Families

Please share your Family Group Sheet information, Descendents Chart, Photos, etc. of a Maricopa county ancestor. Simply email your contribution to the County Coordinator.

• Biographies and Tidbits

Biographies & Tidbits

ARVIZU, Richard O.
Army Staff Sgt., whose wife, Joan, lives in Douglas, was awarded the Bronze Star in Vietnam. ARVIZU, son of Mr. and Mrs. Antonio G. ARVIZU, of Pirtleville, was honored for heroism in combat December 5. 5/1/1967.

BARISE, Rose
Birth Date: 24 Dec 1910 Death Date: Jul 1982 Issuing State: MI Residence at Death: Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ 85003 SSN: 386-14-6002

BARTHOLOMEW, Helen
Helen Bartholomew, R.N., was named director of nursing at Boswell Memorial Hospital. She succeeded Marian Clark, R.N., who resigned to complete work toward a master's degree in business administration at Arizona State University. Mrs. Bartholomew is a native of Darlington, Pennsylvania, and earned her nursing diploma at Jameson Memorial Hospital in New Castle, PA, and is a former instructor in public health nursing at ASU. 6/27/1978.

BIMSON, Walter Reed
1892-1980. President, Valley National Bank Son of a blacksmith, Walter Bimson was born April 25, 1892. came from Chicago. He entered the University of Colorado at 19 to study journalism, then shifted to architecture. Financial conditions set him in search of work and landed him at a bank -- as janitor. He developed an interest in banking, and in 1920 was hired by Harris Trust in Chicago. In the early 1930s, Bimson and his brother Carl he founded the Valley Bank and Trust, later called Valley National Bank, and ran the bank until his retirement in 1970. In the late 1950s he thought he could help the small city of Phoenix grow if he populated it with interesting bank buildings. Valley Bank built dozens of interesting bank buildings around the state, which drove other banks to make their buildings beautiful as well. At a bank open house in 1957, patrons were handed a pamphlet that featured the words "Banks, too, can be beautiful."

BRISTOW, James C.
James C. Bristow, from Humansville, Missouri, preached the first Baptist sermon in Arizona under a cottonwood tree at Middle Verde the second Sunday in Oct., 1875.

FINLEY, James L.
Jim Finley was born in Tucson, November 22, 1890, the son of pioneer ranching parents who came from Texas to northern Cochise County, as children, in the 1870s by ox teams. His father died while Jim was a small boy. His mother, Mattie RIGGS of the pioneer Sulphur Springs Valley RIGGS died in 1939. At the time if his marriage to Margaret IGO in 1911, Jim owned 35 head of cattle and a homestead claim near Elgin, Arizona. Since the outfit was too small to afford a living, Jim worked part time away from home, while Margaret punched the little bunch of Triangle G cattle. He served as Cattle Inspector and County Ranger and later was elected to eight years on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. In 1923 Jim purchased the old Yerba Buena Ranch on the Santa Cruz River east of Nogales, and the NAN brand of cattle. In 1930, due to partial disability from a rheumatic condition, he sold out. After two years he recovered sufficiently to make ranch and cattle inspections for the Federal Intermediate Credit Bank of Berkeley. In 1935 he bought the old Billy FOURR, Four F Ranch near Dragoon, one of the eldest brands in the state. Appointed to the State Livestock Sanitary Board in 1942, he served six years, four of which he was Chairman. During this period the Foot and Mouth Disease broe in Mexico, making the work of the board especially important. Jim has owned several cow ranches in Arizona and said he "has always had to borrow part of the purchase price, but has never sold an outfit upon which he owed money." Jim and Margaret FINLEY lived on their ranch near Gilbert, where they and their sons, Tom and Jack, operated several thousand acres of farm land, a cattle feed yard, a herd of stock cattle and a well-known band of Quarter Horses. A friendly man himself, Jim said, "A man's most valuable and lasting assets are his good friends." taken from Roscoe G. Willson, Pioneer and Well-Known Cattlemen of Arizona, Volume Two, published 1926.

FRY, Donald
Donald Fry founded Fry's Food Stores with his brother, Charles, in California and expanded into Arizona in 1960. The chain had about 100 stores when it was sold in 1972. Kroger now owns the chain. FRY first opened a meat market while in his 20s. After service in an Army armored cavalry unit during World War II, he married and returned to his home state of Oklahoma, where he managed a supermarket. He earned a business administration degree at the University of California, Berkeley, then settled in California and worked in meat markets before founding the first Fry's store. He moved to Arizona in the late 1950s. According to family members, Donald Fry, who had Parkinson's disease, died at the age of 92 in January 2006 after developing pneumonia,

FULLER, Willys Darwin
Willys Fuller, best known as "Wid", was a cowman. In 1847, at the age of 12 he drove a cow all the way from Council Bluffs to Salt Lake Valley. "Wid" was born in New York, November 10, 1835. His family moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1844 and in 1847 made the long trek to Salt Lake. His father, Elijah FULLER, joined the Perrigreen Sessions Company for the overland trip, carrying all the family's possessions in a wagon pulled by two yoke of oxen. Young Wid, on foot, drove the family cow. In later years he was give to saying that he knew every foot of the 1,000 miles from Council Bluffs to Salt Lake because he has stepped off the entire distance. Arriving in the great Salt Lake Valley the family found it difficult to eke out a living. During the first years the bulbs of the sego lilies, dug with a sharpened stake, often constituted the main part of their fare. As he grew up, Wid began freighting from Council Bluffs and San Pedro to Salt Lake and soon owned three eight-horse teams and six wagons. In 1867 he married Anne CAMPKIN and settled in Dixie in southern Utah where he lived until 1880. His wife had died in 1878, so in 1881 he pioneered Pine country, under the Mogollon Rim, with his four sons and two daughters and the cattle and horses from his Dixie ranch. Here in the little settlement of Pine, "Wid" FULLER helped dig out the first irrigation ditches and became one of the best known cattlement in the region as well as a community leader. In 1910 he turned his interests over to his son, Alfred, and retired. He died on June 20, 1920. Two sons, Frank FULLER and Alfred FULLER and many other descendents survived this hardy pioneer. A grandson, also known as "Wid" lived at Camp Verde, Arizona. Read about the pioneer trek from Council Bluffs to Salt Lake taken from Roscoe G. Willson, Pioneer and Well-Known Cattlemen of Arizona, Volume Two, published 1926.

