Owen Yin and Adrish Gande advance to National History Day final contest with website

 Approximately 3,000 students advance to the National History Day final contest each year, making qualification a significant achievement. 0.6% are judged to have projects that are of a high enough caliber to reach Nationals. That is 0.6% out of half a million qualifiers! Owen Yin and Adrish Grande are in that 0.6%!!

Congrats for their Jr. Group Website "Built on Speed and Soil; How McDonald’s Transformed the Fast Food Industry."

See this fascinating story on their website:

https://81476506.nhdwebcentral.org/

The Historical League is a proud supporter of National History Day Arizona.

Congrats to W. Ira Parsons with two Special Awards for his NHD Senior Paper

 Congrats to W. Ira Parsons winning two awards for his Senior Paper for National History Day! Titled “The Endless Frontier”: How Atomic Revolution, Reaction, and Reform Gave Us Our Current System of Public Investment in Science.

Ira was recognized for Best Government History sponsored by Stephanie Mann with a monetary award of $50. The prize is awarded to the best entry in any category, in either division, which illuminates the history of the American federal, state, or local government.

He also won The Diana Smith Award of $150 which is given to the paper that exemplifies historical argument aligned with the NHD theme. The author of this paper demonstrates historical analysis, compelling argumentation, strong and documented research, clear writing and insightful engagement with the past. Diana is a very active Historical League member and has been a NHD judge for many years.

Best Use of Oral History at NHDAZ Competition

  Congrats to Kira Lupe, Lily Dehose, Marquez Duane who won a National History Day Special Award for Best Use of Oral History, sponsored by the Southwest Oral History Association - $100.

It was a Senior Group Exhibit titled "Native Boarding Schools."

The Historical League is a proud sponsor of National History Day Arizona.

Andrew Scalero, Minh Quan Hoang and Gia Khang Phan Nguyen did a Senior Group Performance for National History Day

 Andrew Scalero, Minh Quan Hoang and Gia Khang Phan Nguyen did a Senior Group Performance for National History Day and received a Special Award.

" Chinese Immigration in America" won for Equality in History and had a monetary award of $150 from the Arizona Historical Society. Congratulations!!

National History Day is one of the nation’s most prestigious academic programs engaging more than 500,000 students annually from across the country, U.S. territories, and international affiliates.

The Historical League is a proud sponsor of National History Day Arizona.

2017 Arizona Historymaker Wink Crigler and X Diamond Ranch

 Wink Crigler, 2017 AZ Historymaker, and X Diamond Ranch continue to thrive. Historical League members Cathy and Tom Shumard spent two weeks there in September, enjoying the views, weddings, horses, cattle, and stories that go with it. Cathy remarked, "Wink is up early, watching over the ranch, the calves . . . protecting them from any wolves. Then celebrating her birthday at Molly Butler's, which is a sold-out event each year.

Get reservations early if you want to spend time there. X Diamond Ranch is booked every summer.

Sharon Harper 2025 Arizona Historymaker featured speaker

 Sharon Harper, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Plaza Companies, and 2025 Arizona Historymaker will be the featured speaker at the next edition of The Vault, Scottsdale Community Bank’s speaker series featuring conversations with business leaders from across Arizona.

The event will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at SkySong, The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center. Attendance is complimentary for Vault members, according to a press release.

Her honors include the Phoenix Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Most Admired Leader and the Trail of Leadership Award from Scouting America’s Grand Canyon Council. In 2025, Ms. Harper and her husband, Ollie Harper, were recognized as Arizona Historymakers by the Arizona Historical League. Listen to her tell her story at https://historicalleague.org/.../sharon-harper-oliver.../

Ms. Harper has spent decades involved in Arizona real estate development and economic development initiatives. Through Plaza Companies, she has overseen a portfolio that includes urban redevelopment projects, medical and health care properties, senior living communities and bioscience facilities. The company has participated in the development of nearly 13 million square feet of real estate across Arizona.

Staff Reports | Happenings & Events from Arizona Digital Free Press. Full story at

https://arizonadigitalfreepress.com/sharon-harper-to.../

Throwback thursday: Tucson in the 1930s

 I'll have a sarsaparilla, please! Throwback Thursday: Tucson in the 1930s.

The beautiful tiled soda fountain at Fred Fleishman & Co., Druggists, in the 1930s.

From the archives of Arizona Historical Society.