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, Boy Scouts of America, Boys Club of Clark County, the Na-tional Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in Utah, the Salva-tion Army Fund, the Nevada State Board of Finance, In-dependent Bankers Association and the Nevada Bankers Association. Among numerous other awards, Parry has received an honorary doctor of laws degree and Distinguished Citizen Award from UNLV, Distinguished Merit Citation from the National Conference of Christians and Jews and the Israeli Prime Minister's Medal. Parry and his wife, the former Peggy Chatterton, have five children; Peter, Roger, Steven, Thomas, and Jane. A resident of Las Vegas since he was ten-years-old, Jerome D. Mack was a member of the first graduating class of Boulder City Grammar School and the 1938 class of Las Vegas High School. He earned bachelor of science and associate of arts degrees from the University of California-Los Angeles. After serving three years as a navigator in the United States Air Force during World War II, he returned to Las Vegas to join his father in the banking business. Throughout his many years here, Jerry Mack has found time to serve on the boards of Democratic party committees, the UCLA Foundation Board of Trustees, the Nevada Tax Commission, the State of Nevada School Study Advisory Board, Boulder Dam Council of Boy Scouts of America and the United Jewish Appeal, among others. Included among the many awards which have been bestowed upon him are an honorary doctor of laws degree from UNLV, the Distinguished Merit Citation from the National Conference of Christians and Jews, Outstanding Nevada Citizen and the State of Israel's Peace Award and Prime Minister's Medal. Jerry and his wife, Joyce, who also was graduated from UCLA, are the parents of three daughters; Barbara, Karen and Marilyn. This evening's pagentry, music and comedy have been described by those who have planned it as "the biggest party ever in Las Vegas. " E. Parry Thomas and Jerome D. Mack deserve nothing less. Jerome Mack THOMAS AND MACK CENTER Situated on the southwest corner of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, the $30 million Thomas and Mack Center is the newest addition to the "Entertainment Capital of the World" and the largest structure of its kind in the state of Nevada. Constructed with state-of-the-art engineering capabilities, the Center can handle a wide variety of athletic events ? including basketball, wrestling, tennis, volleyball, gymnastics, soccer, hockey, ice skating and rodeo ? as well as events ranging from in-timate meetings to concerts, conferences, keynote addresses, circuses and commence-ment exercises. The Center features a 18,000-seat arena. Spectators have optimal sight lines from arm-chair seats in 51 rows of two tiers. Conference rooms, the Redd Room (restaurant with bar), ticket and administrative offices, press room, locker rooms and snack bars surround the arena area. The home of the nationally known UNLV Runnin' Rebel basketball team, the Thomas and Mack Center also is the home floor for the Rebel women's basketball and wrestling teams. The Center is the fourth largest on-campus arena in the United States. NATHAN ADELSON HOSPICE PROGRAM The Nathan Adelson Hospice is a licensed health care agency that provides hospice, or palliative care, for terminally ill patients and their families in Clark County. Hospice is a concept of care for patients with life-threatening illnesses when the goal is comfort and peace rather than cure. Under the direction of a patient's physician, the hospice care team of nurses, social workers, clergy and volunteers offers medical care and psychological and spiritual support in the home. And, if the patient's symptoms become severe and require monitoring or skilled nursing, admission into the recently opened hospice facility, featuring a beautiful, home-like environment, is available. The 20-bed facility, a licensed, acute-care, specialty hospital, is one of only five such freestanding structures in the United States. The facility's location on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus offers yet another area of growth for the program as well as the university. While hospice patients and families benefit from the vitality that emanates from a university setting, the substantive issues dealt with in the hospice setting offer exceptional education oppor-tunities for future physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, sociologists, geron-tologists and other professional fields dealing with human services. No other method could offer a better understanding of caring for the dying patient and family than hospice field placement. Since the beginning of the home-care program in 1980, the Nathan Adelson Hospice has provided services for nearly 350 patients and their families. With approximately 650 deaths from cancer each year in Clark County, it is estimated that more than half of these patients and families will be choosing hospice care within the next few years. Plans are underway for the formation of the Nathan Adelson Hospice Foundation, which will seek donations to support continuance