GANZ, Emil
Emil Ganz, a German immigrant who first tried his fortunes in Georgia, later came to Arizona and quickly achieved prominence with his Bank Exchange Hotel. After Phoenix was incorporated in 1881, it had a succession of weak mayors until 1885, when GANZ was elected. He put the city on a sound financial basis and inaugurated new services.

GOETTL, Adam
1907-1998. Founder Goettl Air Conditioning If Adam, Gust and William Goettl hadn't developed the evaporative cooler in the 1940s, metro Phoenix might not have grown to one of the nation's largest cities. The Goettls' product, which blows air across water-soaked pads, is credited with helping spur the Valley's growth after World War II. In 1939, they opened Goettl Brothers Metal Products Co. on south Central Avenue. The company, later called Goettl Air Conditioning Inc., was sold in 1977 to an investor.

GOLDWATER, Barry
1909-1998 U.S. Senator. Barry Goldwater's political career started with his election to the Phoenix City Council in 1949. Three years later, he challenged and defeated Ernest McFarland, then Senate majority leader. Goldwater served in the Senate until 1964, when he campaigned unsuccessfully for president against Democrat Lyndon Johnson. In 1968, he ran again for the Senate and won. But in his last campaign in 1980, Goldwater barely edged ahead of Democratic challenger Bill Schulz, winning by about 9,400 votes. Goldwater retired after the end of the 1986 session.

HALL, Stephen William
Receives scholarship, see Sandra LaVerne WALMSLEY, Melville H. HASKELL and Howard Melville HANNA. 9/3/1967.

HANNA, Howard Melville
Scholarships donated in the name of Howard Melville HANNA by Melville H. HASKELL of the Rincon Stock Farm in Tucson. HANNA was HASKELL's grandfather who was prevented by ill health from studying medicine. HANNA contracted tuberculosis during the Civil War. 9/3/1967.

HARLESS, Meredith Howard
Meredith Howard Harless, 87, the first woman to broadcast on Arizona television in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 1941, the Oklahoma native became the first woman to broadcast a presidential inauguration over radio. She moved to Phoenix in 1948 with her husband, Richard Harless, who later became a Democratic congressman from Arizona. The Miami Herald June 21, 1996

HASKELL, Melville H.
Melville H. Haskell, of the Rincon Stock Farm in Tucson, donated scholarships in the name of his grandfather, Howard Melville HANNA. see Stephen William HALL, Sandra LaVerne WALMSLEY, and Howard Melville HANNA. 9/3/1967.

HAWKINS, Floy
In March, 1929, Miss Floy Hawkins became the first foreign missionary (China) to go out from Arizona Southern Baptists.

HAYDEN, Carl
U.S. Senator 1877-1969. Carl Hayden was elected in 1911, making him Arizona's first congressman. He took office the next year when the Arizona Territory achieved statehood. Hayden, a Democrat, became a senator in 1926 and retired in 1968, nearly 42 years later. He was a member of the Tempe Town Council, Maricopa County treasurer, followed by his election as county sheriff. In Washington, he served as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Hayden is credited with gaining the approval of the Central Arizona Project, called the last of the federal water projects in the West.

HAYDEN, Charles Trumbull
Charles Trumbull Hayden, from Connecticut, had been a trader and freighter in Tucson since 1857 when he left there to establish a farm and flour mill on the Salt River in 1871. As an old freighter, he noticed the need for a dependable way across the river so he put a ferry into service, and the town that developed at that site was known as Heyden's Ferry. Later the name changed to Tempe at the suggestion of Darrell DUPPA who saw a similarity in the country to that of the Vale of Tempe in Greece.

HAYDEN, Charles Trumbull, Jr.
Charles Trumbull Hayden, born in 1877, was the son of the founder of Hayden's Ferry. He was a Tempe Councilman, Maricopa County Treasurer, Maricopa County Sheriff, and first elected Representative to Congress from Arizona after she achieved statehood in 1912, and later, the long-time U. S. Senator from his state.

JANTZEN, Daniel F.
Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent 1918 - 1925. Daniel F. Jantzen, Peoria, AZ, was very likely the first Mennonite to enter the teaching profession in Arizona. Picture from the Phoenix Union High School Yearbook 1923.

JENKINS, Hermon I. Sr.
Hermon I. Jenkins, Sr., 87, of Casa Grande, a retired company executive, died Aug. 4, 1998. He was born in Cody, Wyoming. Survivors include his wife, Tessie; sons, Jermon I. Jr. and Roger; brother, Jim; eight grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. Services will be private. Contributions: Boy Scouts of America, 2969 N. Greenfield Road, Phoenix, AZ 85016 or Kiwanis International, 145 E. University Drive, Mesa, AZ 85201. Aaron Cremation and Burial. The Arizona Republic Saturday, August 8, 1998

JONES, Daniel P.
The first Mormon marriage in the Salt River Valley was at Lehi, that of Daniel P. JONES and Mary E. MERRILL, August 26, 1877. The first birth was of their son.

JONES, Daniel W.
Mormon pioneer in southcentral Arizona. He had been in the Mexican War in 1847 and remained in Mexico until 1850. He dedicated his life to work among the Indians.

