Details:
Although not a native-born Nevadan, Prof. Gottardi spent most of his life in the Silver State. He was born in Truckee, Nevada, California on 12 July 1899, the third of six children, all born in Truckee. His parents were immigrants from Magasa, Italy (then Austria) who had come to this country to escape the extreme poverty and depression in their country. They came to the U.S. in May 1892, travelling from Le Havre, France on the SS La Touraine. His father, Angelo Gottardi (1865-1929) was only 27 years old and had been a teacher at the local school in town. His mother, Teresa Stefani (1871-1947) accompanied him. The family moved from Truckee to Loyalton, Sierra, California and then to Sparks, Nevada. His parents owned small farms for most of their lives.

In 1916, John Gottardi graduated from the then "Sierra Valley Joint Union High School." Following that, he matriculated at the University of Nevada Reno in 1918 where he was an honor student his junior and senior years. He earned a B.A. degree in 1921 majoring in French and Spanish with a minor in Italian. He also graduated with a State Teacher's Certificate of High School Grade that qualified him to teach at the high school level.

Following his graduation, he taught at the high school in Lovelock, Pershing, Nevada for one year before returning to the University where he was an instructor of Modern Languages. He attended classes at several universities including the University of California at Berkeley (1923-1924), University of Southern California in Los Angeles (1923-1924), and the University of Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico (1922). He language studies included German, Portuguese, and Arabic. He received his Master of Arts in Modern Languages in May 1926 from the University of Nevada Reno. His dissertation, written in Italian, was entitled, "Gli Italiani di Nevada" or "The Italians of Nevada." Besides teaching the University, he taught French at the San Rafael Military Academy in San Rafael, California in 1928.

In 1951-1952, he was on sabbatical and studied at the University of Perugia, Italy; and also studied at the University of Madrid, Spain, receiving a "Diploma de Altos Estudios" in 1953; and the University of Malaga, Spain (1951-1952). Upon returning home, he continued as an associate professor of modern languages with the University of Nevada Reno and taught Spanish, French, and Italian. He was granted tenure in 1953 as a "Professor of Foreign Languages" and was department chair of foreign languages from 1954 to 1964. He retired from the university in 1965 and was appointed a post-retirement professor of foreign languages for 1965-1966. At the time, he had been at the university longer than any other faculty member, 50 years!

During his stint at the University, there were many changes. In 1957 and 1958, following a new trend in instruction, he taught Spanish on local television station, KOLO-TV. In 1960, a $15,000 language laboratory was installed so that students could practice their pronunciation with an instructor listening (funds provided by the state legislature). He also taught Spanish for the UNR statewide development program of higher education, summer sessions, and correspondence courses in foreign languages. During this time, the first monies for establishing a Foreign Language Institute from the National Defense Education Association were secured to upgrade teacher training in foreign languages.

He was active in many civic and university groups including: advisory capacity to Eta Deuteron chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa, Sigma Phi Sigma fraternity, Phi Kappa Phi national honor society, Pi Mu Iota, the national language society, Sundowners, University Alumni Association, Alliance Francaise, the L'Union des Francais de l'Etranger, the Chairman of the Community Chest campaign in 1956, and the University Club.

In June 1956 he was awarded the "Palmes Academiques" by the government of France and became an "Oficier de Academie Francaise." It was given to him in recognition for his furthering of the understanding of French culture and language in the U.S. He was awarded "Outstanding Alumni" by the University of Nevada Alumni Association in 1963. In October 1986, he became the first recipient of the Alumnus of the Year award by the University of Nevada Alumni Association for outstanding service and personal achievements.

His students have included a former Nevada governor (Grant Sawyer), director of the U.S. Mint (Eva Adams), and other important Nevadans.

He enjoyed travel and toured North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In addition, he was a collector of fine Native American art, rare books, and art works. He was generous with his time and efforts and was never too busy to translate works and share his travel experiences.

He summed up his views on education by saying, "A teacher should never forget the importance of the human element in the classroom. No matter how well a teacher knows his subject, he must never become so engrossed with it that he forgets the existence of the students." Professor Gottardi died in April 1991 at the age of 91 at his home in Reno, Nevada and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Reno.

He was honored for his achievements by a scholarship, the John R. Gottardi Endowment at the University of Nevada Reno, given to qualifying foreign language majors to promote better understanding through communication.

Sources:
Over 90 references that include:
Newspapers, hardcopy diplomas, pamphlets, University of Nevada Regents' meeting notes (on-line), and various document images (on-line sources).
Researched, compiled and contributed by Holly Hart.