Historymaker Ed Mell designs AZ Centennial Stamp

Historymakers honored by the Historical League continue to do great things. Ed Mell has created some wonderful landscapes. He is shown speaking at our Historymakers Gala.

The stamp unveiling was at BestFest in Prescott September 16. A large image of the Commemorative stamp was displayed over the courthouse for the three day festival.

“I actually tried a few different directions before I settled on Cathedral Rock, which I really felt was an icon of Arizona,” Mell said in an interview at his Phoenix studio.

A native Arizonan and a stamp collector in his youth, Mell said this assignment was a dream come true. “It's one of those things I always thought would be a wonderful thing to do.”

Karen Churchard, executive director of the Arizona Centennial 2012 Foundation, said U.S. Postal Service representatives asked centennial organizers going in what they didn't want on the stamp. Their answer: the Grand Canyon and saguaro cactuses, which they considered overused.

“We want to showcase our history,” Churchard said.

Mell said the oil painting took him about three weeks to complete. He worked in a style that combines abstract and realism.

He started by taking a photo of Cathedral Rock and developed pencil sketches before producing the final work on a 20-by-30-inch canvas.

The piece now belongs to the Postal Service, and the stamp will officially become available on Arizona's Statehood Day, Feb. 14, 2012. A forever stamp, it can be used indefinitely to mail a one-ounce letter.

“If you're not enthusiastic about painting, it shows on the canvas.”

Read more: http://www.yumasun.com/articles/stamp-73126-arizona-mell.html#ixzz1YizUHxnn

AZ Centennial Celebration in Prescott

BestFest is the event to celebrate the Centennial with the kick off in Prescott September 16-18. Four members of the Historical League set up the booth on Friday to showcase our own Arizona Recollections and Reflections Centennial book as well as Tastes & Treasures cookbook, Old Ned aprons, Centennial aprons, hats and visors. 

Carolyn Mendoza is ready to accommodate our first group of shoppers. League members Zona Lorig, Norma Jean Coulter and Ruth McLeod join her. 

 

Prescott is the perfect small town to feature this agenda.

Fun times with the unveiling of the Arizona Centennial postage stamp, patriotic songs, bands, speeches and more. The stamp is beautiful and it is a FOREVER stamp. The Elks Theatre was open for tours with Historymaker Elisabeth Ruffner meeting and greeting guests. Elisabeth also signed several Arizona Recollections and Reflections Centennial books for the League. They were the first ones sold at the event.

Countdown to the Centennial

What a wonderful day, February 14, 2011 at the State Capital building. Crowds of people came to begin the Centennial celebration starting with a speech from Governor Jan Brewer.

The Historical League did very well with their merchandise. The crowd was full of people who appreciate our wonderful state and they wanted Centennial books, aprons and hats. Pictured are Pat Faur with Susan Dale working on the credit card machine. Zona Lorig, Ruth McLeod and Susan Dale enjoyed introducing the brand new leather-bound Centennial book, ARIZONA Recollections and Reflections, a collection of rare photographs, memories and biographies from notable Arizonans. These distinquished Historymakers have been honored by the Historical League from 1992-2008.

Volunteers go above and behond

Working towards the Arizona Centennial Historymakers Gala and Reception Program has been a 2 year journey for Historical League volunteers. The chairmen always contribute more but this year our volunteers have gone far beyond the usual donation of time, talent and resources.
Pictured here is our "Computer Guru" Joan Robinson with "Writing Guru" Zona Lorig. Margaret Baker and Pat Faur are two of many who have helped edit the AZ Centennial book and Historymakers Gala program. Thank you to all involved.

Historymakers Gala Work

Thanks to a wonderful staff at the AHS Museum (photos of Megan Gately and Jeff Hotchkiss) for their help with the preparations for Historymakers Gala and Recognition Program. Jeff has spent hours researching, documenting and editing photos of our honored Arizonans. Zona and I were thrilled to get the CD for volunteer Joan Robinson-Blumit to upload to the website and to use in the upcoming Gala Centennial book. This enables teachers, students, researchers, family historians and more to access the information about some of Arizonans most celebrated people.

Sandra Day O'Connor speaks at Troon Luncheon

A highlight of the year for Historical League members is this Spring Recognition Luncheon and to listen to Justice O'Connor was amazing. Troon Golf Club was the venue with sweeping vistas of Phoenix accompanied by delicious food. Kudos to organizers Gail Lucky and Mary Pat McNamara. Members received lovely thank you gifts from Leslie Christiansen and outgoing President Ruth Ann Hogan. Over 4,900 volunteer hours were recognized this year along with the realization that since it began the League has contributed over $1,000,590.00 to the AHS Museum.
Future plans for the Arizona Centennial "Kickoff" Gala are keeping many League members busy over the summer working on the Feb 11, 2011 event.

Elisabeth Ruffner, Guest Speaker

Elisabeth Ruffner, 2008 Historymaker, was the guest speaker at the Historical League meeting on April 5. She continues to inspire us with her efforts to preserve history and share it with others.