KOLLENBORN, Thomas J.
My first recollections of the Superstition Mountains relates back to my Uncle Abe Brunson. On a trip from Mesa to Tonto Basin along the Apache Trail in 1944 we stopped near Government Well to cool his old Model “A” Ford down. As we set in the shade of a Palo Verde (not much shade) he told me the story of the Dutchman’s Lost Mine. In the early spring of 1948, I was introduced to the Superstition Mountains at First Water by my father. We hiked into East Boulder Canyon then over into Needle Canyon near John Pearce’s old camp. We spent the night and hiked out the next day. I was ten years old and this was my first real introduction to the mountains. The story, the rugged mountain and the serenity of region capture my imagination for the rest of my life. I started photographing the mountains in the mid-1950s when I worked for the Barkley Cattle Company for the first time. In 1955-1965, I spent numerous weekends in the Superstition Mountains visiting as many places as I could. I met many interesting people during these years. I was a common visitor in Al Morrow’s camp. I often stopped by Ed Piper’s Camp and even talked to Celeste Jones on the trail a couple of times when I was in the mountains. From 1973-2005 I continued being involved with the Superstition Wilderness Area in some way. I have served as a guide, written columns on the area since 1976, published books and continued to visit this rugged mountain wilderness area with my camera. My mother was born in Mesa, Arizona and her folks were raised in Tonto Basin. I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, however, I was back in Arizona before I was a year old. I have always claimed Arizona as my native state. I attended public school in Tonto Basin, Globe, Hayden, Winkelman and Phoenix. My father was employed by the Christmas Copper Company from 1932-1952. We moved to Phoenix in 1952. I graduated from Phoenix Union High School in 1956. I attended Arizona State Teacher’s College in the fall of 1956. I also served and was honorably discharged from the United States Air Force. I received my Master’s Degree in 1977 from Arizona State University. I was an U.S. Department of State Fulbright Scholar to Israel in 1986. I started my teaching career with the Apache Junction Unified School District in 1973. I taught classes for Central Arizona College from 1973-1990 on the history and lore of the Superstition Wilderness Area. During the past thirty years I have developed a large database based on the periodical history Superstition Wilderness Area. I have collected more than 2000 names of people interested in the area, more than 18,000 periodicals, and more three hundred books and publications. All this information is easily accessible with the database we have developed. Eventually this database will be available to the public at an on-line site along with a virtual cyberspace museum on the area with rare photographs taken by my father never published or used before. At least this is my dream. The mountains have always got a story to tell. I welcome you to my world. The adventures of our youth serve as our memories when we grow older.

KWIATKOWSKI, Ladimir Ladimir Kwiatkowski was born July 13, 1928, son of Walter (a Cleveland juvenile police detective) and Florence KWIATKOWSKI. "Laddie Boy", as he was often called, was the kind of kid who was good to have as a playmate. His friends nicknamed him "Slats" because he was so thin. He was always active, whether he was playing sports or dancing to his grandmother's Polish music records. Lad was the kind of kid who wanted to take up the drums. "But my folks wouldn't let me," he recalled. "They said 'play the saxophone or the piano'. I should have gone with the piano." He was the kind of kid who played a minor part in a grade school play then decided drama was not for him. "I did one show -- A Christmas Carol -- in grade school and I did not want to be on stage again," he remembered, noting that he had knocked a screen over during the play. "I was so embarrassed, I didn't want to do anything after that." Lad Gets A Baseball Itch Instead of pursuing a career on stage, Lad concentrated on sports -- particularly baseball. He informed his parents that he wanted to become a major league baseball player. Lad went to church each Sunday -- he and his family were devout Catholics -- but he would be dressed in his baseball uniform ready to dash out to the diamond after Mass. "I would have played football, but I was too small," he noted. "But baseball -- it was fast and I loved the game." Lad never had formal coaching in his favorite sport until he got to John Adams High School, where he honed his baseball skills. After graduation, he left Ohio to attend Arizona State College in Tempe, along with a few high school buddies -- knowing that Arizona's climate would actually allow him to play baseball year round! Lad was a good player. He was on the varsity team four years, from '50-53. He led Arizona State in hitting in 1951 with a .358 average, including two doubles, a triple and a single against rival University of Arizona. He was made captain of the team the next year. Lad brought respect to a baseball program where players wore hand-me-down uniforms and official statistics were not yet kept. He was pretending to play slide trombone to "Ragmop", a popular tune playing on a nearby jukebox, when Patsy Lou KILLOUGH first saw him. Patsy and Lad started dating soon afterwards, and they were married on Mar 31, 1951. He graduated from the university with a journalism degree in 1953 and was offered a chance to play for a Cleveland Indians farm team. But Lad was not sure he wanted to invest the time slugging it out in the minors, especially with a wife and child at home. Plus, he liked Phoenix and he was intrigued by television. "I saw the future in television," he observed. The day after he graduated, Lad applied for a job at KPHO-TV When it was the only television station in town. "I went in at nine o'clock and at eleven o'clock, they called me and asked when I could start. At one o'clock the day after I graduated, I started at KPHO." It was a great education. Lad was assigned to help produce KPHO's slate of live shows. He also cleaned and swept the floors, folded chairs, raised sets and eventually ran the cameras. And although he could see the future in television, Lad had no way of knowing what would happen next. The Character "Ladmo" was born when Bill THOMPSON asked Lad to join him in January, 1956, as his sidekick on "It's Wallace?" They found a top hat in KPHO's prop room and put a sweater over a smock from Safeway. Through the decades, their routines together grew out of their close relationship. The Ladmo Show premiered in the summer of 1963. It was an instant success. The Ladmo Bag, with a toy and an assortment of sponsor's products, was born in 1965. "To have your product in a Ladmo Bag was an association with Wallace and Ladmo," Lad recalled. On June 15, 1970, the show officially became "The Wallace and Ladmo Show." In early 1972, Ladmo got his own cartoon show, Ladmo's Clubhouse, in addition to his regular stint. On Friday, Dec. 29, 1989, "The Wallace and Ladmo Show" went off the air. When Ladmo died on March 2, 1994 of lung cancer, the entire state of Arizona mourned.

