UNLV scholarship in Deskin’s name planned

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2004 | 10:17 a.m.

Southern Nevadans will say goodbye to longtime Las Vegas Sun executive and columnist Ruthe Deskin Thursday, but plans are under way to keep her memory alive through a scholarship at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Deskin died at her Las Vegas home Saturday, six days shy of her 88th birthday. Visitation will continue until 7 p.m. today at Palm Mortuary, 1325 N. Main St. Services will be 11 a.m. Thursday at the same location. Interment will be in a mausoleum crypt beside her late husband Jim Deskin at Palm Memorial Park.

On Tuesday, Deskin's daughters, Nancy Cummings of Reno and Terry Gialketsis of Las Vegas, announced that they were starting a scholarship fund in their mother's memory.

"Mom and I had talked about this for so long and, as she got progressively ill, I gave real serious thought to starting the scholarship to keep her going in perpetuity," Cummings said.

"She left such a strong legacy, touched the lives of so many young reporters and was a pioneer especially for women journalists. It is only fitting that there be a scholarship in her name for future students of the Hank Greenspun School of Journalism (and Mass Communication at UNLV's Greenspun College of Urban Affairs)."

Details of scholarship eligibility are being worked out. Cummings said a formal endowment requires $25,000 to sustain itself through the years.

"That's our goal for now," she said.

Donations can be made to the UNLV Foundation with the notation on checks being for the Ruthe Deskin Memorial Scholarship Fund.