Tuesday, Sept. 30, 1997 | 9:43 a.m.
ALL HE REALLY WANTS is to be a full-time teacher in the Clark County School District.
His is a tale of frustration and anger.
For several years, he has been substituting in the Clark County school system. His wife contends that principals in several of the schools where he has been a substitute have asked that he be put on full time, but when the request gets to the higher echelons in the school district it is denied.
I don't know too much about the character of this fellow who yearns to teach, although he seems to have good credentials for the job; but the hiring honchos in the school district have different ideas. They don't believe he has the qualities they desire in a full-time teacher, but they won't tell him what it is they find objectionable.
Apparently his wife has been given a royal runaround in her efforts to discover what can be in his personnel file that would have him blacklisted.
It's an incredible story of passing the buck, questionable information and total lack of cooperation. A School Board member informed the man's wife that she doesn't get involved in personnel matters.
The facts seem to be that there is information in the file that would preclude him from a teaching position, but no one will tell him what it is.
I don't know whether this teacher wannabe has committed a heinous crime or has ruffled the feathers of a top administrator, but I do believe he deserves the courtesy of being told what makes him unfit to obtain a regular teaching position in our public schools.
As UNLV celebrates its 40th birthday, Jeanne Pursel Chretien considers herself as one of those "forgotten but not gone."
Chretien was more than just a student at Nevada Southern (the precursor of UNLV). She was the first to question and seek recourse from an odious demand that Nevada Southern students must complete a semester of study at the University of Nevada campus in Reno before they could be granted a diploma.
With four years at Nevada Southern, 143 credits, 17 more than the 126 required for graduation, and a grade point average of 3.94, she was denied a coveted diploma unless she attended the Reno campus for one semester.
Jeanne did more than that. She accepted a full scholarship at the university in Reno to work on a master's degree. She became the first student to be awarded a bachelor of arts degree and a master's degree on the same day.
She still felt the unfairness of students having to spend a semester on the Reno campus just to get their diploma, so she petitioned the Board of Regents and the state Legislature to reverse the one-semester residency ruling.
Her courage and determination finally won.
Residents have received a notice of public hearing from the city Planning Commission on a request to open a secondhand furniture store on property at 320 S. Decatur Blvd. The hearing is set for Oct. 9.
Obviously the prospective owners are optimists. The store is completely filled with furniture and ready to open its doors.
When the Rev. Tom Grey, the anti-gambling guru, visited Las Vegas last week, I wish I had taken him to see how the other half lives.
A large crowd filled the Rancho High School gymnasium to dedicate the David Kincaid Library.
David Kincaid, late husband of Clark County Commissioner Mary Kincaid, devoted his life to his family and young people of the community. The dedication ceremonies were an outpouring of love and admiration from friends and family members.
Also on hand to pay tribute were officers and members of the Air Force in recognition of David Kincaid's role in establishing the Aviation and Aerospace Magnet School.
It was an inspirational time for all -- the kind of event that renews one's faith in humanity and our future.
Forget about the new sitcoms making their debuts on national television.
The best comedy and drama awards go to the televised congressional hearings on the Internal Revenue Service and campaign contributions reform.
Vicki Weisling says she is in favor of term limits for Congress; she just can't decide whether the term should be 10, 20 or life.
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