LESHER, Margaret
Abstract: Former Lesher Communications Chairwoman Margaret Lesher was found drowned in Bartlett Lake, AZ, while on a camping trip with her husband of six months. Lesher had earlier been married to the late Dean LESHER, who had built up a chain of newspapers that included the flagship Contra Cost Times and was sold to Knight-Ridder in 1995 for about $360 million. The 62-year-old Lesher was naked and legally drunk at the time of her death. The death is reportedly not considered a homicide at this time. Margaret LESHER, former chairwoman of Lesher Communications Inc. in the San Francisco Bay area, was found drowned in an Arizona lake where she and her husband were camping. According to authorities, Lesher, the widow of Dean Lesher, founder of the Lesher group, was legally drunk when she died. The San Francisco Chronicle quoted Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio as ruling out foul play "at this time" County medical examiner Phillip Keen said tests showed that the alcoholic content of Lesher's blood was 0.10--the legal definition of drunken driving in Arizona--when her body was found May 14. Lesher, 65, had been camping with her husband of six months, Collin "T.C." THORSTENSEN, 38, a rodeo rider and buffalo trainer. He reported that he awoke at 3:30 a.m. and found her and their boat missing. Several hours later, a television crew in a helicopter spotted her body in the crystal clear water of Bartlett Lake, a wilderness area 30 miles from Scottsdale. She was wearing only underwear. Her other clothes were in the boat, which was found about two miles from the campsite. Thorstensen told police he and his wife had been drinking alcohol before retiring for the night. The sheriffs office said Thorstensen, the son of South Dakota ranchers, allowed them to search the couple's Scottsdale home without a warrant. The Lesher chain, which included the flagship newspaper the Contra Costa Times, and four other East Bay dailies, was sold to Knight-Ridder in 1995 for a reported $360 million. Dean Lesher, a Harvard-trained lawyer, built his chain with a shrewd business sense and a true vision that Contra Costa County would become a major commuting area for San Francisco and Oakland. At one time, he owned several other dailies and weeklies in Northern California. Lesher was among the most civic-minded publishers in the country, giving away thousands to charity and community projects. Currently, the Times said, the Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation has $37 million in assets. After Lesher's death, Margaret Lesher continued his philanthropy, giving to such causes as the Battered Women's Alternatives, Richmond Rescue Mission and the Contra Costa Food Bank. Much of her charity was anonymous, including her hosting of Christmas parties for underprivileged children. "Our organization is stunned at the news," said George RIGGS, CEO of Contra Costa Newspapers and a longtime friend of the Leshers. "Margaret was someone we all knew and worked closely with over the years. She was an integral part of our extended newspaper family, and even after the sale of Lesher Communications ... we've followed her changes in lifestyle. She seemed to have finally found happiness and we were happy for her." Knight-Ridder CEO Tony Ridder told the Times that it was difficult for Margaret to sell the Lesher group. "It was a sad day for her when she turned over the newspapers to us. She loved the newspapers and the community; he said. At the time of the sale, Margaret Lesher said that of all the potential buyers for the chain, she trusted Knight-Ridder to carry on her husband's commitment to high-quality community coverage and involvement. Margaret Lesher was born to a poor family in Texas. She became a local beauty queen, dance instructor and flight attendant. She had ended her first marriage when she met Dean Lesher, 30 years her senior, while working as an arranger of meetings for a hotel chain. A story in the Times said she was reluctant at first to marry him, not because of their age difference, but because of his prominence. The story said she preferred to use the last name of Lesher when in Contra Costa County to keep her roots in the community. Lesher also is survived by four daughters from her first marriage.

LESHER, Margaret
Former Lesher Communications Chairwoman Margaret Lesher was found drowned in Bartlett Lake, AZ, while on a camping trip with her husband of six months. Lesher had earlier been married to the late Dean LESHER, who had built up a chain of newspapers that included the flagship Contra Cost Times and was sold to Knight-Ridder in 1995 for about $360 million. The 62-year-old Lesher was naked and legally drunk at the time of her death. The death is reportedly not considered a homicide at this time.

LESHER, Margaret
Former chairwoman of Lesher Communications Inc. in the San Francisco Bay area, was found drowned in an Arizona lake where she and her husband were camping. According to authorities, Lesher, the widow of Dean Lesher, founder of the Lesher group, was legally drunk when she died. The San Francisco Chronicle quoted Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio as ruling out foul play "at this time" County medical examiner Phillip Keen said tests showed that the alcoholic content of Lesher's blood was 0.10--the legal definition of drunken driving in Arizona--when her body was found May 14. Lesher, 65, had been camping with her husband of six months, Collin "T.C." THORSTENSEN, 38, a rodeo rider and buffalo trainer. He reported that he awoke at 3:30 a.m. and found her and their boat missing. Several hours later, a television crew in a helicopter spotted her body in the crystal clear water of Bartlett Lake, a wilderness area 30 miles from Scottsdale. She was wearing only underwear. Her other clothes were in the boat, which was found about two miles from the campsite. Thorstensen told police he and his wife had been drinking alcohol before retiring for the night. The sheriffs office said Thorstensen, the son of South Dakota ranchers, allowed them to search the couple's Scottsdale home without a warrant. The Lesher chain, which included the flagship newspaper the Contra Costa Times, and four other East Bay dailies, was sold to Knight-Ridder in 1995 for a reported $360 million. Dean Lesher, a Harvard-trained lawyer, built his chain with a shrewd business sense and a true vision that Contra Costa County would become a major commuting area for San Francisco and Oakland. At one time, he owned several other dailies and weeklies in Northern California. Lesher was among the most civic-minded publishers in the country, giving away thousands to charity and community projects. Currently, the Times said, the Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation has $37 million in assets. After Lesher's death, Margaret Lesher continued his philanthropy, giving to such causes as the Battered Women's Alternatives, Richmond Rescue Mission and the Contra Costa Food Bank. Much of her charity was anonymous, including her hosting of Christmas parties for underprivileged children. "Our organization is stunned at the news," said George RIGGS, CEO of Contra Costa Newspapers and a longtime friend of the Leshers. "Margaret was someone we all knew and worked closely with over the years. She was an integral part of our extended newspaper family, and even after the sale of Lesher Communications ... we've followed her changes in lifestyle. She seemed to have finally found happiness and we were happy for her." Knight-Ridder CEO Tony Ridder told the Times that it was difficult for Margaret to sell the Lesher group. "It was a sad day for her when she turned over the newspapers to us. She loved the newspapers and the community; he said. At the time of the sale, Margaret Lesher said that of all the potential buyers for the chain, she trusted Knight-Ridder to carry on her husband's commitment to high-quality community coverage and involvement. Margaret Lesher was born to a poor family in Texas. She became a local beauty queen, dance instructor and flight attendant. She had ended her first marriage when she met Dean Lesher, 30 years her senior, while working as an arranger of meetings for a hotel chain. A story in the Times said she was reluctant at first to marry him, not because of their age difference, but because of his prominence. The story said she preferred to use the last name of Lesher when in Contra Costa County to keep her roots in the community. Lesher also is survived by four daughters from her first marriage.