of the program. More information about the Nathan Adelson Hospice is available by calling 733-0320. " NATHAN ADELSON As a youngster, Nathan Adelson moved with his family from his native Omaha to Los Angeles, where he and his brothers eventually started a grocery business. Moving to Las Vegas in 1954, he and his son, Merv, owned and operated a chain of 24-hour grocery stores known as Market Town?which was to be the forerunner of the modern supermarket. The Adelsons soon also became interested in the land development and construction business which they pursued with Irwin Molasky, a local builder and developer; and, in 1955, together they designed and built Sunrise Hospital. Nate Adelson became administrator of that hospital in 1961 and later its president. "Mr. A " was an exceptionally compassionate, concerned man whose genuine interest in others was well known. He always found time to visit with everyone and his love for others was evidenced daily as he talked game scores with the janitor, played with a con-valescing child, joked with the floor nurse, or held the hand of the aged. Indeed, Mr. A's compassion and caring were the characteristics which made him a great man and for which he is most devotedly remembered. Nate Adelson's expertise and leadership as a manager and adminstrator were the driv-ing forces behind Sunrise Hospital's emergence into national prominence. He was a director of the Board of Federation of American Hospitals and, quite aptly, the Hospital's north tower was named in honor of Mr. A and his wife, Pearl. Adelson's humanitarian endeavors included participation in Temple Beth Am, foun-ding of a Masonic Lodge, Bluecoats, United Way, Temple Beth Sholom, Child Haven, the Las Vegas Symphony, and University programs. He was awarded the Israeli Prime Minister's Medal by Menachem Begin in 1972 in recognition of his devotion to the State of Israel and his tireless efforts in its behalf. Having lived with the greatest of dignity for 73 years, Nate Adelson died of cancer in his Las Vegas home in 1978. Inspired by his outreaching and encompassing love for others, Adelson's widow, Pearl, his son, Merv, and grandchildren Ellie, Gary and Andy contemplated a fitting memorial to this beautiful man who had given so much of himself to so many others. It was in this manner that Nate Adelson's memory has come to be honored by a hospice program that not only bears his name but in essence exists only to perpetuate his way of life: promoting comfort, dignity and quality of life for mankind. UNLV FOUNDATION: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADEQUATE AND EXCELLENT The UNLV Foundation is the University's official private fundraising authority. Recognizing that state support for higher education in Nevada is among the lowest in the nation, UNLV's donors, Regents, administrators and friends created the UNLV Foundation to actively raise the private gifts that mean the difference between an ex-cellent and a merely adequate education. Private gifts allow the University to offer a wide variety of scholarships and fellowships to talented and deserving students, to establish named professorships, en-dowed courses and visiting lectureships; to purchase the most modern teaching and research equipment; to acquire special library collections; to institute innovative courses of study; to establish and renovate facilities in support of academic and cultural pro-grams and to conduct special projects such as the proposed establishment of the new UNLV School of Engineering and Computing Sciences. The UNLV Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt, charitable organization that ex-ists solely in support of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. We raise, manage and deliver donations from individuals, corporations, foundations and other private sources. Assisted by a professional staff the Foundation's prominent Board of Trustees seeks the private funds that are essential as our University strives to fulfill its mission of excellence in teaching, research and services. Gifts to the Foundation are either designated or undesignated. When the donor's gift is designated to a specific university program or function, the Foundation acts as a con-duit and delivers the funds intact according to the donor's wishes. When the donor's gift is an undesignated contribution, the Foundation may invest the funds, apply them to fundraising programs or deliver them to the University according to the administra-tion's institutional priority requests. Undesignated funds allow UNLV to apply the donation wherever the need is greatest. Donations can be made in the form of cash or non-cash. The Foundation conducts several active giving programs on behalf of our University; annual giving, special and major giving and planned giving. The UNLV Foundation publicly recognizes two major annual donor clubs: the Presi-dent's Associates ($1,000 undesignated) and the Founder's Society ($2,500 undesignated). Clearly, private gifts are essential if the University of Nevada, Las Vegas is to take its rightful place among our nation's great seats of higher learning. So, when you see a UNLV President's