Elisabeth initiated the formation of Arizona Centennial committees for both Prescott and Yavapai County and serves as vice-chair of each. She gave her slide presentation entitled, "Yavapai: Mother of Counties, Cradle of Statehood". This is a State Centennial project for which she is seeking legacy and status as a Historian.
Photo shows Dinny Henze, Elisabeth and Kathleen Fischer.

Lunch is always popular prior to the meeting. Elisabeth and League members enjoyed Tomato, Mozarella and Basil Salad, Fresh Tossed Salad with Strawberries, Cabbage/Beet salad and so many more salads.


Betsy Davis made Berry Salad from Rancho de La Osa found in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.




Berry Fruit Salad with Mint Sugar page 118

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint
6 tablespoons sugar
3 cups sliced strawberries
3 cups blackberries
3 cups blueberries

Pulse the mint and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Sprinkle over the strawberries, blackberries and blueberries in a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

Centennial Legacy Project Official

Celebrations are in order as the Historical League now has two officially sanctioned Centennial Projects. The Historymakers Gala will be the official kick off of the Centennial on February 11, 2011. Plans are underway for a truly wonderful event you won't want to miss.

The second project is my favorite - The Legacy Project. Oral histories from all 56 Historymakers will soon be available at www.HistoricalLeague.org containing many wonderful stories and memories from some amazing Arizonans. Thanks to so many volunteers from the Historical League for working so hard on this project.

Zona Lorig and myself continue to work on transferring these stories from paper to digital format. We also share a laugh over "dueling laptops" as we chat about the progress. Joan Robinson-Blumit is the key to this fabulous project with her knowledge of computers and the internet.

Oral Histories for www.HistoricalLeague.org

Since the Historymakers Gala and Recognition Program started in 1992, we have honored 55 notable Arizonans and recorded their stories; such names as John F. Long, Barbara Barrett, Erma Bombeck, John Rhodes and Adam Diaz.
Interviewing our Historymakers for their oral history is a daunting task yet very rewarding. As each person tells his life story, we begin to visualize their life, their childhood, their education, their career, their impression of Arizona.
This summer, members of the cookbook committee and many other Historical League members edited these oral histories so they could be put on www.HistoricalLeague.org. Pictured are Zona Lorig and myself working on Barry Goldwater interviews. As a Centennial Legacy Project, the League’s website will contain all the Historymakers personal stories along with formal portraits and family photos, making this information readily available to the public.
I did not realize how extensive this project was we started it. Comparing it to a great novel, comes to mind. You don’t want to put the book down or have the story end. It will debut this fall. Visit www.HistoricalLeague.org to enjoy a good read and help celebrate Arizona’s Centennial.

Lassoing young minds with Ourcourts.org

Great article on Sandra Day O'Connor in the Sunday, August 2, AZ Republic Viewpoints. Justice O'Connor has always championed education, wanting to "saddle up to help teach middle school kids about how their government works." Her life on the Lazy B Ranch gave her "lessons that inspired a lifetime of civic involvement and public service." Now she is working with Ourcourts.org to develop online lessons, games and history for teachers and students.

The Historical League has a summer project to do similar good works. Our volunteer staff is digitalizing the 55 Historymakers oral histories so they will be accessible on www.HistoricalLeague.org. This is part of the Legacy Project for the Arizona Historical Society to celebrate Arizona's Centennial. These oral histories are from Arizonans such as Erma Bombeck, Eddie Basha, Jerry Colangelo, Paul Fannin, Barry Goldwater, Esther Don Tang and Ed Mell. A complete list is on www.HistoricalLeague.org. The histories talk about their childhood, education, business and social and political life. You feel like you are sitting down talking with them over a cup of coffee . . . or glass of wine.

Love this photo of Sandra as a young girl on the ranch. Can you guess who is the other young man? . . . Barry Goldwater.

Presidents Advisory Board Brainstorms

What could be better than getting all the Past Presidents, Historymaker Gala Chairs, Executive Board and Museum Board Members together to learn about the latest Museum happenings and discuss it's future? Thanks to our current President, Jeannine Moyle, we met at Desert Ridge Marriott at 9 am, March 9. It was more like a reunion and so good to see familiar faces. Life changes and many League members are not as active as they once were but they are still very interested and have great ideas about the Museum and the League. Highlighted topics were Historymakers Gala, Children's Holiday Party, Membership, Finances, Centennial Celebrations, Cookbook and Old Ned Newsletter.

Pam Stevenson opened with a video she had produced promoting a century of Arizona. Wonderful photos and narrative. Dr Peter Welsh spoke about Museum happenings and the possibilities of a merger with Phoenix Museum of History. Great things could happen as a result of that.

We talked for hours, broke into smaller groups, paused for lunch and still kept discussing the future. There was a lot of energy in that room. I am looking forward to hearing about all the things that could be....even with the budget crunch, life with the Historical League looks good.