LONG, John F.
Developer. John F. Long is renowned for his generosity and commitment to giving back to the community. He started building homes in the Valley in the 1940s for returning veterans. In 1954, he started Maryvale, a master-planned community in west Phoenix named after his wife, Mary. Long has donated land for schools and financial aid to help build medical centers or other public facilities.

McFARLAND, Ernest 1894-1984
U.S. Senator, Arizona governor. Ernest McFarland was a U.S. Senator from Arizona, a governor for two terms and an Arizona Supreme Court justice. McFarland also served as Pinal County attorney and a Pinal County Superior Court judge. Concerned about veterans returning from World War II with few prospects for work, McFarland introduced the G.I. Bill of Rights. In the 1950s, McFarland formed the Arizona Television Co. and obtained a license for Channel 3 Television.

MIKAN, George
George Mikan, 80, pro basketball's first powerful big man, who led the Minneapolis Lakers to five titles in the team's first six years, died June 2005 of kidney failure in Scottsdale, Arizona. The 6-ft.-10-in. DePaul graduate so dominated the newly formed National Basketball Association that he forced the league to change its rules and once prompted Madison Square Garden officials to promote a 1949 game as "Geo. Mikan vs. Knicks."

MIRANDA, Ernesto Arturo
The Story of America's Right to Remain Silent, the Miranda Law. Miranda v. Arizona was a landmark 5-4 decision of the United States Supreme Court which was decided June 13, 1966. The Court held that criminal suspects must be informed of their right to consult with an attorney and of their right against self-incrimination prior to questioning by police. Ernesto Arturo MIRANDA was born in Mesa, Arizona on March 9, 1941. In 1963, he was arrested for rape by Phoenix police officers CARROLL COOLEY and WILFRED YOUNG. He later confessed to robbery and attempted rape under interrogation by police. The trial took place in mid-June 1963 before Maricopa County Superior Court Judge YALE McFATE. At trial, prosecutors offered only his confession as evidence. Miranda was convicted of rape and kidnapping and sentenced to 20 to 30 years imprisonment on each charge. Miranda's court-appointed lawyer, Alvin MOORE, appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court which affirmed the trial court's decision. However, when it was appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, Chief Justice Earl WARREN delivered the opinion that due to the coercive nature of custodial interrogation by police, no confession could be admissible under the Fifth Amendment self-incrimination clause and Sixth Amendment right to an attorney unless a suspect had been made aware of his rights and the suspect had then waived them. Thus, Miranda's conviction was overturned. Following the Miranda decision, the nation's police departments were required to inform arrested persons of their rights under the ruling, termed a Miranda warning. On January 31, 1976, Miranda participated in a card game at the La Amapola Bar. A violent fight broke out and Miranda received a mortal knife wound; he was pronounced dead on arrival at Good Samaritan Hospital. He was 34 years old.

POSTON, Charles Debrille
Charles Debrille Poston, the "Father of Arizona." Born in Hardin County, Kentucky, on April 20, 1825, and orphaned when he was just 12 years old, Charles Poston studied the law, married, fathered a child and settled down to the life of a practicing attorney. When he heard of gold discoveries in the west, he left his wife and daughter with relatives and set off for California. He took a job as chief clerk in the San Francisco custom house and soon found himself in the employ of an agent for the family of General Augustino de Iturbide, who had inherited a large grant of land in what they believed was the new territory, and they wanted it explored for its resources. Poston organized an expedition of 30 men, among whom was Christian Herman EHRENBERG. The party set sail for Sonora, Mexico, but their ship was blown off course and caught in unexpected heavy seas and dashed against the rocks. The men were barely able to reach land safely before the ship sank. Once in Mexico, they were greeted with hostility by the Mexicans, but eventually they were given free access to travel to the new territory. Although everyone searched diligently for the boundaries to the Iturbide land grant, they were never found and subsequently could not be established. Poston and Ehrenberg were convinced that this new land had enormous potential. When the group reached the Colorado River on the return trip to California, the only way to cross the river was by a ferryboat owned by Louis J. F. JAEGER. Because of hostile Indians in the area, there were risks involved in maintaining a ferry service, and JAEGER charged exceedingly high prices for passage. Poston refused to pay the price and instead talked his men into mapping out a city and selling city lots to pay their way across the river. Poston recorded the townsite and called it Colorado City.

PULLIAM, Eugene C.
1889-1975 Publisher, Phoenix Newspapers Inc. At the time of his death, Eugene Pulliam was publisher of The Arizona Republic, The Phoenix Gazette, and the Arizona Business Gazette. His journalism career started in 1909 when he and nine other students at DePauw University in Indiana founded Sigma Delta Chi, the national journalism organization. After graduation, Pulliam joined the Kansas City Star. At 23, he became the youngest publisher in the United States. In 1946, after owning and operating newspapers across the nation, Pulliam bought the three Arizona newspapers.

