Fantasy, OVER 50 says, is what it's all about.
The reality is that the four-page spread, which features numerous graphic nude pictures of "Chandler" has resulted in Tucson Unified School District placing Nonie Reynolds on administrative leave from her job as a drop-out prevention counselor at Tucson High School.
TUSD placed Reynolds on leave May 13, after the magazine and word of her modeling hit Tucson High, 400 N. Second Ave., as well as TUSD's nearby headquarters.
Reynolds declined to speak to the Tucson Weekly. She is one of 16 drop-out prevention specialists in TUSD and has been in her job since 1990. She is paid $18 an hour, an annual rate of nearly $37,400.
"My lawyer has instructed me not to talk to anyone," Reynolds said.
The Q&A that accompanies Reynolds' photographs--the magazine says the interviews are all made up--is doing plenty of talking:
· The advantages of shaving pubic hair: "If there's no hair down there to catch all my love juices, they act as a lubricant so I can slide one (cock) after another into my (slit) without having to use any of that fake lube."
· Strong legs: "I love to wrap around a lover's waist as I ride him across the finish line."
· Prowess and stamina: "I fucked 24 men in a row onstage at a local swing club. I made every man (cum) using my mouth, hands, (pussy) and (asshole). That's a new record for me."
· Self gratification: "I have a pair of ben wa balls that are never an arm's reach away when I'm in the bedroom."
· Self diagnosis: "I wouldn't consider myself a nymphomaniac, but I definitely would say I'm a sex addict. An orgasm is the best sensation in the world. If I didn't need to eat or sleep, I'd be having sex nonstop."
Asked to name her lawyer, who will apparently try to fight TUSD's move to fire or otherwise discipline her, Reynolds said "thanks" and hung up.
Two of Tucson's top lawyers in representing employees against TUSD, Stephen Weiss and Don Awerkamp, said they had not heard about Reynolds.
Reynolds did not return another message.
Nor did Joel T. Ireland, the president and senior member of the TUSD Board of Governors who is both a lawyer and Episcopal priest.
Judy Burns, in the third year of her first term on the TUSD board and a longtime member of numerous TUSD advisory panels, expressed surprise over the latest TUSD sex flap, and said she's more concerned by the lack of simple judgment.
"You're kidding," Burns said. "These people are so stupid I don't want them around our students."
TUSD contracts have no specific morals clauses, but TUSD has dumped some employees for other types of alleged inappropriate behavior. For example, a principal lost his job after allegations arose that he was involved in domestic violence--even though those allegations evaporated when criminal charges were dropped.
It is not clear if TUSD can dismiss Reynolds for the fully nude pics and for having words put in her mouth in a sex mag. Several TUSD officials, who did not want to be identified, were split on the matter. Reynolds' personal life is just that, some said, even if she agrees to be a smut queen. But they cautioned that it problems will arise when students inevitably get their hands on the magazine.
Marilyn Freed, outgoing president of the Tucson Education Association that represents TUSD teachers, counselors and others, said that morals codes are things of the past, although TUSD still attempts to invoke them.
"My personal life is just that, personal," said Freed, who is retiring after 33 years as a TUSD teacher. "Stay out of my personal life. Stay out of my bedroom."
TUSD's intrusion into personal life and its panic over any thought of sex was unnaturally and absurdly high as recently as 30 years ago.
Freed remembers the "subtle intimidation" TUSD meted out to pregnant teachers with demands that they have physician notes and the push to get pregnant teachers out of the classrooms lest their be any hint of how pregnancy occurs.
Freed made it clear that the exceptions to the protections now afforded teachers and others include perverts into child porn and other abuse.
Under TEA's consensus agreement with TUSD, "the personal life of a (member) outside the normal work day or other school related activities is not an appropriate concern of TUSD."
But TUSD may take immediate action, according to the agreement, if the member is "charged by criminal complaint, information of indictment of any criminal offense which would be deemed cause for dismissal" or if the member's "offense is of such serious nature that failure to take immediate action would seriously disrupt the functioning of the work place."
That latter has been apparent, according to sources at Tucson High, if only because of the high level of interest in the OVER 50 layout and the resulting high level of chatter.
Tucson High Principal Larry McKee said he could not comment because Reynolds is not a member of his staff. She reports to Bob Mackay, head of several programs including alternative education. McKee provided Reynolds with an office, which has been locked while officials examine it and the computers Reynolds used.
OVER 50 is published nine times a year by Mavety Media Group, Ltd., of New York. Company officials did not return calls.
The issue in question was pulled off the racks to make room for a new edition last week. But demand shot up sufficiently that distributor, Desert News, cheerfully stocked the shelf at ABC Books on South Craycroft Road at East 29th Street.
