Flagstaff Anniversaries 2019

FLAGSTAFF ANNIVERSARIES Sunday, September 22, 2019 | azdailysun.com | SECTION Q

HONORING

SERVICE ‌In anticipation of the American Legion’s 100th anniversary, members of the Flagstaff community nominated veterans and current service members who they look up to for recognition of the sacrifices made for their country. Thank you all for your service.

MANUEL B. HERNANDEZ

Not all who serve get the opportunity to come home and be celebrated for their bravery.

Corporal Manuel B. Hernandez was a resident of Flagstaff and attended Flagstaff High School prior to joining the U.S. Army.

He served in the Korean War in 1950. Corporal Hernandez gallantly protected and recovered his wounded comrades amidst intense battle and died by enemy fire on November 30, 1950. His remains lie in North Korea and have not been returned.

He was nominated for recognition by John Davidson who said, “He is an American hero and deserves our upmost respect and honor.” Corporal Hernandez was awarded a Silver Star for displaying gallantry in action against an enemy.

TOM URIAS

Tom Urias joined the United States Army shortly after Pearl Harbor was bombed in December 1941. During basic training in Texas, he received training in weapons and hand-to-hand combat. Urias was shipped to Australia in September 1943. In January 1944, he saw his first combat in New Guinea. Then, it was on to the Philippines with the 32nd Infantry Division. He was wounded in Leyte and after his recovery was sent to Japan and the Occupation Forces.

By May 1945, Germany had surrendered. Urias remembered being on leave and having breakfast when he heard the announcement of the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima.

Were it not for D-Day, “We might be still fighting the Germans,” Urias said in a 2014 interview with the Arizona Daily Sun.

BEN AGINIGA

Ben Aginiga served in the United States Navy during World War II. He was on aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9) in the South Pacific for three years, according to his nomination. He served as a Yeoman Third Class and was awarded 11 medals for his time in the Navy, including Presidential Unit Citation which is awarded to all units for “extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941, Pearl Harbor.”

SYLVESTER GARCIA

Private Sylvester Garcia served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II in France where he was a tail gunner on a B17 plane.

He was later stationed in Amarillo, Texas; Sacramento, California; and Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Please see SERVICE, Page Q6

BEN SHANAHAN, ARIZONA DAILY SUN‌

Flagstaff’s American Legion Post 3 is located at 204 W. Birch Ave. The post offers veteran services as well as community outreach programs.

Looking toward the next

100 YEARS

SAM MCMANIS

‌R

Sun Staff Reporter‌

esist the temptation to think it a metaphor for the state of the American Legion, both nationally and in Flagstaff, but the “Eternal Flame” outside the post headquarters here has been, well, snuffed out the past 18 months, nary a flicker to honor the veterans belonging to the service organization.

Not to worry, though — and not to draw any dire conclusions about the health of Post No. 3 — because a re-lighting ceremony will be one of the feature attractions when Flagstaff’s chapter celebrates its 100th anniversary of serving military veterans and the community at large through good works and fundraisers.

“A lot of people have come by and asked about the flame,” said post member Sean Owens, one of the event organizers. “Just say we had some challenges getting it back to where it needed to be. But it’ll be the highlight of the event.”

In addition to live Americana music, fired-up barbecues, a full complement of beverages and an appearance by Virginia June, widow of original Navajo Code Talker Allen Dale June, the resumption of the Eternal Flame will signal that the American Legion is no dying ember and is trying to spark interest in a new generation of vets.

It’s no secret that service organi-

“It used to be that the older generation was pushing away new ideas. That’s what drove a lot of people away, and that’s where that stereotype came from.

Now, it’s completely different. The older generation here wants to sit back and motivate and counsel (younger vets) and let them lead.”

Jake Phelps, VWF Post No. 3 commander zations such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars are experiencing dwindling membership as those who served in World War II and the Korean conflict have passed on. As late as three years ago, the Flagstaff post numbered 550 members, according to Owens. Now, it’s down to about 350, but post commander Jake Phelps says it is hoping to boost membership to 450 this year.

In people like Phelps is where the local Legion post’s future lies. He is 29, a Marine Corps veteran, and in his second one-year term as post com-

BEN SHANAHAN, ARIZONA DAILY SUN‌

A ceremony to relight the Eternal Flame outside of the Flagstaff Please see ANNIVERSARY, Page Q6 American Legion was held in July.