REHNQUIST, William Hubbs
America's chief justice died on September 3rd, 2005, aged 80. He was the 16th chief justice of the United States. The chief justice, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, died at his suburban Virginia home. Rehnquist was buried at Arlington National Cemetery next to his wife, Nan, who died in 1991. His three children were with him when he died. Rehnquist's son, James, a partner in Goodwin Procter in Boston, daughter Nancy REHNQUIST SPEARS, a university teacher, daughter Janet REHNQUIST, a partner in the law firm Venable in Washington, granddaughter Natalie Ann REHNQUIST LYNCH. Rehnquist was born in Milwaukee and spent his youth in the suburban Milwaukee community of Shorewood, where he attended school and graduated from Shorewood Senior High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943 at age 18, serving as a weather observer in North Africa. Rehnquist returned to college on the G.I. Bill, attending Stanford University and then graduating first in his class from Stanford Law School. His classmate Sandra Day O'CONNOR graduated third in the class, and they dated briefly (but not seriously). practiced law in Phoenix, Arizona from 1953 to 1969. He then served as a law clerk to legendary U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert JACKSON, who had before served as solicitor general, attorney general and as the chief prosecutor of Nazi leaders before the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. After Rehnquist had worked nearly 20 years in private practice in Arizona and in government service, President Richard NIXON in 1971 nominated him to the Supreme Court, where he served for 34 years, the last 19 of which he served as chief. Rehnquist wrote the majority opinion upholding the classic pro-defendant ruling Miranda v. Arizona - a 1966 precedent Rehnquist had often criticized previously. His three children were with him when he died Rehnquist's son, James, a partner in Goodwin Procter in Boston, daughter Nancy REHNQUIST SPEARS, a university teacher, daughter Janet REHNQUIST, a partner in the law firm Venable in Washington, granddaughter Natalie Ann REHNQUIST LYNCH

RICHARDSON, Norma Sexton
Norma Sexton Richardson, Ed.D passed away on December 8, 2006. She was born on August 12, 1924 in Granger, Washington, and moved to Scottsdale in 1926. She attended Scottsdale Public Schools and graduated from Scottsdale High School in 1942 and Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe in 1946. Dr. Richardson taught in the Wilson Elementary, Chandler High School and Tempe Elementary School Districts. Following her classroom experience she worked as curriculum director at the Arizona Dept. of Education and for six years was the on reservation Director of Head Start for 37 different Indian Tribes throughout the southwestern United States. In 1951 she earned her Masters of Arts in Education from Arizona State College in Tempe and her Doctorate in Education from Arizona State University (ASU) in 1966. ASU named her 1 of 100 Distinguished Contributors to Education in Arizona over last 100 years and also awarded her the Medallion of Excellence at the university's centennial celebration. Dr. Richardson retired as the Superintendent of the Red Mesa School District on the Navajo Nation and continued to teach at the University of Phoenix and Pima Community College in Phoenix and Tucson until shortly before her death. She was married to Amos E. RICHARDSON a World War II Army Air Corps pilot who passed away in 1969 and is survived by son Bill, wife Mindy and five grandchildren; and daughter Sherry PARENT, husband Paul and five grandchildren.

ROSE, Charles Kimball
1934 - 2006. Charles "Kim" Kimball Rose, a native of Phoenix, attended Phoenix College and studied at ASU. He served as president of the ASU student body and of his fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega. Rose obtained his law degree from the University of Arizona's College of Law and began his legal career with the firm of Goodson, Richmond and Rose. He later became a Maricopa County Superior Court Judge and found a niche as a juvenile court judge. He was an organizer of the Court Appointed Special Advocates program in Arizona and was acknowledged as the organization's Judge of the Year in 1989. For the past several years, Rose served as board president for the Arizona Historical Foundation, an organization founded by Barry GOLDWATER with the goal of preserving the history of Arizona and which has offices in the Hayden Library on the ASU Tempe campus. Rose passed away November 28, 2006. Christine WILKINSON, president of the ASU Alumni Association, said that Judge Rose was very well-respected in his profession and was a leader in every organization he participated in. He touched many lives for good. Rose was married to Carol Ann NEUFELDT and was the father of daughters Laura and Linda and son, Grant. He was preceded in death by Linda, who passed away in 2002. He is survived by his wife and two children and five grandchildren.

ROSENZWEIG, Newton
Newton Rosenzweig was born in Phoenix, Arizona on December 21, 1905 to Isaac and Rosa (GROSS) ROSENZWEIG, both Austrian immigrants. He, his brother Harry, and sister Anna grew up with the GOLDWATER children, Barry, Bob, and Carolyn. Those close ties remained throughout their lives. The Rosenzweig name has long been associated with the jewelry business in Arizona. When Newton graduated from the University of Michigan in 1927, he began working in his father's downtown Phoenix jewelry store later known as I. Rosenzweig and Sons. It was a name synonymous with quality and customer service. Newton later served in World War II as an army lieutenant in transportation and special services. He returned to booming post war growth and opportunities to expand his entrepreneurial and civic/cultural interests. This blend of high profile business, volunteerism, and philanthropy is a hallmark of Newton Rosenzweig's legacy -- one that literally changed the Phoenix landscape. By the time he married Elizabeth J. DABNEY in 1956, the family business had grown. Newton had also made significant contributions both in money and time to the Phoenix community. He helped found the Phoenix Symphony Association, organized various charitable organizations, and was an active participant in reforming city government. Newton co-founded the influential Charter Government Committee that launched the political career of Barry Goldwater. He also served a term on the Phoenix City Council. Promoting leadership - civic and political - became a lifelong interest as seen in his Phoenix 40 activities. Included in the goal of municipal change was Newton's vision of a downtown Phoenix skyline as the hub for big business. The Rosenzweig brothers formed the North Central Development Corporation with the Del Webb Corporation in 1959. Together they developed the Rosenzweig Center, one of the first tower buildings in Phoenix to house national corporate headquarters such as Grey Hound Bus Lines. The adjacent Del Webb Towne House served as a business hotel with the amenities of a resort. This was made possible by leveraging land along Central Avenue originally held by Isaac Rosenzweig. The brothers also led the initiative for the Phoenix convention center and auditorium. Rosenzweig investments were diverse, ranging from real estate to municipal bonds. Downtown development, urban renewal, and an economic/cultural corridor in Phoenix occupied Newton for the next 40 years. Newton served on or was appointed to bank boards, task forces, county and state commissions, retailer associations, study groups, health care advisory boards, and education committees. He brought a tough, analytical approach to problem-solving and a scholarly bent for researching background information. He was a dogged letters-to the-editor writer. Much of his work influenced votes, promoted change in public policy, improved funding for human services, and increased professionalism in non-profit governance. Together, Betty and Newton Rosenzweig served on and raised funds for over 75 religious, charitable, cultural, educational and political organizations. Among these are St. Luke's Hospital, the American Jewish Committee, Arizona Community Foundation, United Way, Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona State University, Phoenix Little Theatre, and the Foundation for Blind Children. Although childless, they had an abiding interest in children's health care, early education, and overall welfare. Newton's many awards include Phoenix Man of the Year, the Jewish Federation Medal of Honor, the Phoenix Humanitarian Award, and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Arizona State University. Hailed as a "civic giant" and "the last of the civic statesmen," Newton ROSENZWEIG died February 5, 2002 at the age of 96. He wished to be remembered not as a philanthropist but as a person who cared and tried in whatever ways he could.

