Hal Rothman is dying. You can hear it in his voice
— what’s left of it.
The historian of the New
West, defender of Las Vegas as the poster child for what the region
will become as it continues to boom, fights a losing battle. Every
day, says Lauralee Rothman, there’s something else her
husband can’t do: use his hands, lift his legs, walk, talk,
swallow.
In December 2005, Hal was diagnosed with
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, commonly known as Lou
Gehrig’s disease. Every patient handles the diagnosis
differently, says Dr. Steve Glyman of Nevada Neurological
Consultants. Some patients, he adds, “just crack.” Some
become reserved and depressed. Some get steely and determined.
But few patients have handled the diagnosis — a
death sentence, really — like Hal Rothman.
“When you see how he is handling it, it’s really
admirable,” says Glyman, Hal’s doctor and a family
friend. “You learn what is important in life and what really
matters to him. When you see him persevering and writing and trying
to live a full life, it gives you hope for the future.”
After teaching history at Wichita State University, Hal
— a former roadie for the Eagles, the Rolling Stones and
other popular rock acts — accepted an associate professor
position at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas in 1992. He
became a full professor in 1997, and chaired the history department
for three years. He edited or co-edited several books, including
Devil’s Bargain: Tourism in the Twentieth-Century
American West; The Grit Beneath the Glitter: Tales from the Real
Las Vegas; and Neon Metropolis: How Las Vegas
Started the Twenty-First Century. He was also the
mainstream media’s go-to guy on all things Vegas. He has been
interviewed by CBS, CNN, the New York Times, the
Wall Street Journal, Newsweek
and many other media outlets on subjects ranging from the rapidly
urbanizing West to Elvis.
Rothman’s productivity
before the diagnosis was impressive; his productivity since has
been simply stunning. He taught an online course. He blogged for
NewWest.net and wrote an op ed for the High Country
News syndicate, Writers on the Range. He also worked on a
Nevada history textbook and a history of the National Park Service
and edited a book on Israeli environmental history.
“I stay active because I feel like I have a lot left to
say,” said Hal in July. “There is much to do still, and
frankly not enough time. I doubt I will live to finish the Park
Service history. I hope to write as much as I can and find someone
who can finish it.” Not long after saying that, Hal lost all
movement in his arms and legs. He had a feeding tube installed.
Finally, in October, he stopped writing.
But back when
Hal was healthy, it should be noted, he did more than just write
about Las Vegas. He got involved in the community. He helped start
two Ph.D. programs at the university, the Midbar Kodesh synagogue
and a Little League team. He was a member of the Clark County
Community Growth Task Force, which gave county commissioners
recommendations on dealing with the incredibly fast growth of the
area.
“It’s all well and good to talk about
things,” says Las Vegas author and history professor Michael
Green, “but somebody at some point has to do it. Hal could
certainly talk about it, but he was active, too. I think we have an
obligation in this profession to be out there, whether it’s
talking to a TV station or to a group in the community.
“A lot of scholars sit in libraries, and too many over the
years have gathered as much dust as the books. That’s not
Hal’s approach. He approached everything as a contact sport,
which makes this even tougher to watch and to think about.”
Hal, 48, has fought ALS with dignity, determination and
courage. Instead of hiding, he has helped bring awareness to the
degenerative disease.
“We’ve been blessed
with some really great people who have touched our lives,”
says Lauralee Rothman. “Somehow, they just seem to come into
our lives when we need them most. I think a sense of humor helps,
too. I don’t know. We just look to other people and what
they’ve done for us for courage and inspiration.”
Matt O’Brien is news editor of CityLife,
an alternative weekly paper based in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline A Western historian and a Western hero.
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