The Phoenix-Tucson Rivalry, A Deep-Rooted Tradition

Phoenix-Tucson rivalry, Territorial Insane Asylum, Arizona State Hospital, 1885, Thieving Thirteenth

Excerpt from an August 31st, 1889 Arizona Sentinel article regarding the asylum and its location.

As we are now just a few weeks out from the annual ASU vs. U of A Territorial Cup game, I thought it might be appropriate to share this as-yet-unposted August 28th, 2014 KJZZ piece covering one of the many points of contention in the Phoenix / Tucson rivalry – the Thieving Thirteenth territorial legislature and the $100,000 insane asylum its members awarded to Phoenix.

To listen, please visit http://theshow.kjzz.org/content/43308/did-you-know-territorial-insane-asylum-caused-tension-between-cities.

Enjoy.

Phoenix-Tucson rivalry, Territorial Insane Asylum, Arizona State Hospital, 1885, Thieving Thirteenth

An early twentieth-century hand-colored postcard depicting a seemingly idyllic scene on the grounds of the Phoenix asylum.
Image credit: John Larsen Southard collection – facebook.com/AZHistorian

The Nogales to Yuma Slant: Arizona’s Southern Border West of the 111th Meridian

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“Map of the Gadsden Purchase : Sonora and portions of New Mexico, Chihuahua & California,” produced in 1858 by cartographer Herman Ehrenberg. Note the northwesterly slant in the border as it runs from Nogales to Yuma.
Image credit: Library of Congress

Here’s a question that likely keeps you up at night: Why does Arizona’s southern border run in a northwesterly manner between Nogales and Yuma?

Give up? Have a listen to this KJZZ piece – that happens to quote yours truly – from last Friday. It should be noted, of course, that the history of the Gadsden Purchase involves many very complex moving parts. However, Nadine Arroyo Rodriguez summed up the story nicely given the challenge of condensing it into a two-to-three minute radio segment.

Enjoy.

http://theshow.kjzz.org/content/51743/did-you-know-arizonas-slanted-southern-border-was-negotiated

Raúl Castro First of Nine Consecutive Arizona Governors to Enter or Leave Office Abnormally

Raúl Castro, Raul Castro, Arizona governor, Wesley Bolin, Bruce Babbitt, Evan Mecham, Rose Mofford, Fife Symington, Jane Dee Hull, Janet Napolitano, Jan Brewer, Jimmy Carter, John Larsen Southard, John Southard, Southard, Arizona history, Arizona historian, AZHistorian

Photo: Raúl Castro and President Jimmy Carter
Image credit: Raúl Castro Papers, University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections
Image link: (http://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/governor-castro-jimmy-carter)

Today, October 1st, 2014, President Jimmy Carter assumed the title of nonagenarian. In addition to being elected to the White House in 1976, Carter is known for being a peanut farmer, a Naval Academy graduate, a former Georgia governor, and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. President Carter is not as well known for his 1977 selection of Arizona Governor Raúl Castro — himself now a nonagenarian — for the post of U.S. ambassador to Argentina. This appointment marked the beginning of a nearly four decade-long — and counting — run of Arizona governors who would either enter or leave office under circumstances other than beginning or ending a statutorily-defined gubernatorial term. Perhaps the next occupant of the 9th floor will break the streak… although, our almost forty year span of experiences to the contrary indicates otherwise.

Here’s a list of the Arizona governors, beginning with Raúl Castro, who have either entered or left the state’s highest job due to circumstances other than the beginning or end of a statutorily-defined gubernatorial term:

Raúl Castro
Democrat
In office: 1975 – 1977
Entered office under normal circumstances.
Left office after being appointed to an ambassadorship.

Wesley Bolin
Democrat
In office: 1977 – 1978
Assumed office following Raúl Castro’s ambassadorial appointment.
Died in office.

Bruce Babbitt
Democrat
In office: 1978 – 1987
Assumed office following Wesley Bolin’s death.
Served out the remainder of Bolin’s term and subsequently won two full terms.

Evan Mecham
Republican
In office: 1987 – 1988
Assumed office under normal circumstances.
Removed from office after being convicted of multiple charges in a court of impeachment (the Arizona State Senate).

Rose Mofford
Democrat
In office: 1988 – 1991
Assumed office following Evan Mecham’s impeachment and conviction.
Left office under somewhat normal circumstances (see below: Symington, Fife).