Deep connections to the Grand Canyon Stories from the national park’s 100-year history SCOTT BUFFON

Sun Staff Reporter‌

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‌ here aren’t many things in the T world that have aged quite as well as the Grand Canyon.

The land and river, within what we now know as the Grand Canyon National Park, have created a unique and intimate relationship with 11 park-recognized Native American tribes in the area. The layered maroon, tan and brown crust translates feet into centuries, and holds stories and knowledge about the Earth’s past for those working to uncover its secrets.

The Colorado River and deep canyon walls have enthralled thrill seekers looking to hike, camp and

JAKE BACON, ARIZONA DAILY SUN‌

Coleen Kaska, a member of the Havasupai Tribal Council, stands on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in February.

The canyon’s grandiose quality raft through the bottom of the canyon. The park is also home to has compelled more than 211 milvarious animal species. lion people to travel from around

the world to the park since its creation 100 years ago on Feb. 26, 1919. On Tuesday, the Grand Canyon National Park Service will host celebrations for the parks’ 100-year anniversary, covering everything people have come to enjoy about the land it protects.

Generations of park rangers, and the canyon’s many supporters, have worked to protect the land from modification.

Stephen Mather, the first National Park Service director who passed away in 1930, worked closely on the Grand Canyon National Park’s trails and access points. Later, Mather Point at the Grand Canyon was named after him.

“The parks do not belong to one state or to one section. ... The Yosemite, the Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon are national properties in which every citizen has a vested interest,” Mather said,

according to the National Park Service. ”They belong as much to the man of Massachusetts, of Michigan, of Florida, as they do to the people of California, of Wyoming, and of Arizona.”

A small portion of two billion years‌ Many National Park Service rangers monitor vegetation and land to anticipate and spot the presence of damage, while also being expected to help recreationalists.

Ken Phillips, a retired backcountry ranger, chief of emergency services and search and rescue coordinator, spent more than 30 years working in the Grand Canyon.

Phillips consistently worked to save people from the misfortunes Please see CANYON, Page Q7

Q2 | Sunday, September 22, 2019

FLAGSTAFF ANNIVERSARIES

ARIZONA DAILY SUN

Remembering the past and Flagstaff and the Apollo

embracing the future BOB NORTON

Special to the Daily Sun‌

‌On July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, he carried with him, in tribute to the Wright brothers, a small swatch of muslin from a wing of their 1903 Flyer. He remembered the past and it gave him courage to embrace the future.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the American moon landing, we look back and give thanks for the service and sacrifice of astronauts and all who made it happen, but we also look ahead to future explorations in space renewing the empowering vision that propelled us on to greatness.

I decided to invite three eminently qualified scholars to join with me in a Moonshot Dialogue to reflect together about the past and the future of the space program: Astronomer Nat White spent 39 years as a member of the Lowell Observatory team during an era when many of his colleagues contributed significantly to the space program.

Geologist Charles “Chuck” Barnes taught for 35 years in NAU’s geology department while writing geology textbooks, researching and teaching planetary geology, and serving with numerous NASA symposiums and research groups. He collaborated with several NASA study groups that looked at the feasibility of sending humans to Mars.

Professor Charles Wise currently teaches at the University of Arizona’s School of Government and Public Policy. He resides in Flagstaff during the summer months. He was a professor at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (1972-2007) and worked with astronaut and Senator John Glenn as the founding director of the John Glenn School of Public Affairs (2007-2013) at Ohio State University.

These three gentlemen gave such awesome insights into remembering the past and embracing the future. We can learn a lot from their experience, wisdom and visionary gaze into the future.

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Chuck Barnes and Lowell astronomer Nat White.

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Charles Wise and astronaut and Senator John Glenn.

On a recent trip to Boston, my wife and I explored the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.

They told the story well of President Kennedy’s casting the vision for putting a man on the moon.

The Cold War created a fierce competition with the Soviet Union and when the Soviets blasted Yuri Gagarin into space, the race was on. Our young president boldly challenged NASA and Congress on May 25, 1961 to “land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth” before the decade of the 1960s ended.

His challenge was impossible.

His rallying cry was amplified in his famous speech at Rice University on Sept. 12, 1962, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”

Barnes reflected on the national will represented by our visionary president and the ensuing space program as “political brilliance and engineering triumph.” Kennedy cast the vision and it became empowering for the whole nation.

