162 students and 110 projects were presented at National History Day in Arizona state contest on Saturday, April 12. We heard all the details from AHS Education Curator Emily Hahn at our April meeting. The winners advance to National Competition in College Park, Maryland June 14-18. Exciting times!!
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| Dr. Josephine Pete (Josie), Cathy Shumard |
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| Emily Burns |
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| Co-Chair Diana Smith gives an enthusiastic report on the 2025 AZ Historymakers progress |
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| Mary Perona is currently working on updating our website |
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| Norma Jean Coulter, Historymakers Co-Chair Diane Smith, Zona Lorig |
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| Co-Chair President Pam denDraak |
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| Sandy Loeffler, Pat Christopherson |
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| The Black & White Club: Nancy Evans, Pat Christopherson, Norma Jean Coulter |
2025 Historical League is off to a great start. The January meeting had education-filled stories from guest speaker, Dr. Christine Marin,
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| Dr. Christine Marin |
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| Historymakers co-chair Diana Smith |
 A new category of Co-Presidents featuring Pam den Draak with Pat Faur is working well for the 2024-2025 Historical League. They both supervised the January meeting.  We are delighted to introduce four new members of the Historical League.  |
| Left to Right: Jane Robertson, Christine Phillips, Caroline Bissell, Melissa Johnson |
If you have been in the Valley awhile you know Pat McMahon and how influential he has been. We are delighted to welcome him as the speaker for our Dec. holiday celebration. Over the course of his career, he’s won multiple honors and is an AZ Historymaker. But most of us know him as Gerald, Aunt Maud, Captain Super, Hub Kapp, and a host of other characters from the Wallace & Ladmo Show. To this day, the show remains one of the longest running locally produced children’s shows in America.
Pat McMahon's background: Over the course of his career, he's won seven Emmys, is an inductee into several halls of fame, and is a 1993 Arizona Historymaker™. He is the winner of both an International Broadcasting Gold Medal and an Edward R. Murrow Award.
Pat is a longstanding fixture of the Phoenix broadcasting scene, serving as a program director, a disc jockey, and a talk-show host, among other positions. But most of us know him as Gerald, the over-privileged brat; Aunt Maud, the elderly storyteller of dark tales; Captain Super, the phony superhero; Hub Kapp, the rock and roll star; and a host of other characters from the Wallace and Ladmo Show. That show was one of the longest running locally produced children's shows in America. He's proud of that, and we are too.
Pat was born to life-long vaudeville performers Jack and Adelaide McMahon, who performed a variety-dance act that took the three McMahons worldwide. He was home schooled on the road but later attended a private high school and college in the Midwest. After a stint in the Army, Pat made his way to Arizona in May 1960, where he's lived ever since.
Oh, the stories he's able to tell, and we're looking forward to hearing them all. Pat will tell us about his life and how the Wallace and Ladmo shows impacted him and Arizona history.
Planning future events at the November meeting brought out a good crowd of Historical League members. Guest speaker Diane Burke Fessler presented her book and discussed women veterans in WWII.
Thanks to Josie Pete and Katie Tovar for the great photos.
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| Thanks to Sandy Loeffler for the adorable fall wagon table decorations. |
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Fabulous lunch presentation from Creations by Sergio at our November meeting. Turkey dinner sandwiches and Pecan pie . . . oh my! |
Honoring our veterans this month, Diane Burke Fessler, author of No Time for Fear: Voices of American Military Nurses of World War II, spoke at our November meeting. Her aunt was an Army nurse who wrote letters every week from her stations overseas and led Fessler to want to write about her. After attending a reunion of the 166th General Hospital in 1989 with "Auntie Raine" (Lorraine Krause Taylor), she interviewed more than 200 nurses whose stories had not been told. Covering all theaters of war, the nurses remembered their overseas assignments, including the first flight nurses, women at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, prisoners of the Japanese in the Philippines, and African-American nurses who served in a segregated U.S. Army.
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| Diane Burke Fessler and Jolynn Clarke |
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| Program co-ordinator Patt Grogg with Win Holden |
With Dr. Kristen Rex reporting on National History Day AZ at our February Historical League meeting, we know the program is in good shape. Judging will start Saturday, February 24 with the option of using your laptop or notes, thanks to Stacey Trepanier and Kristen Rex.
Guests were encouraged to attend Historical League meeting, lunch and guest speaker on Monday, January 8. Thanks to members Mariamne Moore, Susan Dale, Margaret Baker, and Mary Perona who invited these lovely guests and Pat Faur and Josie Pete who took pictures.
Back Row: Liz Warren, Sharon Scalise, Debbie Obrock, Sheila Brewster
Front row: Barb Hummel, Jeanne Turner, Anne Bever, Cyd Hendrikson, Mary Burch
El Tovar, Harvey Company and Atchison,Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad played a pivotal role in creating the dominant mythology of the American Southwest. As guest speaker at the November 6 Historical League meeting, Dr. John Nathan Mack gave us a fascinating view into the post-Civil war period when national attention shifted to the canyons and deserts of the American Southwest.
Thanks to Pat Grogg for the great educational programs this year.
Thanks to Bonnie Newhoff (who said his talk was Great) and Mary Perona for wonderful photos of the presentation.
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| Pat Grogg thanks Dr. John Mack |
Forward thinking and organized, Pat Grogg has helped the Historical League move into the 21st Century. Our 40-year old non-profit organization has new potentials for growth as we saw at our April 3 meeting. We are grateful for Pat’s skills and dedication to Arizona history. Thanks also to Zona Lorig, Chris Hackett, Anne Lupica, Norma Jean Coulter, Claire Nullmeyer working on Pat’s committee for the Planning Session.
Volunteering for the Historical League is more than fun, friends, food . . . but that is also included. Meetings on Mondays are a great time to socialize and plan the future such as helping National History Day AZ, working on the 2023 AZ Historymakers Program, designating funds for intern programs and Planning Sessions for committees among other agenda items. A lot gets accomplished!
New Members were invited by Cathy Shumard to be involved in the website, General business was conducted by President Chris Hackett, Correspondence was discussed by Bonnie Newhoff during the April business meeting.
Updates on exhibits at AZ Heritage Center were given in Debbie McKinion's report at the meeting. The inspirational COVID exhibit has moved on to Creighton University. Detailed information about all exhibits at arizonahistoricalsociety.org/museum/arizona-heritage-center/
