Giles, Reva

Reva Giles grew up in the little town of New Carlisle, Indiana and was one of twelve children. Her mother stayed home with the children while her father worked for Studebaker, a large automobile manufacturer. Right after high school, Giles moved to Redland, California, to live with a sister, working first at an ice cream shop and then a bank.

Giles married a military man, and she and their three sons followed him as he was transferred first to Las Vegas, Nevada, then Okinawa, Japan, and finally Utah. When he retired in 1964, they returned to Las Vegas, where he went to work for Pete Findlay Oldsmobile. Their middle son Stuart played football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Giles got involved in fundraising and ticket sales for the team. Giles always enjoyed helping students, and from the ticket office she moved into admissions, and then student services. She worked for Drs. Ackerman and Burns helping to certify athletes, and from there went into career services, helping students find jobs and practice interview techniques.

After Giles retired, Susie Smith asked her to come back and help, which she did gladly. She volunteers as an office aide to Susie Smith as well as Mike Hamrick, athletic director at UNLV.