Of course, there were nay-sayers. Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower simply said, “You’re nuts!” But the momentum grew through the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs.

More than 25 billion dollars was invested in doing what many considered impossible. The impossible became reality. How did this happen?

along with many of his German colleagues to advance the rocket boosters which eventually become Saturn V. He was constantly advocating for going to the moon and beyond.

Mercury astronaut John Glenn went on to become a U.S. Senator. Wise recalled, “John Glenn was a strong and tireless advocate for a robust space program.”

Popular support, the “will,” was growing. Early failures became victories. The nation, in Congress and the American people as a whole, embraced the numerous technological advances such as advanced computers, microchips, pacemakers and food products as steps toward achieving the goal. This new world was unfolding.

The Apollo program reached its climax with Apollo 11 and the astronaut team of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. The moon landing on July 20, 1969, was viewed by an estimated 600 million television viewers. As Armstrong guided the Eagle landing module to a safe landing, he announced, “Houston, the Eagle has landed!”

As he descended the steps from the module onto the moon’s surface, his historic statement was, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Although Armstrong and Aldrin planted an American flag on the site, there was a sense that all humankind could celebrate this event. In a sense this was a victory for the whole human race.

The people of the Earth were united as momentum accelerated in a common purpose.

After their safe return to Earth, the Apollo 11 astronauts went on a world tour during which there were numerous ticker-tape parades in many international cities. It became common that the celebrative crowds often raised signs proclaiming “We did it!” acknowledging that the successful moon landing was an advancement for peace and prosperity and a coming together of people all over the Earth.

Apollo missions 12 through 17 (with the exception of Apollo 13 as an aborted mission yet a successful recovery) greatly enhanced the scientific achievements of the Apollo program and the manned space efforts culminated in 1972. The benefits of the exploration of the moon were many. A total of 842 pounds of moon rocks and dust were collected. Many scientific tests were accomplished and are still underway. Rich resources discovered pointed us to future possibilities.

Remembering the past‌

Embracing the future‌

Casting the vision‌

Certainly, visionary leadership had a key role. It started with President Kennedy, but then James Webb took the reins of leadership for NASA developing a plan and mustering the resources that grew to 400,000 skilled workers including private enterprise contractors spreading the financial benefit all across the nation.

Rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, once the premier rocketeer for the Nazi regime, joined forces with the United States

is a predominant element on the moon, could potentially be an abundant source of clean energy to sustain the Earth.

Chinese astronomers are making this a priority in their recent research. To develop the moon resources, support will be needed from Congress, from private enterprise entrepreneurs, and from international partners. There will be opposition. We can count on it.

Space journalist Leonard David shares an intriguing analogy.

U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward signed a treaty in March 1867 with Russia for the purchase of Alaska for $7.2 million. That equates to spending about 2.5 cents an acre for an area twice the size of Texas. In comparison, the moon’s surface area is about the size of the continents of Australia and Africa combined.

Seward’s buy of Alaska, envisioned as a way to spread American power throughout the Pacific and encourage American trade and military prowess, was mocked in the press. They labeled the purchase as “Seward’s icebox.” The acquisition was demonized in the U.S. Congress as “Seward’s folly.” Congress ratified the treaty by a margin of just one vote on April 9, 1867 and months later, Alaska moved from Russian ownership to the United States.

U.S. settlement of Alaska was a slow-going affair, but the discovery of gold in 1898 fueled a rapid movement of people onto the land. Today, Alaska is a reserve of natural resources, adding to America’s affluence and totally reversing the characterization that the suspect land purchase was real estate idiocy. Is our interest in the moon a close parallel?

After conversations with my dialogue friends, I believe the moon is a possible platform for waging peace in the world. White reminds us, “The moon belongs to us all and can benefit peoples across the Earth.”

Barnes says, “There are no knowledge boundaries among scientists; only politicians. Our development of the moon can be for the common good.”

Wise remembers his friend John Glenn with, “Our American leadership will be essential to emphasize the peaceful uses of space and our nearest neighbor the moon.”

My dialogue with Barnes, White and Wise was an enjoyable and memorable experience that gives me hope for the way in which science, citizenship and enlightened leadership can bring a bright future our way. In a world where human evil rears its ugly head, let us reach for the best for our nation and for our human family worldwide. This is globalization at its best.

