[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5294]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO HAL ROTHMAN

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, it is with great sadness that I rise to 
share the passing of a real Nevadan, Dr. Hal Rothman. After a struggle 
with Lou Gehrig's disease, Hal passed away on February 25, 2007. He was 
a loving husband to Lauralee, a father to Talia and Brent, and a friend 
to many who were privileged to know him, including me.
  Hal's professional life and community involvement were remarkable. 
Hal was a history professor at UNLV, a Las Vegas Sun columnist, and a 
respected author on Western and environmental history. Whenever anyone 
needed a quick quote or quip about Las Vegas, they often called Hal. 
From syndicated news shows to historians, Hal was often seen as the go-
to-man for anything related to the city.
  Hal's love of Las Vegas was clearly apparent last October when he was 
honored as the Chin's Humanitarian of the Year by the southern Nevada 
chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In his prepared remarks 
Hal wrote:

       I have sought to explain our wacky city and State to an 
     often skeptical and sometimes incredulous national and 
     international audience. Las Vegas not only became our home 
     but also a city I love with all my heart.

  Hal was an outstanding ambassador for Las Vegas and to a larger 
extent Nevada. He was our front man. He was our image. He was our voice 
to the world. Nevada has lost one of its favorite sons, and Hal will be 
forever remembered as a tireless advocate for Las Vegas.

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