Paul Alvarez Like his colleague Marilyn Oliver, Paul Alvarez’ personal life boils down to two things – sports and his family; often, it’s both. Alvarez, the Clinical Supervisor for Athletic Training Education Program at ULV, has always had a thing for activity. He loves to hike, camp, run. Simply an activity fiend, a recent surgery has broadened his already cosmopolitan athletic base. Just this last January, Alvarez got into karate, a move made possible by a recent laser surgery. Both his wife and kids were into the sport, but Alvarez was never able because of his ailing eyesight. “I had always wanted to because I had taken a self-defense class in college,” he said; his class in college was taught just like a martial arts class, including the use of a gi. “That kind of intrigued me.” In fact, since joining his family’s dojo, Alvarez has furthered another hobby through the help of his fellow martial artists. He and his family have begun heading up to Big Pine to camp, one of Alvarez’ favorite activities. He described the experience: “Tent camping, air mattress, cooking on a gas stove, going fishing; life is good,” he said. The Alvarezes also have a favorite spot south of Bishop, where they camp and fish. Fishing is actually one of the most important parts of the experience for Alvarez, he said, as family pictures scroll on his desktop computer – Alvarez stopping to point out one of his son Daniel’s first fish. “(The fish) are cold-blooded,” Alvarez said. “I can deal with that. I don’t know if I could shoot Bambi.” And camping is always with the family. “An important part of it, which is a part of me, is the family thing,” said Alvarez, who recalled his own father working all the time. “My thing is involving the kids. Being able to go camping with them is a great example.” His sons, Daniel and Matthew, are staples in the Athletic Department. As Alvarez works, acting as athletic trainer at any number of ULV athletic activities, the two young Alvarezes generally ride the pine with him. Despite his dedication to his family, Alvarez does entertain a few moments alone, and those are generally spent doing – guess what – physical activity. “I was a cross-country runner in high school and college,” Alvarez said. “When I think of getting myself back in shape, my first response is to get out the door and run.” Now, Alvarez holds a deep interest in hiking. Teaching a wilderness education class, he recently took some students to the Grand Canyon. “I love it there,” he said. “I’d love to go back.” Breaking every 20 minutes for water and every hour for a snack, Alvarez and his crew simply enjoyed the hike. But that’s not the way everyone did it. “There were some crazy people out there, just hell bent for leather,” he said. “They wanted to get to the bottom. How much fun is that? You don’t get to see anything. “The idea was not to speed-hike it,” said Alvarez, whose toughest hike was in Bright Angel, a 12-hour hike that covers 9-miles and 4,000 vertical feet. “We were sore the next day, but we accomplished it.” The professor As a professor, Alvarez claims to be hard-edged with his major students: “They understand that there’s time to be casual, but when it comes time, I expect them to be serious. “I don’t give students a grade,” he said. “They earn a grade.” Despite his hard-nosed approach to his major classes, Alvarez is always there to help out. Each morning, he arrives in his office at 9 a.m., whether he has to or not. “I try to be here a lot,” he said. “I don’t like not being around and available.” In fact, rarely is his office vacant; and even more rarely is his door closed. And not only is he involved heavily in athletic training, he has become the Athletic Department’s historian/filmmaker/photographer. It goes back to high school, he said, an Ansel Adams poster hanging on his wall. Always interested in taking pictures, Alvarez took a photography class, which prompted his Uncle to give him a now 50-year-old Pentax. Later working briefly writing and shooting for his hometown paper, Alvarez realized that his love for photography was rooted largely in the idea of taking a photo of someone and giving it to them. And this humanitarian pursuit continues today, albeit slightly more high-tech. Using iMovie, Alvarez frequently puts together highlight slide shows and videos set to music for different programs within the Athletic Department. In fact, the highlight of the Department banquet each year remains Alvarez’s work. “It’s just an extrapolation of what I started a long time ago,” he said. “It’s gratifying for people to look at it and say, ‘Well, that’s cool.’” RETURN TO FACULTY LIST mailto:alvarezp@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_2_link_1
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