When I look at the moon on a beautiful Flagstaff evening, I rejoice in all that it is coming to mean to me. I look forward to the possibilities embraced and then together as the world’s people, with God’s help, we can proclaim, “We did it!”

Should we return to the moon?

If so, the focus would be not so much exploration, but exploitation. However, “exploitation” carries a negative connotation as in not just use, but abuse of the moon.

White would substitute the word to “develop the moon.”

Studies indicate there are rare earth elements in abundance on the moon. Water is present at the polar regions and could be a significant source of oxygen Bob Norton is a retired pastor and and hydrogen. Helium 3, which freelance writer in Flagstaff.

missions to the moon IVO LUCCHITTA

Special to the Daily Sun‌

‌When Apollo 11 flew to the moon 50 years ago, more than two-thirds of the people alive today were not yet born. This means two things: first, for most people alive today the Apollo missions are a distant history rather than vivid personal experience; second, the few of us who were involved and are still alive perhaps have an obligation to tell the story as accurately as possible, even after half a century of time has passed. We cannot afford to wait.

Flagstaff’s considerable involvement in the Apollo program took place mostly at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Center for Astrogeology, where the missions were to carry out scientific studies of the moon — this would determine what to do once we got there — and then to work out how to do it. All this had to be done in a very short time and with tools that seem amusingly primitive in today’s perspective.

The Apollo missions came about because President John F. Kennedy and the country became alarmed by the great Soviet lead in space technology, which was dangerous during the Cold War. So the President rallied the country and Congress behind him and mandated that we surpass the Soviets and do it now and well.

Soviet achievements included Sputnik 1, which emitted its in-your-face audio signal and marked the first time life on Earth had managed to launch something into space (October 1957); Sputnik 2 with the dog Laika, the first time that an organism had been sent into space (November 1957); Sputnik 3, with a formidable array of scientific instruments (May 1958); and finally, and most importantly, the orbital flight of Gagarin, the first time a human being went into space (April 1961). Obviously, the challenges involved in fulfilling Kennedy’s instructions were enormous.

It was not long before it was realized that going for the first time to another celestial body, the moon, without trying to learn something about it scientifically would have been unpardonable, and this argument was carried out forcefully and successfully by the highly intelligent, energetic and persuasive Gene Shoemaker of the USGS, who managed to talk both NASA and the USGS into doing scientific work during the Apollo missions. He had wanted to be an astronaut, but a physical problem made that impossible, so instead he invented a whole new field of science, astrogeology.

That done, the Center for Astrogeology was established in Flagstaff, then a small town in the middle of nowhere. Why Flagstaff? In the early days, there were no lunar orbiter spacecraft to give us detailed images of the surface of the moon, so whatever images were acquired came from telescopic observation, and Flagstaff was equipped with observatories such as Lowell that were there because of Flagstaff’s altitude and clear air.

Furthermore, it was not then known for sure whether the craters so conspicuous on the moon were of impact or of volcanic origin, and the Flagstaff area features not only many volcanic craters of various kinds, but also Meteor Crater, the best impact crater on earth. These could be used to do analog studies that would help establish the origin of the lunar features. Doing science on the moon was the primary objective; training astronauts was only a part of the mission.

USGS, PUBLIC DOMAIN‌

Left to right, Al Chidester, Ivo Lucchitta, and John M’Gonigle.

Project Apollo (1960-1973).

The technology of the time was truly primitive compared to today: the primary means of communication was the rotary-dial telephone; producing documents was done with typewriters; lots of duplication was done by means other than photocopiers; there were no personal computers; serious computing was done on huge main-frame computers that occupied a whole room, were fed with punch cards and stored data on magnetic tapes; most routine computing was done with slide rules and eventually with primitive electronic calculators.

The task on hand was to do useful geologic field work on the moon when the field geologists — the astronauts — were not geologists at all, with the exception of Jack Schmitt of Apollo 17, who got his start with the USGS in Flagstaff. Furthermore, the mobility of astronauts in their space suits was very limited, so means had to be worked out to counteract that problem.

During the missions, there was a science backroom in Houston, near where Mission Control was located. The scientists in the back room could hear the astronauts, but could not communicate directly with them — only the CapCom could do that, and his job was oriented toward the mission, not science.

