The following obituaries were published as part of the spring 2023 issue of the UNLV Magazine.
Carol C. Harter, president emerita, died Sept. 14 at age 82. She steered the university through rapid growth from 1995-2006, setting the stage for its rise as a Carnegie R1 research institution. As president, she oversaw the creation of more than 100 new degree programs, the opening of the schools of Law, Dental Medicine, and Architecture, and the construction of 17 new buildings. She spearheaded funding to create the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs and launched the Invent the Future campaign, the most ambitious fundraising program in UNLV history.
“Las Vegas was growing like crazy and the institution was very young and was in competition with [University of Nevada, Reno] to get started,” she said in a 2022 article in the UNLV News Center. “It was just an aspirational kind of feeling — that we could make something great out of UNLV. And I think it's happened.”
Throughout her life, she broke through the "glass ceiling" that often prevented talented women from achieving their fullest potential. She served in numerous dean and vice presidential roles at Ohio University, and was the first female president at State University of New York at Geneseo prior to becoming the first female, and longest-serving, president at UNLV.
“Just keep going — that’s my number one piece of advice,” Harter said she told young women in academia. “You know who you are … don’t let anybody stop you or say, ‘That’s not your job.’”
Harter was a fierce advocate for students. When she stepped down as president, student leaders requested the Board of Regents name the Classroom Building Complex in her honor.
Such a fruitful career didn’t end with her presidency in 2006. Harter, along with English professor Richard Wiley, cofounded the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute, headquartered at UNLV. As its executive director until her 2014 retirement, she helped bring acclaimed writers, including Noble Laureates Toni Morrison, Wole Soyinka, and Derek Walcott, to campus for public readings and student workshops. BMI established Las Vegas as the first City of Asylum in the U.S. for writers facing persecution in their home countries. It also financially supports resident writers, humanities research fellows, and PhD in creative writing students.
Harter was born in Brooklyn, New York, and earned her bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees in American Literature. She leaves behind her husband of 62 years, Mike Harter; two sons and a daughter-in-law; a great-granddaughter; and a number siblings, nieces, and nephews.
Robert Boehm, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering, died Oct. 6, 2023. He was a researcher in renewable energy. His 32-year tenure included serving as director of the UNLV Center for Energy Research and department chair, he helped build the international reputation of UNLV and brought in more than $50 million in research awards. His textbook on thermal systems design was used in many mechanical engineering programs across the country.
Michael Bowers, political science professor, died June 2, 2023. A faculty member since 1984, Bowers taught students the judicial process and constitutional law. His books, The Sagebrush State: Nevada’s History, Government, and Politics and The Nevada State Constitution, are essential textbooks in Nevada political science courses. He also served in multiple administrative roles, including interim executive vice president and provost from 2009 to 2012. He received numerous awards, including Outstanding Faculty Award from the Nevada System of Higher Education and the Liberty Bell Award from the Clark County Bar Association.
Harvey Allen Godorov, ’74 M.Ed and ’79 Ed.D., died June 8, 2023. He served 42 years as the announcer for the Star of Nevada Marching Band. Godorov performed in numerous Las Vegas Strip productions, hosted various local radio shows, and taught at the College of Southern Nevada and at UNLV. His honors include election to the Nevada Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame and UNLV College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame. His survivors include his wife, Gail, and four children, all of whom earned degrees at UNLV: Adam, Jordan, and Marissa Godorov, and Dory Mizrachi.
Paul Hesselink, organist and adjunct professor of music since 1993, died in May. He played a major role in securing the Maureen Jackson Smith Organ in Dr. Arturo Rando-Grillot Hall. He was also affiliated with Nevada School of the Arts, serving as dean for 12 years, and several regional and national music societies. In April 1996, he was the harpsichordist for the world premiere of Nevett Bartow’s Concerto for Harpsichord and Chamber Orchestra with Nevada Chamber Orchestra.
Pierre Liénard, professor of anthropology, died Aug. 1, 2023, after a six-year battle with cancer. On faculty since 2008, Liénard was born and raised in Belgium, and conducted numerous research projects around the world. He was known for his collaborative work with graduate students and published works on individual and collective ritualized behavior in leading research journals.
John Nasshan, host of KUNV 91.5 radio station for more than 25 years, died July 12, 2023. Nasshan was inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame in 2013. He was also a world-class drummer and performed with likes of Frank Sinatra and Chuck Berry and recently performed as principal percussionist/timpanist with the Henderson Symphony Orchestra. He joined KUNV initially as a volunteer. On staff full-time since 2003, he mentored numerous broadcast journalism and media studies students.
Gene Smith, professor emeritus of geoscience, died June 23, 2023. He joined UNLV in 1977 and eventually developed UNLV’s master’s and Ph.D. programs in geoscience. He retired in 2013, but he continued his research programs and created a new Cryptotephra Laboratory for Archaeological and Geological Research. His research focused on igneous petrology and volcanology, with projects extending to Antarctica, Mexico, South Africa, and Russia. He also studied the volcanic hazards for the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. His research is memorialized in an extensive collection of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. In 1999, he won the UNLV College of Sciences Distinguished Researcher Award and in 2006, he was the recipient of the Harry Reid Nevada Star Award for Research. He is survived by his wife, Diane Piper Smith, a professor emerita of astronomy.
Klaus J. Stetzenbach, a chemist, died in June 2023. He joined UNLV’s Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies in 1987 and served as its executive director from 2004 until his retirement in 2008. He collaborated extensively with faculty across campus while making significant contributions to scientific advancements in hydrology, chemistry, and chemical fate and transport. Stetzenbach taught graduate courses in the chemistry department and mentored graduate students as an advisory committee member. He was a regular at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, where he could often be found in the racquetball court, weight room, or cardio room.
William Sullivan, executive director for UNLV’s Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach, died Sept. 25, 2023. He was also associate vice president for retention and outreach. He had directed the TRIO, GEAR UP, and equity programs at UNLV since 1978. The programs serve low-income, first-generation, disadvantaged or high-risk students in Clark County.