RYLE, Edward
Phoenix -- Msgr. Edward Ryle, the longtime head of the Arizona Catholic Conference known for his devotion to social justice and ecumenism, died Dec. 28 at age 75 after a series of health complications. Ryle, referred to by some as "God's lobbyist," served for 19 years as director of the office that monitors public policy for the bishops of the state's three dioceses. Catholic Charities USA honored him in September with its Vision Award. Ryle was a "tireless champion for the less fortunate" and a "great statesman," said Fr. Larry SNYDER, president of Catholic Charities USA. "Whatever the issue, he had a view--strongly held, rooted in Catholic social teaching, forcefully offered and vigorously defended," Snyder said. Ryle was a native of Chicago who was ordained in 1956 for the Tucson diocese.

STANTZ-STEPHENS, Barbara Alice
Barbara Alice Stantz-Stephens taught math and chemistry at Phoenix Union, Maryvale High, and Estrella College for over 30 yrs as well as being a member of PDK Sorority. She lived in Waddell, Arizona, and passed away on December 20, 2006 at the age of 64. She is survived by husband Larry, daughter Gail, grandson Karl DeShaun, mother Oma and 2 sisters, Cozette and AnnEtta. She is buried in Resthaven Cemetery in Glendale, Arizona.

SWILLING, John
John "Jack" SWILLING (April 1, 1830 – August 12, 1878) was one of the original founders of the city of Phoenix, Arizona. He had a dual reputation for kindness and a rough, tough side. Biographers have indicated he may have killed a dozen or more men, once shooting and killing a man in Wickenburg, Arizona in self-defense, then scalping him. He was also said to be addicted to morphine and alcohol. Born in North Carolina, he moved to the New Mexico and Arizona Territories around the 1850s, pursuing prospecting and mining for newly discovered gold. By 1860, with the onset of the Civil War, he joined the Arizona Guards - then a part of the newly formed Confederacy - with the primary intent of helping the Guard protect settlers from Apache raiders. By 1862, however, he left the confederacy for the Union Army. According to research by Swilling historian Al Bates, "His service with the Confederacy ended when he refused to forage livestock from friends and neighbors in the Pinos Altos vicinity. Rather than report for disciplinary action, he and several others deserted from the CSA. By then the Confederate Army in the West was on the run from the California Column lead by General CARLETON. Carleton soon hired Jack as a civilian dispatch rider, most likely on the recommendation of a Union officer who recently had been Jack's prisoner." He arrived in Phoenix from Prescott, Arizona, with friend and colleague Darrell DUPPA in 1867. In his travels as a rider and scout for the Union, he had been fascinated with the ancient Hohokam ruins and artifacts, especially the extensive network of canals the ancient Indians had dug to irrigate their fields. His concept was that the old canals could be re-built for modern farmers, and that the soil of the valley could support highly productive farms. Within a very short time, the Swilling and Duppa team had water flowing in a canal. By January 1, 1868, Swilling's home area, where up to fifty more pioneer homes had been built by this time, was known as Pumpkinville - so named for the impressive growth of pumpkins Jack had earlier planted along the canals. Swilling died in jail of natural causes while awaiting trial for a stagecoach robbery he did not commit. Data from: The Sharlot Hall Museum of Arizona; The Salt River Project History Museum of Arizona

THOMAS, GERRY
Gerry Thomas, 83, inventor of the TV dinner, died July 2005, in Phoenix, Arizona. He came up with the idea as a marketer for poultry company C.A. Swanson & Sons, after seeing that Pan American Airways was developing a flat aluminum tray for hot in-flight meals. Since Swanson had a post-holiday turkey surplus, he devised a multicompartment tray for the bird and accompanying side dishes. Introduced in 1954 with a package resembling a TV set, the dinners took off, selling 10 million that year and earning Thomas a raise, a spot on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and hate letters from husbands who wrote, he said, that "I was ruining their lives."