Associate or Founder's Society plaque, you know that the individual or corporation displaying the Foundation's plaque is materially contributing to the future of Southern Nevada. The UNLV Foundation is delighted to be able to end its first year offull operation by hosting the biggest party in the history of this exciting city in honor of two of our foun-ding board members, while raising funds in fulfillment of our important mission. The UNLV Foundation Board and University we serve welcomes you to this glorious evening and thank you for playing an important role in contributing toward the growth of academic excellence at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. UNLV FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES Marjorie Barrick Founder, Barrick Endowment Sam Battistone President and Owner Utah Jazz Basketball Team Tom Beam Investor Bill Bennett Chairman, Circus Circus Ernie Becker, Sr. President, Becker Enterprises Bill Boyd President, Sam's Town and California Hotel Jim Cashman, Jr. President, Cashman Enterprises George Dickerson Attorney at Law Margaret Elardi President and Owner Pioneer Club Frank Fertitta President, Bingo Palace Mike Gaughan President Barbary Coast Hotel and Casino Jay Goldinger Investment Broker Cantor, Fitzgerald and Co., Inc. Art Ham, Jr. Attorney at Law Jerry Herbst President Terrible Herbst Oil Company Nancy Houssels Chairman of the Board Nevada Dance Theatre William Laub, Sr. President Southwest Gas Corporation Fred Lewis Vice President, Summa Corp. Jerry Mack Vice Chairman of the Board Valley Bank of Nevada Sherman Miller Chairman of the Board Nevada Savings & Loan /Issoc. Irwin Molasky President, Paradise Development Bill Morris President and General Manager Landmark Hotel & Casino Wayne Newton President, Wayne Newton International Resorts Cliff Perlman Dunes Hotel and Casino Faye Petersen-Johnson Secretary and Treasurer, Westward Ho Marilyn Redd International Gaming Technology Sig Rogich President, R&R Advertising Chuck Ruthe President, Charles Ruthe and Assoc. Grant Sawyer Attorney at Law Frank Scott Chairman of the Board First Western Financial Corporation Holding Co. Frank Sinatra Entertainer Kenneth Sullivan, Jr. President, Tiger Investment George Swarts Certified Public Accountant Parry Thomas Chairman of the Executive Committee Valley Bank of Nevada Harry Wald President and Chief Operating Officer Caesars World and Caesars Palace Louis Wiener, Jr. Attorney at Law Tom Wiesner President Wiesner Investment Company Claudine Williams President and General Manager Holiday Casino Elaine Wynn Director, Golden Nugget FOUNDATION STAFF: Buck Deadrich Charles Parrott Charlotte Boyle, Ph.D. Brenda Cikity Executive Director Associate Director Annual Giving Director Administrative Assistant THE NATHAN ADELSON HOSPICE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Merv Adelson Co-Chairman Pearl Adelson Co-Chairman Irwin Molasky Co-Chairman Renny Ashleman Donald H. Baepler AI Benedict Eli Boyer David Brandsness Sharon Brandsness Monterey Brookman Irwin Buchalter Anthony Carter, M.D. Don Digilio Thalia Dondero Lovee DuBoef Harold Erickson Hank Greenspun Mel Hecht Charles Kilduff, M.D. Jerry Kring Samuel Lionel Ron Lurie Jerome Mack Jerry Mandel Marydean Martin Mary Ann Michel Susan Molasky Mike O'Callaghan Owen Peck, M.D. Lee Rich AI lard Roen Willis Russell, M.D. Arthur Sandoval Art Smith William K. Stephen, M.D. Muriel Stevens E. Parry Thomas Richard Thomas David Zenoff CORPORATE SPONSORS Anderson Dairy Paradise Development Barbary Coast Pioneer Club - Laughlin Ernest A. Becker Enterprises Realty Holdings Bingo Palace Saks Fifth A venue Brady Industries Sahara Hotel Circus-Circus Showboat Collins Brothers Sierra Construction First Western Savings Southern Wine & Spirits Golden Nugget Southwest Gas Hilton Hotels A. G. Spanos Holiday Casino Stardust Lorimar Tropica na Marnell Corrao Associates Union Plaza Neiman-Marcus Valley Bank of Nevada Nevada Savings & Loan Western Linen Olson Glass of Nevada B. P. Williams SPECIAL THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICES AND DONATIONS American Sign and Indicator Corp. Renee Aravena Alligator Soup, Inc. Amalgamated Plant Company Ernie Becker, Sr. Bullock's Department Store The Caterer's Channel 3 KVBC Channel 8 KLAS Channel 13 KTNV Clark High School Marching Band - William McMosley Creel Printing Donrey Outdoor Advertising Glen Edwards Fashion Show Mall French Bouquet Gatsby's Party Rentals Golden Nugget Greyhound Exposition Services Ralph Jones Display Los Angeles Herald Examiner - Charles Supin Las Vegas Display Las Vegas Sun - Entire Staff Lorimar Meadows Mall Nannicola Wholesale Company Nellis A ir Force Base Ken O'Connell Paradise Development Company Joe Parnello Orchestra Passkey Systems R & R Advertising Special Events Inc. - Herb McDonald Spectrum Ticketing C. K. Spurlock Summa Thomas & Mack Management Tuxedo Junction TYOH Advertising - Doris Young UNLV Athletic Ticket Office UNLV Dance Department U. S. Post Office - Roberta Galloway Valley Bank of Nevada Valley Decorating Valley Hallmark Vegas Ad Lite Searchlites Volume Services Western Linen - Larry & Lovee DuBoef