Some of the training was done is selected places where features such as volcanic craters could be seen especially well; these include Iceland, Hawaii and the Katmai Peninsula of Alaska. For impact structures, Meteor Crater was one of the favorites. For the landing sites, we constructed three crater fields that were exact duplicates of sites on the moon. Two fields were at Cinder Lake, northeast of Flagstaff; the largest and latest was in the Verde Valley. Constructing these crater fields demanded much work, time and huge amounts of explosives.

A typical procedure for a training test was for the astronauts to go on a traverse, describing and collecting samples, while scientists in a mock-up of the backroom would listen via radio and try to understand what the astronauts were describing. This was followed by evaluations of how the astronauts had done, combined with suggestions on how to improve.

In retrospect, this program of science support worked extremely well; the Apollo missions provided us with a wealth of information that had not been available before. In my opinion, the missions might well have been justified solely on the basis of what we learned, for the first time in human history, about a celestial body other than Earth.

This may not be a very glamorous result in the public eye, but it is a long-lasting one that has given us important information about the origin of the Earth, the solar system and perhaps even the cosmos.

FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE ORIGINS Interesting postscript: The USGS in Flagstaff held annual open houses for many years after the 1972 end of Apollo. Apollo material continued to be shown. In the late 80s, when I was director of the center, we decided to expand the open house to three days. The results astonished us because we ended up unexpectedly hosting several thousand visitors. Clearly, interest in science was very large in the Flagstaff area, prompting us to think that perhaps an annual science festival might be a good idea.

ious organizations involved in science, the purpose being to find out what we could do, and how — none of us had ever done anything like this before.

After a great many meetings, the Flagstaff Festival of Science was born in ‘88 or ‘89. The first keynote talk was given by the arctic explorer Will Steger and the second, if I remember the timing right, by my colleague and acquaintance Walter Alvarez, the person who proposed (together with his Nobel Laureate father) that the great impact event Accordingly, several of us had lunch near the Yucatan Peninsula, which with Richard Heinz, the then-editor took place about 66 million years of the Flagstaff newspaper, to see ago, brought about the end of the what he thought of the idea. He was dinosaurs, and ushered in the age enthusiastic and promised every of mammals and, therefore, of us. kind of support. The project was now in my lap, so I put together a Happily, the festival continues to steering committee from the varflourish to this day.

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FLAGSTAFF ANNIVERSARIES

ARIZONA DAILY SUN

FLAGSTAFF BREWING

COMPANY TURNS SVEA CONRAD

‌N Flag Live!‌

ot much has changed for Flagstaff Brewing Company since it opened July 18, 1994, as one of just nine breweries in Arizona. A scattering of brick and an old wooden canoe still arch above the bar 25 years later. There’s the same floor, same walls, same picture of someone’s kid behind the bar—but that may very well be part and parcel to its longevity. ‌In a time when everything is its own carbon copy—the rusted metal, exposed brick, pseudo vintage bar starter kit doesn’t apply here—Flag Brew’s brick walls and well-trodden floor are more a metaphor for Flagstaff as it used to be than any sort of hip statement. The place is a little disheveled, or maybe more like well-loved, burnished by Tevas and Colorado River residue and a patina from many elbows placed on its counters and tables. In other words, just the way we like it. No pretense here.

“We kind of just fit into this community,” says Jeff Thorsett, who opened the bar with former business partner Al Henes shortly after they graduated from college.

Thorsett, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops, sunglasses perched on his head, surveys the bar like it’s an old friend, one with whom he’s weathered an argument or two. He and Henes met in Colorado. They hated their jobs at the time, Thorsett says, and they wanted to open a brewery in a state whose beer scene was still relatively untapped. It was in no way a given that the bar might last as long as it has.

“It’s pretty much the same shithole,” Thorsett says, laughing. “I mean, I think that we thought we could be successful, but I didn’t realize it’d be as big as what it’s become. It’s becoming more of a destination for people who come to northern Arizona.

I’ve been told from people that

COURTESY‌

Flag Brew crew back in the day. were here 20 years ago, ‘Yeah, every time I’m in Flagstaff I have to go to the brewery.’”

