Historymaker John Driggs 1927- 2014

John Douglas Driggs passed away on December 11, 2014 at age 87. He was born in Douglas, Arizona, but the family soon moved to Phoenix where he graduated from North Phoenix High School. He served in the Navy in World War II, was a missionary for the LDS Church in New England, and then earned an undergraduate degree and MBA from Stanford University. For 35 years, he was employed as an executive at Western Savings and Loan, a business started by his family.

John served two terms as mayor of Phoenix and he believed his single biggest project was establishing the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. During his tenure as mayor, John organized the Phoenix Historical Society, making it a chapter of the Arizona Historical Society, now home to the Museum at Papago Park.

Historical preservation was a passion of John Driggs and under his leadership the Rosson House and Heritage Square in Phoenix were restored. His latest project was guiding the restoration of Tovrea Castle. 

In 2005, John was honored as a Historymaker. John was very supportive of the Historical League and participated in Historymaker presentations and events. John also served on the state board of the Arizona Historical Society.

His wife, Gail, five sons, nineteen grandchildren and seven great grand grandchildren, survive John.

Historic Stockyards for lunch

Great way to wind up a private tour of Tovrea Castle was with lunch at the Stockyards Restaurant. We dined in the Rose Room with it's hand painted murals. The 1890s bar is also filled with history.

The wine room is new but filled with vintage wines.
Love the entrance under the giant spur and check out the photo one of the owners ringing the huge dinner bell. It was found buried in 30 foot tall oleanders when they did renovations.

The fire roasted chicken salad was enhanced with corn, sweet red and yellow peppers and chives. And nothing like berry shortcake with moist cake and fresh, juicy berries for dessert. I personnaly prefer the Summer Trifle on page 154 of Tastes & Treasures for a beautiful presentation and delicious fruit dessert.

Tovrea Castle Tour

Who doesn't want to see this? An imposing sight from all around Phoenix and it is closed to the public. What a shame.




































Former Mayor and historic preservationist John Driggs is working tirelessly to have it opened and enjoyed. The Historical League got a very up close and personal look at the amazing construction and cactus gardens. We loved it. A sold out tour, we split into three groups. John Jacquemart, an extremely knowledgeable person (and author) of historic Phoenix, led my group. The pictures tell it all.