THOMPSON, Bill 1931-
"Wallace" on KPHO-TV. He was born in New York City on Dec 18, 1931, the son of William and Marie THOMPSON and the eldest of three brothers. His father worked as an investment manager on the second floor of the Empire State Building. "I was embarrassed to tell my friends about this," Thompson remembered. "I mean, if you're going to have an office in the Empire State Building, you should at least have an office on the 70th or 80th floor!" In 1934, the Thompsons moved to Bronxville, 20 miles north of New York City in Westchester County, where the three brothers -- Bill, Boyce and Tony -- attended school. In first grade, Bill was a gingerbread man in the school's production of "Hansel and Gretel." His mother told him he was the best gingerbread man in the show. He believed her. As a result, many elementary, high school and college plays followed over the years. "I never knew my lines and never hit my spot on stage, but I always managed to get a laugh and easily won the title of class clown from sixth grade on. Being the class clown meant going to the principal's office a lot." In seventh grade, Bill wrote a six-page vocational report in a green folder. The first sentence was, "I want to make people laugh." The report went on to explain that he wasn't sure if he would be a cartoonist, comedy writer or funny guy on the radio, little knowing he'd end up doing all three. He got a C-minus on the report and his teacher, Miss WETZEL, told him, "It's time to get serious with your life." "If I had taken Miss Wetzel's advice," Thompson said, "I'd probably be selling vacuum cleaners at Sears." Through high school and later at DePauw University, he took all the courses he could on art, writing and performing -- "any class I thought would help me later in a comedy career." During the late '40s, Thompson started writing kids' stories featuring a character named Wallace Snead. Bill graduated from Bronxville High in 1950. The yearbook stated, "the class clown will be missed by his classmates, but not his teachers." The next year at DePauw, he had a part in a Noel Coward play. "I was still missing my marks and forgetting my lines. By then I had perfected the art of wandering around stage and ad-libbing. Later on Lad, Pat and I were to elevate this style of performing to a science." In 1952, THOMPSON married Donna COPE, headed west to Arizona and had three kids: Carrie, Annie and Tony. His first job in Phoenix was in the circulation department of The Phoenix Gazette, but every couple of months he would stop by KPHO-TV in the hopes of landing a job. In January, 1954, KPHO hired him for two jobs. He began creating a character called Wallace Snead and appeared on "The Goldust Charlie Show." In January, 1955, a kid's cartoon show, "It's Wallace?" premiered. After a few months of going solo, Bill decided he needed a partner. In January, 1956, Lad joined him. On June 15, 1970, the program officially became "The Wallace and Ladmo Show." On April 3, 1974, the show celebrated its 20th anniversary. Through the 1970's, Bill and the cast won Emmy's for their productions. On Dec. 29, 1989, the show went off the air. Bill now spends his time going to the movies and entertaining his grandchildren.

THURSTON, Frank
Killed by Apaches six miles west of Pima May 23, 1886, while starting a lime kiln. He was surprised by eight Apaches and killed.

TILLMAN, Pat
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INITIATED. Into the death of PAT TILLMAN, Arizona Cardinals defensive back who quit football to join the Army after 9/11 and was killed in Afghanistan in April 2004, after fellow Rangers mistook him for a Taliban fighter; by the Defense Department's inspector general; in Washington. The Army originally blamed enemy fire for Tillman's death. Tillman's family has criticized three previous Army investigations as incomplete. The Army acknowledged it is launching a criminal investigation into the death of Pat Tillman, 27, the former Arizona Cardinals defensive back who was killed in April 2004 after leaving the NFL to fight in Afghanistan. Military reports initially said he was killed by enemy fire, but weeks later the Army revealed he was felled by "friendly fire." Later investigations determined that "botched communications" contributed to his death; seven U.S. Rangers were disciplined as a result. The latest inquiry--the first criminal probe--was opened on the recommendation of the Defense Department's Office of the Inspector General after a review of the case and will determine whether formal charges are warranted.

TILLMAN, Pat
Pat Tillman, Corporal, U.S. Army. Died Apr. 22, 2004. Pat Tillman, 27, was killed by friendly fire while on a mission to counter al-Qaida and Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. His U.S. Army Rangers unit was on patrol with Afghan milita soldiers in the Khost province, a mountainous region bordering Pakistan. Tillman played four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before enlisting in May 2002. Criminal Investigation Initiated. Into the death of PAT TILLMAN, Arizona Cardinals defensive back who quit football to join the Army after 9/11 and was killed in Afghanistan in April 2004, after fellow Rangers mistook him for a Taliban fighter; by the Defense Department's inspector general; in Washington. The Army originally blamed enemy fire for Tillman's death. Tillman's family has criticized three previous Army investigations as incomplete. The Army acknowledged it is launching a criminal investigation into the death of Pat Tillman, 27, the former Arizona Cardinals defensive back who was killed in April 2004 after leaving the NFL to fight in Afghanistan. Military reports initially said he was killed by enemy fire, but weeks later the Army revealed he was felled by "friendly fire." Later investigations determined that "botched communications" contributed to his death; seven U.S. Rangers were disciplined as a result. The latest inquiry--the first criminal probe--was opened on the recommendation of the Defense Department's Office of the Inspector General after a review of the case and will determine whether formal charges are warranted.

TURLEY, Boose
Boose Turley worked for Tanner Companies on the Yarnell job in 1931.

TURLEY, Harry
Harry Turley, Labor Foreman, worked for Tanner Companies from 1942 to 1957.

TURLEY, Ivan
Ivan Turley, Grade Foreman, worked for Tanner Companies from 1933 to 1936.

TURLEY, John
John Turley, Teamster (finished grade with team of horses) and Grade Forman, worked for Tanner Companies on the St. David job in 1930 and worked until 1932.

TURNER, C. L.
C. L. "Shorty" Turner, Grade Foreman and Superintendent worked for Tanner Companies from 1934 to 1946.

WALMSLEY, Sandra LaVerne
Receives scholarship, not an obituary, named in the news, see Stephen William HALL, Melville H. HASKELL, and Howard Melville HANNA. 9/3/1967.

WEBB, Del E. 1899-1974
Developer, Sun City Del Webb is credited with starting a new chapter in housing -- the retirement community. He started working with lumber as a hobby in California, moving to Phoenix in 1927, where he started the Del Webb Co. His construction contracts included an addition to the Arizona State Capitol, the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, expanding Howard Hughes' aircraft facilities in California and constructing Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1962. In 1945, with partner Al Topping, Webb bought the New York Yankees. In 1960, Webb started Sun City, northwest of Phoenix, the first of many to follow across the country.

WINDES, R. A.
Was the first ordained Baptist preacher in Arizona.

WRIGHT, Lorenzo and Seth
Ambushed by Apaches December 1, 1885 in Gila Valley while looking for horses. Seth WRIGHT was shot from his horse. His brother immediately dismounted and opened fire upon the Indians. Lorenzo's arm was broken by a bullet, and then, while he was running, he was shot in the back.

---