The year Flag Brew opened, Thorsett was 25. The year he and Henes began planning for the bar to open, he was 23 and had just left his hometown of Salem, Oregon, where he’d returned for a job in wildlife biology after graduating from Colorado College. Henes and Thorsett moved to Flagstaff together that year, taking root in a single wide trailer east of Flagstaff, down Brandeis Way in “some field.” The budget that facilitated the brewery opening was shoestring at best.

“I called my mom and dad and said I’d quit as a wildlife biologist. I remember exactly what my dad said to me. I called my mom saying, ‘I’m quitting the Forest Service,’ and my father actually said, ‘What are you gonna do, open a brewery?’ I can’t remem-

ber if my mom cried,” Thorsett says.

When Flag Brew opened, the buildings across from its patio didn’t exist, Heritage Square was a dirt parking lot. Tourism had been dipping for close to two years, downtown Flagstaff was threadbare. It would have been a stretch to imagine the streets as they are nowadays, bustling with people, almost every storefront full. The space that has housed the bar for its 25 years was once a different restaurant, a place like one out of the Old West, called El Patio Cafe.

“We looked at a lot of real estate then,” Thorsett says. “Everybody was kind of saying, if you go north of the tracks you’re going to fail. A lot of that had to do with the mall opening up.”

While everyone was flocking to the mall with its waxed floors and department stores, Thorsett

and Henes were renovating. It took quite a bit of refurbishing to get Flag Brew looking the way they envisioned it. That included eventually building the patio that has since been host to hundreds of bands and dance parties. It, too, was once a dirt lot.

The day the brewery opened they didn’t even put up a sign, Thorsett says, “But by the time happy hour came, the place was packed.”

He and Henes also learned to brew their own beer as business began. They had help from friends and brewers in Colorado who showed them the ropes in the window-paned room that still houses the Flag Brew tanks and brewing operations. Walking by early in the morning, a passerby is likely to hear NPR blasting as Stu Howe works to manufacture several hundred gallons of the brewery’s nine beers.

T H A N K YO U NORTHERN ARIZONA!

Your support has helped to make G R A N D CA N YO N N AT I O N A L PA R K ’ S C E N T E N N I A L a year to remember.

Here’s to another 1 0 0 Y E A R S of commemorating the past and inspiring future generations to experience, connect with, and protect the canyon’s unique resources.

GO GRAND! Grand Canyon Conservancy is the official nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park. grandcanyon.org

P H OTO B Y L E A R M I L L E R

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Sunday, September 22, 2019 | Q3

“Jeff taught me everything I know. I wouldn’t be here without his guidance and tutelage,” Howe says.

Thorsett’s schedule is full to say the least, but he tries to help with the brewing when he can. He prefers his identity as a brewer over that of a business owner.

The latter still doesn’t quite sit right.

“It’s where I feel more comfortable,” he says.

Flagstaff Brewing Company started with four beers: the Agassiz Amber, Blackbird Porter, Bubbaganouj IPA and the Sasquatch Stout, which are still on tap. The business started with about six employees, including Henes and Thorsett; now it has more than 40.

Music is a big part of the brewing company with several people dedicated to booking acts over the years so that the patio can help buoy local music. Flag Brew’s outdoor parties used to span the entire courtyard space that it shares with a handful of other businesses. Cordoning off both entrances, the gatherings were known to fill the entire plaza, overflowing past the patio gates and into the streets. Flag Brew hopes to do the same for its 25th anniversary party where it will be introducing a special new beer, a hazy IPA called The Brewers Collab.

The future of Flagstaff Brewing Company is likely to carry on much like it has the last quarter century: relaxed, casual and unassuming—lively, with an increase in canning and selling its brews in Arizona.

“We don’t need to take over the world, but it’s nice to have presence in northern Arizona.

The thing about craft beer is that getting it locally and fresh is the draw of us small guys,” Thorsett says. “I’ve always thought if we’re selling 100 percent of the beer we can possibly make here in Flagstaff we’re doing something right.”

FLAGSTAFF ANNIVERSARIES

Q4 | Sunday, September 22, 2019

ARIZONA DAILY SUN

COURTESY MNA‌

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Dr. Harold S. and Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton founded MNA in 1928.

COURTESY MNA‌

A weaving demonstration at the first Hopi Craftsman Show in 1930.