Fife Symington
Republican
In office: 1991 – 1997
Assumed office in March of 1991 after beating Terry Goddard in a February runoff election.
Resigned from office after being indicted on multiple federal charges.

Jane Dee Hull
Republican
In office: 1997 – 2003
Assumed office following Fife Symington’s resignation.
Left office under normal circumstances.

Janet Napolitano
Democrat
In office: 2003 – 2009
Assumed office under normal circumstances.
Left office after being appointed to President Obama’s cabinet.

Jan Brewer
Republican
In office: 2009 – Present
Assumed office following Janet Napolitano’s cabinet appointment.
Incumbent.

For those of you counting, that’s nine governors who have either entered or left office — both in three cases — under circumstances other than the beginning or end of a statutorily-defined gubernatorial term.

Who says politics is boring?

Who was Dr. Grady Gammage?

Grady Gammage, Gammage Auditorium, John Larsen Southard, John Southard, Southard, Arizona history, Arizona historian, AZHistorian, Tempe, ASU, Arizona State University, Frank Lloyd Wright

Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium
Credit: Wikipedia

ASU’s Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium was dedicated on September 16th, 1964. Though many now associate the name Gammage with only the performing arts venue or attorney Grady Gammage, Jr., the auditorium stands as a monument to a man who greatly impacted Arizona’s development – Dr. Grady Gammage, Sr. Here are a handful of Dr.Gammage’s many notable accomplishments:

– Arrived in Arizona just months after statehood. Though nearly broke when he set foot on Arizona soil, he managed to earn a degree from the University of Arizona in 1916.

– Led a successful 1916 initiative campaign expanding Arizona’s 1914 Prohibition law.

– Served as a high school principal in Winslow, AZ.

– Assumed the presidency of the Flagstaff teachers college, now Northern Arizona University, in 1926. Led the institution through the early years of the Great Depression.

– Named president of the Tempe teachers college, now Arizona State University, in 1933. Briefly served as president of both the Flagstaff and Tempe colleges.

Grady Gammage, Gammage Auditorium, John Larsen Southard, John Southard, Southard, Arizona history, Arizona historian, AZHistorian, Tempe, ASU, Arizona State University, Frank Lloyd Wright

A bust of Frank Lloyd Wright on display at Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium

– Enlarged the Tempe campus, substantially grew enrollment figures, and presided over the creation of many academic programs critical to the Valley’s incredible post-World War II growth.

– Oversaw the effort to pass Proposition 200, a 1958 ballot initiative that elevated Arizona State to full university status.

– Championed the idea of building the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed auditorium that bears his name.

Should you wish to learn more about the auditorium or take part in its anniversary celebration, please consider attending an open house scheduled for September 28th, 2014. For more information, see: http://asugammage.com/openhouse

Arizona’s State Song – No, It’s Not That One by Mark Lindsay

Text of the 1919 bill naming "The Arizona March Song" our state anthem.

Text of the 1919 bill naming “The Arizona March Song” our state anthem.

200 years ago today, Francis Scott Key penned a four-stanza poem titled “Defense of Fort M’Henry.” a four-stanza poem that would later be set to music and retitled “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The first stanza of Key’s poem was quickly set to music using the tune of an eighteenth-century British number called “The Anacreontic Song,” and was renamed “The Star-Spangled Banner.” President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional resolution designating the song our nation anthem in 1931 — thus creating a challenge for all future amateur crooners selected to sing the musically complex song at baseball games and other public events.

While you’ll hear the national anthem at many types of public gatherings, you’re less likely to hear one of our two state songs. That’s right… two; one official state song and one alternate state song — neither of which are Mark Lindsay’s 1969 single.

Margaret Rowe Clifford wrote “The Arizona March Song” in 1915. The Arizona legislature selected Clifford’s prose, accompanied by the music of Maurice Blumenthal, as our state song in 1919. Not satisfied with just one state song, a legislature more than sixty years in the future chose Rex Allen, Jr.’s “Arizona” (often known as “I Love You, Arizona”) as our alternate state song. While Allen’s song is fairly well-known today, Clifford’s 1915 piece is rarely heard. Links to renditions of both songs can be found below.

Do you have a preference?

Arizona’s State Songs

“Arizona March Song,” sung by Hannes Kvaran: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws5dbNx3EVU

“Arizona,” sung by Rex Allen, Jr.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7xedmvJTzk