River of Time Museum needs more Tastes & Treasures II

Debi Novotny, Cathy Shumard, Susie Veech, and Mary Ann Grace. 

Sold out . . . need to re-order Tastes & Treasures II: A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona. Love those words. Just received them from River of Time Museum in Fountain Hills. Thanks to Cathy Shumard for delivering the re-order. 
Book available at River of Time Museum or online.
HistoricalLeague.org/shop.aspx

Sedona Arts Festival October 12-13

Thanks to our wonderful volunteers, we had a lovely booth at the Sedona Arts Festival selling Tastes & Treasures cookbooks and talking about the Arizona Heritage Center at Papago Park.
These awesome Historical League members did a fabulous job sharing stories of Arizona and also promoting our Historymaker Program:  Pat and Pete Faur, Donna Esposito (made a new sign), Carolyn Mendoza, Carolyn Hartman, Karolee Hess, Norma Jean Coulter, Lynn Wood, Pat Christopherson, Pam Stevenson, Mariamne Moore with Scott, Susan and Ennis Dale.

Historymaker 2019 Art DeCabooter

Art DeCabooter, longtime Scottsdale Community College president, civic leader dead at 78

Perry VandellUpdated 6:47 p.m. MT Oct. 13, 2019

Art DeCabooter, former president of Scottsdale Community College, died on Oct. 8, 2019. He was 78. 04/18/03 Photo by Carlos Chavez/ AZR (Photo: Carlos Chavez, AZR)

Art DeCabooter, the former president of Scottsdale Community College and a longtime civic leader, died Wednesday after a long bout with Parkinson's disease.

He was 78 years old.

DeCabooter's wife of 49 years, Mary, said she couldn't conceive of being married to anyone but Art.

"He was a gentle giant of a man," Mary DeCabooter said. "He was nothing but kind."

DeCabooter said her husband led a plethora of organizations simultaneously across the decades of his life.

"He spread himself extremely thin and never complained and was always ready to help out anyone who needed it," DeCabooter said. "Even if it was something that wasn't really pertinent."

But he was so humble, she added, that he would downplay his accomplishments in media interviews.

"He would never acknowledge half the stuff he did," DeCabooter said. "And I think that's why he married me. (He) kept me at his right-hand side and then I'd tell everybody around me how fabulous he was."

DeCabooter said her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2005, but noted that he remained active within their community until shortly before his death.

Former Maricopa County Supervisor Jim Bruner, a former Scottsdale City Council member and a longtime friend of DeCabooter's, said the man helped a struggling Scottsdale Community College start to thrive.

"He truly transformed that college from a small little school to sort of an institution that really made an impact in his community," Bruner said of DeCabooter's 30-year tenure before retiring in 2008.

It wasn't the only leadership position DeCabooter held.

"He was a leader of almost every civic group in town," Bruner said. "He was president of the Scottsdale Charros, president of Scottsdale Rotary Club and president of the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce."

He held those leadership positions simultaneously, Bruner added.

DeCabooter also served on the board of trustees for the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust as well as the advisory board for Xavier College Preparatory, where a celebration of life is expected to be held Nov. 23.

"He just was a true public servant in every sense of the word," Bruner said. "Very humble. I don't think I've ever heard anybody ever say anything negative about him."

His many accomplishments did not go unnoticed. He awarded as a "2019 Historymaker" by Historical League, Inc., which supports the Arizona Historical Society and the Arizona Heritage Center.

Don Ruff, another longtime DeCabooter friend, echoed many Bruner's sentiments.

"As far as community service, community leadership, he was a giant in his time," Ruff said. "There's few people that have given more to the community than he did throughout all his years as president of Scottsdale Community College and also into his retirement."

DeCabooter quelled tensions between administrators at Scottsdale Community College and its students, which during an era of campus unrest several years before his arrival had adopted "Artie the Artichoke" as the school's mascot as a way to protest its sports program. 

"He basically took it over and smoothed everything out," Ruff said.

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.

Re-orders for Tastes & Treasures II

We have the best volunteers. Lon's re-orders books and the next day, Norma Hinton is delivering a box of Tastes & Treasures II: A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona to Tami Norton at Lon's at Hermosa Inn! Stop in to get your copy and enjoy lunch on the patio.

I Have a Name special event at Arizona Heritage Center

Susan Dale, President, Historical League, Inc. invites you to attend the upcoming September 18 Get Involved program at the Arizona Heritage Center. The information is below.

I attended an earlier program in July related to Jon Linton’s powerful and moving I Have A Name exhibit, and it changed my view and feelings about our homeless population in a very insightful way. I know you will appreciate this program as well.

The exhibit will close on October 5, so if you have not yet seen it, there are only a few weeks left to do so.

I hope to see many of you next Wednesday night!

___

Get Involved: Opportunities to Help The Homeless Community 

Wednesday, September 18
5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Resource Fair and view the I Have a Name Exhibit

Arizona Heritage Center
1300 N College Ave
Tempe, AZ 85281
$5 General Public, or $4 AHS Members
Free Parking at the museum

RSVP to azheritagecenter@azhs.gov or 480-929-0292

How can we make a difference in the lives of our neighbors? Connect with your community and learn about organizations making an impact and offer assistance to a variety of populations. Each panelist will share their mission, the populations they serve, the services they offer, and volunteer opportunities. Join the Arizona Heritage Center for an interactive program to learn how you can get involved in your community and support organizations making a difference.
Featuring:

• Amy Schwabenlender, Executive Director, Human Services Campus
• Darlene Newsom, CEO UMOM New Day Centers
• Dawn Bogart, CEO of Homeless Youth Connection
• Nate Rhoton, Executive Director One-n-Ten
• Moderated by Kristin Ferguson-Colvin, Ph.D., Director, Center for Human Capital and Youth Development (CHCYD) and ASU Professor

"Winning Their Place" September Historical League Presentation

September Historical League meetings are always a great time to re-connect with members that have been gone over the summer. The September meeting this year was even better!  Zona Lorig and Norma Jean Coulter gave a FABULOUS talk as we re-connected with those women involved in the Woman's Suffrage Movement.
"Winning Their Place" told the story of Arizona's women and their roles. Well-researched and well-presented, this talk was well-received at the Arizona Heritage Center.

Sharron McKinney and Mary Parker display quilts from Women's Hall of Fame.

Chris Hackett begins her role as recording secretary

Susan Howard and Norma Jean Coulter accept credit card payments for upcoming events.

North Central News features Tastes & Treasures II

Check out the September issue of North Central News for an article titled “History and Food Blend in Cookbook”. You can find it under the column called “Food for Thought” on page 47 about several restaurants and other publications... It's all about Tastes & Treasures II: A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona. Available at HistoricalLeague.org/shop.aspx