AT THE

SVEA CONRAD & GABRIEL GRANILLO

‌‘S Flag Live!‌

ometimes stuff ends up in the weirdest places,” Diane Dittemore says. ‌Dittemore is an associate curator of ethnology at the Arizona State Museum in Tucson, some 250 miles from Flagstaff. Just a few weeks ago, Dittemore was scouring the back of Sunshine Shop Tucson, a vintage and contemporary craft store. The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation keeps its archives there, and while talking with the shop owner, Dittemore says she saw it: a hand-painted sign from the Museum of Northern Arizona with its traditional logo—an adaptation of a Hopi design on a jar by legendary Hopi potter Nampeyo—in burgundy red, golden yellow and sky blue. She knew this was something special.

“It’s just there was something about it that seemed like it would be an important archive. That’s why it caught my eye,” Dittemore says. “It was calling out to go home.”

As the museum caps off the final months of its 90th anniversary celebration, it’s as good a time as any for the sign to find its way back to Flagstaff.

Museum archivist Melissa Lawton says the sign, judging by its look and design, could date as far back as the 1930s. Of course, back then, the museum was not the Spanish Colonial-Pueblo Revival stone and wood building we see today.

The Coltons and the early years Since the mid 1800s, Flagstaff has been a place of scientific study, and the construction of the transcontinental roads and railroads only invited more ranchers, laborers, scientists and researchers to mosey on up the mountain. Among the new arrivals were Harold Sellers Colton, a professor of zoology from the University of Pennsylvania, and Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton, a highly regarded artist from the Philadelphia School of Design, (later Moore College of Art and Design) who met on a backpacking expedition to the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia in 1910. Two years later they were married, and 18 years down the road they would find themselves at the nexus of one of Flagstaff’s longest-running cultural institutions: the Museum of Northern Arizona.

When the Coltons arrived in Flagstaff in 1926, the town had already established itself as a hub for scientific, geological and archeological study, with many researchers taking what they had found in the Southwest back to their respective eastern institutions. Rather than witness their cultural identity slip away by the boxcar load, many Flagstaff residents—only about 4,000 then—wanted to start a museum of their own.

Talk of a local museum had already been advocated for by Fred Breen and Jesse C. Clarke.

Breen helped to establish Walnut Canyon as a National Monument and Clarke worked to excavate and restore the Elden ruins in east Flagstaff. When the Coltons brought their interests in science and art, which would for 90 years become the foundation of MNA’s programing and exhibitions, a museum in Flagstaff seemed that much more plausible. In 1928, the Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art was formally organized, and the Museum of Northern Arizona found a home at the Flagstaff Woman’s Club with just two rooms to display its collections.

Museum historian Susan Olberding has written extensively about the Coltons and MNA’s founding. For years she’s been fascinated with the vanguard couple, whose tenacity and commitment to the arts and sciences still acts as an undercur-

Edward Nequatewa was an important part of early MNA, serving as Hopi interpreter and consultant to the Coltons for many years.

art

BOUNDARY OF

science AND

90 years of the Museum of Northern Arizona

and more. Many objects are donated by collectors, ranging from ceramics, textiles, lithics, historical and contemporary pottery, jewelry, basketry and paintings.

Photographs and recordings are also part of the museum’s collection.

Recent years have given way to discussion of museums and ownership of certain artifacts. Just recently French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron mandated that the Quai Branly Museum return 26 objects looted by French Colonial forces in 1892, to Benin.

The British Museum sent artifacts back to Oregon’s Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde in 2018, however, many museums still hold on to and display items considered sacred and not for outside eyes.

According to Lawton, the museum’s relationship with indigenous people has changed over the years, becoming one of more consultation. Nowadays, MNA works to involve Native American communities in conversations about exhibit development and collections analysis, taking “what they say to heart,” Lawton says.

This includes restricting access to certain objects and information or displaying them in the correct way as per tribal experts.

MNA today

That involvement with indigenous communities continues today with the museum’s permanent galleries and exhibits such as the Native Peoples of the Colorado Plateau exhibit, which displays the story of 10 plateau tribes and features 350 objects selected by 42 tribal consultants, and the Hopi Kiva Gallery, which places visitors in a recreated subPHOTO BY GABRIEL GRANILLO‌ terranean kiva. Other permanent galleries include the geology and Mary Kershaw is in her second month as the new executive director of the Museum of Northern Arizona.

Babbitt galleries.

