Arizona Historical Society Education team worked with 7th and 8th graders at Mohave Middle School on their topics for the 2026 NHD theme Revolution, Reaction and Reform in History today! Looking forward to seeing their projects at the east regional.
The Historical League is a proud sponsor of this project.
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| Leonard Moody with students |
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| Emily Hahn helping students |
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Celebration of Life for Arizona Historymaker Alfredo Gutierrez was an amazing tribute to him.
YourValley Independent article October 27, 2025:
The Arizona Historical League honored nine individuals as 2025 ‘Historymakers’ at the Scott Resort in Scottsdale on Saturday, Oct. 25.
John Graham, Dr. Eric Reiman, Sharon Harper, Dr. Sister Adele O’Sullivan, Diana ‘Dede’ Yazzie Devine, F. Ronald ‘Ron’ Rayner, Bob Boze Bell, Dr. Duane Wooten and Dr. Oliver Harper were honored as individuals who have contributed to the betterment of the community.
Hosted by Carey Peña, former Channel 3 anchor and owner of Inspired Media 360, the honorees were celebrated at a reception with videos introducing them following a speech of their acceptance.
The event honored past Historymakers as well as Honorable members of the Community like Tempe Mayor Corey Woods, Tempe City Manager Rosa Inchausti and leaders who have improved their community through stewardship and growth.
“I think everyone needs to fail more,” said Bob Boze Bell, a cartoonist, artist and comedian who is a 2025 Historymaker. “Success means falling five times and getting up the sixth.”
All seven honorees thanked their family and friends for support, but Diana ‘Dede’ Divine began her speech by crediting those who helped her create Native American Connections to help Native Americans in need access healthcare and community services.
“You never do it alone,” she said.
Other healthcare workers were honored as well.
Dr. Sister Adele O’Sullivan is a practicing physician who founded Circle the City, a non-emergency medical center for people experiencing homelessness. After becoming a nun at the age of 18, she was placed in Arizona to help the growing homeless population. After getting a medical degree to help those on the street, in 2012, O’Sullivan started Circle the City to help individuals experiencing homelessness who do not need intensive services but are not healthy enough to be outside all day. Circle the City serves over 8000 individuals in need every year.
Sharon and Dr. Oliver Harper are partners in life, business, and philanthropy who met while both attending Creighton University in Nebraska. Years later, they were part of the developments that brought Creighton to Phoenix
Dr. Eric Rieman has been a driving force in the fight against Alzheimer’s and believes that within a year, physicians will be able to test for the disease to catch it as early as 30 years old, to give patients a treatment plan and improve quality of life.
Dr. Duane Wooten is a South Phoenix pediatrician who is one of the few Black doctors in the Valley and wanted to care for children who needed someone who looked like them.
“There’s something about seeing yourself in healthcare and seeing people like you. You just know you’re going to be taken care of,” he said.
While many looked to improve the human experience, others innovated through land. Ron Rayner is a lifelong farmer and scientist who created a way to prevent cotton crops from being overrun by pests by crossbreeding seeds with natural pesticides. He forever changed how farmers place crops in Arizona.
From farm to city, land and community development have changed how Arizona operates. Real Estate developer John Graham was honored for his work in connecting the private and public sectors by developing land for public and non-profit businesses alike.
The eight honorees at the event toasted before ending the night with a reception and networking, as hundreds gathered in the ballroom.
To learn more about the Arizona Historical League and the 2025 Historymakers, visit 2025 Arizona HistorymakersTM Turquoise & Treasures Celebration – Historical League
"Working with 7th graders to develop their topics for 2026 NHDAZ." At ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Photos from Emily Hahn.
HUGE thanks to the students, teachers, and parents who helped made this fundraiser possible with @raisingcanes
Governor Doug Ducey writes, "Great to join Scouting Arizona’s Luncheon to introduce my friend Sharon Harper as she was honored with the Trail to Leadership award. Sharon's love of AZ, dedication to her community, and strong servant leadership make her the perfect person to represent the values of scouting."
Between Oct. 15 and Dec. 14 at the museum, ten movies of Billy with post-screening discussions will be featured.
Bob Boze Bell: Writer, Humorist, Artist, Old West Historian, is being honored as 2025 Arizona Historymaker! Event is October 25.
Opinion section is adding community advisory board
Greg Burton
Executive editor Arizona Republic
USA TODAY NETWORK September 28, 2025
(Charlie) Kirk championed the First Amendment. So do we. The Republic’s Community Advisory Board will encourage civil discourse and civic participation. The stakes are greater today than they’ve been in a long time.
