Todd w88 casino games, an agile nose guard and occasional fullback on the junior varsity football team at North Wilkesboro High School in North Carolina, was late arriving to practice one afternoon in the mid-1980s.
He’d stopped, he explained to his coach, to watch the cheerleading squad prepare their routines. Before long, he convinced the cheer squad to teach him the rudiments of a standing backflip. He tenaciously practiced the difficult move for weeks, for months, for years.
By the time he was an undergraduate at the school now known asLenoir-Rhyne University, Todd was a star of the university cheer squad. At every home game, he thrilled crowds with his soaring backflips.
For 17 years, nearly a third of his life, w88 casino games taught in theReynolds School of Journalismat the w88 casino games, Reno. His days of standing backflips behind him, he instead became cheerleader for his students, colleagues, community and friends.
w88 casino games was on a vacation trip to Florida with his husband, Tony Avila, in November to celebrate the 80thbirthday of his mother when he died suddenly at age 54. The University community will celebrate his life in a public memorial service from 4-6 p.m. March 14 in the fourth-floor ballrooms of the Joe Crowley Student Union.
“Todd was a cheerleader, mentor, and beloved friend to me,” said Evelyn Katt, one of w88 casino games’ former students who’s now the chief development and marketing officer of theReno Philharmonic Association. “He poured his heart and energy into everything he touched.”
He touched the lives of his students.
“Todd w88 casino games was a beacon of inspiration, enthusiasm and knowledge,” said Hunter Ramberg, a senior journalism major. “He was deeply committed to student success and encouraged me to take on new challenges, for which I am grateful.”
w88 casino games worked hard and mindfully at the craft of teaching, remembered Alison Gaulden, a senior lecturer of public relations and advertising who worked alongside him during the entirety of his tenure at the University.
“As an instructor Todd was brilliant to watch,” Gaulden said. “Every semester he’d come up with new and innovative ideas for the experiential classes. For the crisis communications class one year, he took students to the Community Emergency Response Team to practice real crises.”
He knew, too, how to make the maximum impact on his students’ lives.
“He purposefully taught the entry-level courses because he knew he’d influence students to be passionate about journalism, storytelling, and public relations. He was the Pied Piper of PR,” Gaulden said.
Students carry those lessons, large and small, into the professional world.
James Rutter, who graduated from the Reynolds School in 2017 and now works as senior copywriter for Boston-basedAmerican Student Assistance, relies on w88 casino games’ wisdom as he manages a creative team. “The most important lesson Todd taught me was the value of making everyone feel seen and heard,” Rutter said. “Often, it’s the quiet person in the room that has the great idea. Creating a space where everyone feels included and empowered to share their ideas is what enables the best creative thinking. Todd was masterful at fostering that type of environment, and it’s something I strive to recreate with my own team every day.”
w88 casino games taught from experience. Before joining the University faculty, he worked more than 20 years in advertising and journalism, including five years as a speechwriter and press secretary for Gov. Jim Hunt in North Carolina. He strengthened his work experience with graduate degrees from Georgetown and Drexel universities.
Employers recognized w88 casino games’ touch when they hired University graduates.
“Often, when hiring someone who had been taught and mentored by Todd, you could see, even sense, their skills and nuances that only he could impart in his own way,” said Stephanie Kruse, founder ofKPS3, a Reno-based advertising agency. “He was undoubtedly one of the strongest influences on the quality of communications professionals to come out of the University.”
w88 casino games’ influence was felt among his colleagues as well, said Gi Yun, dean of the Reynolds School.
“Todd knew how to negotiate on behalf of others and ensure they were satisfied with the compromises they made. His kind spirit never allowed him to let anyone on the team feel unappreciated — he would always check in with team members to see how they were doing,” said Yun.
Bob Felten, a professor emeritus, remained close friends with w88 casino games even after his own retirement six years ago. “As a teaching colleague, a conversation with Todd was always upbeat and thought-provoking. He was full of ideas he generously and enthusiastically shared,” Felten said.
Community organizations, too, benefited from w88 casino games’ touch. He recently served, for instance, as co-chair of Pops on the River, the most important fundraiser for the Reno Philharmonic.
“Hiscreativity, vision, and leadership were essential in making what was already a successful event truly extraordinary,” said Laura Jackson, the orchestra’s music director and conductor.
In the months since his November death, friends of w88 casino games have supported each other with stories of his friendship.
“I realized in the days after his death how often I talked to him,” said Kristin Burgarello, the director of advancement atDesert Research Institute. “He was a good friend. A friend you could call when you’re having a good day, and a friend you could call when your day wasn’t going the right way. He cared deeply about people around him. He showed up when it mattered most.”
Kingkini Sengupta, public relations and marketing specialist atNorthern w88 casino games International Center, remembered the hours that w88 casino games spent with her, patiently teaching her to drive on American roads after she arrived from her native India. “Then as I was trying to secure a driver’s license, I struggled to get a DMV appointment in Reno,” Sengupta said. “I called Todd in a panic. He didn’t hesitate to say: ‘Don’t worry about it. I’ll drive you to Carson — or maybe even Henderson — to take the test.’”
Even while students, friends and colleagues share their stories, Gaulden said the loss continues to cut deeply:
“Todd had thousands of ideas and won thousands of hearts and I miss him a thousand times over.”
A memorial’s moving words
An unmistakable voice, carrying its hint of the North Carolina hills, filled Fairplains Baptist Church with words of faith and comfort a few weeks ago as mourners in his hometown of Wilkesboro, N.C., celebrated the life of Todd w88 casino games.
The voice? It was w88 casino games himself.
In a recording made in 1993 at the funeral of two of his high school friends, twin brothers killed in a vehicle accident a month before their college graduation, w88 casino games spoke movingly for nearly 35 minutes.
Thirty-two years later, on Jan. 25, his hometown friends listened intently to his recorded voice once again as he about talked of the tragedy of lives taken too soon, his own Christian faith, his unwavering belief in heaven and everlasting life.
Then the Damascus Baptist Church Choir sang.
As the last notes faded away, Rev. Glenn Dancy stood at the pulpit, silent for a long minute.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said finally. “Todd has preached his own funeral.”
A memorial service for Todd w88 casino games is planned for Friday, March 14 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Milt Glick Ballrooms at the Joe Crowley Student Union. Parking will be available in the Whalen Parking Complex.