(Congrats to Historical League member and one of the new members of)
The Republic Community Advisory Board:
Lincoln Ragsdale Jr., a small-business owner. Ragsdale is a longtime resident and community leader in metro Phoenix and son of pioneering civil rights heroes Lincoln Ragsdale Sr. and Eleanor Ragsdale.
Sharon Harper, Business/Civic Leader is being honored as 2025 Arizona Historymaker October 25, 2025.
The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com are moving their offices to the redeveloped Park Central Mall in midtown Phoenix, leaving downtown for the first time in the news organization’s 135-year history.
The newspaper’s new office at Park Central will be 17,000 square feet, Andrew Cheney, a broker with Lee and Associates who represented Park Central in the lease, said.
“We have one of the most exciting atmospheres on Central Avenue right now,” Cheney said of the activity at Park Central, listing Creighton University, the new hotel, EOS Fitness, restaurants and apartments, as benefits for Park Central. “There is something for everyone there right now.”
Phoenix recently designated the area around Park Central as a bioscience core, known as “Phoenix Medical Quarter, Global Advancement of Health and Education.”
Sharon Harper, chairperson and CEO of Plaza Cos., one of the co-developers of Park Central, said the success of the redeveloped mall is “such a tribute to Phoenix for sure.”
“Park Central has risen as the epitome of the history and the future of the city,” she said.
Along with The Republic, Dress for Success Phoenix, a non-profit organization that provides unemployed people with professional clothing and job training to help them reenter the work- force, recently moved its office to Park Central.
Harper said new development projects are in the works for the former mall as well. Plaza Cos. is in escrow with the Dinerstein Cos., the developer of an apartment complex already at the former mall, on another site to build an additional apartment building.
Barrow Neurological Institute is also in the early stages of planning a new bioscience building at the site.
Artlink, an arts organization, is planning a new set of programs for performing arts at Park Central.
“We wanted to be a leader in the mix of biosciences, commercial office and arts and culture,” Harper said of the curation of tenants at Park Central.
Honored in 1992 as an Arizona Historymaker, Sandra Day O'Connor continues to be a positive influence for Arizona.
September 25, 2025. The Sandra Day O’Connor Institute is proud to announce that the O’Connor House in Tempe, Arizona, has been awarded the esteemed National Trust for Historic Preservation Trustees’ Emeritus Award for Historic Site Stewardship. The honor was presented in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at its annual PastForward Conference in September. Only eight historic projects and organizations nationwide were recognized for exemplary preservation work.
The O’Connor House, conserved by the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute, is the historic adobe family home of retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the nation’s highest court. To prevent its demolition, the home was meticulously relocated brick by brick to the pristine desert setting of Papago Park in Tempe, Arizona. Today, the O’Connor House stands as an icon for the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute, serving as a symbol of Justice O’Connor’s lifetime work and a gathering place for civic engagement and civility.
“Justice O’Connor’s vision was to create a place where people could come together to address society’s problems through respectful dialogue,” said Gay Wray, Co-Chair of the O’Connor Institute Board of Directors. “The O’Connor House embodies the work of Justice O’Connor, and we are deeply honored that the National Trust for Historic Preservation has recognized its enduring significance.”
The National Preservation Awards, established over six decades ago, are among the highest honors in the field, spotlighting distinguished individuals, organizations, and historic places that enrich their communities through preservation. This year’s awardees reflect the power of historic places to strengthen community engagement, nurture culture, and inspire future generations.
Mark your calendars! On Thursday, October 16th, Raising Cane's is donating 15% of sales from participating Valley and Flagstaff locations to support National History Day Arizona!
The Historical League’s Turquoise and Treasures Celebration will soon honor one couple and seven individual Arizona leaders who will share their life stories and contributions to Arizona and its community issues, such as the homeless, farming with less water and the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
The celebration begins at 3 p.m. Oct. 25 at The Scott Resort & Spa, 4925 N. Scottsdale Road, in Scottsdale, according to a press release.
The Historical League Arizona Historymaker’s Recognition Program puts a spotlight on men and women who have distinguished themselves with noted achievements and contributed to making Arizona history.
Those being honored are John R. Graham , Dr. Eric M. Reiman, Sharon Harper, Sister Adele O’Sullivan, Diana ‘Dede’ Yazzie Devine, F. Ronald ‘Ron’ Rayner, Bob Boze Bell, Dr. Duane Wooten and Dr. Oliver Harper.
Jeron Velasco, Az Social Studies Teacher of the Year and Arizona Historical Society’s El Merito award. Congratulations to Jeron. Keep up the great work you do with history and National History Day Arizona!