The museum has also made more use of its campus and buildings just north of its main facilities, such as its Discovery Camp, which hosts spring and summer activities and classes for children, the Colton House and Mary-Russell’s personal studio.

Since the studio’s recent renovation, the museum has hosted a poet-in-resident, Colorado poet Jodie Hollander, and the Namingha Institute, an artist residency program that hosted a number of art students in its first year, all the while emphasizing its commitment to indigenous communities and the confluence COURTESY MNA‌ of art and science.

COURTESY MNA‌ The Coltons and fellow staff members including Edward Nequatewa on “For me, some of the most Navajo Festival poster from 1950. an expedition to Western deserts. interesting things happen at the boundary and intersection of rent to the museum’s philosophy Hopi, a tribe that has historically staff officially as maintenance disciplines, so that marriage of and mission. had some of the largest involve- crew, but ended up assisting the art and science is very exciting.”

“I’ve been very interested in Coltons later on. He accompaMary Kershaw, the museum’s ment in the museum since its the people that had this vision nied Mary-Russell when she ini- new executive director, says. “It’s founding, was only allowed to of what this museum could be tiated the Hopi shows, traveling this concept that they really do establish its own constitution and took steps to make it hapwith her to nearby villages as an influence one another and can be and tribal government in 1934. pen. I just thought [the Coltons] interpreter and encouraging in- cross-fertilized that is so exciting Mary-Russell, in a letter to were way ahead of their time. and so novel here.” the Coconino Sun (now the Ari- digenous artists to submit their Flagstaff was a little small town Just seven weeks into her direczona Daily Sun) in 1927, just one work for the museum to display. at the time and they just saw Nequatewa was recognized by torship, Kershaw has a lot on her year before the founding of the grander things for the region,” the museum as a counselor, plate. Between keeping an active Museum of Northern Arizona, Olberding says, noting the eye on the Museum Fire, which wrote about Flagstaff’s opportu- ethnologist, philosopher and museum’s founding brought folklorist. has burned more than 1,800 acres nity to showcase the surroundtogether thinkers of all different ing area’s “taste and vision.”

“Much of the work done by of land and forced evacuations in backgrounds. “I think what was museum staff would not have “This is our ‘psychological surrounding neighborhoods, and the most exciting was that all of moment,’” she wrote. “Will we been possible without Edmund preparing for upcoming festivals these people from different dis- look far enough ahead to enespecially, as he facilitated com- such as the Navajo Festival of ciplines could sit around the ta- vision the museum as a living, munication between staff, reArts and Culture, Kershaw has ble and talk about ideas and they growing fact in the community, searchers, and Hopis…He would been talking to her staff, “really would feed off of each other and not only as a place for the storage address Hopi concerns about spending time getting to know try to create exhibits that include and exhibition of archaeological the outsiders by being able to the place as it is now and the peomore than just one topic. I would material, but for the encourage- explain what they wanted to do ple who work here.” Interestingly, have loved to have sat in one of and why. He was also a frequent ment of modern and Indian art, one of the reasons Kershaw took these conversations, just to see (if not constant) presence in the so closely linked to the ancient, the job in Flagstaff was because the energy.” museum, and he would spend his of her connection to the Coltons. and as a unique setting for the exhibition of modern paintings, time telling Hopi stories to visiKershaw attended the same unitors,” Lawton says. whose inspiration has been versity as Harold, and her sisters Indigenous Perspectives Thanks to Nequatewa, MNA graduated from the Moore ColSince its beginnings, MNA has drawn from the deserts and hosted its first Hopi Craftsman canyons and picturesque native lege of Art and Design. also paid close attention to its Exhibition in early July 1930. Now As MNA closes out its 90th anindigenous environs, something peoples of northern Arizona?” called the Hopi Festival of Arts & niversary in September, Kershaw “During [the Coltons’ first] that has grown over the years.

Culture, the event has been held visit and after, they developed says the next milestone is its Presently, only artifacts that every July for the last 86 years. centennial, but nine decades as a have the permission of tribes are a deep appreciation for Hopi culture and friendship,” Lawton The Navajo and Zuni festivals museum, especially in the Southdisplayed. Before discussion of would follow suite. west, is no small feat. the institution’s prominent Na- says.

MNA collects objects from the This continued after the “Ninety years is a really nice tive American consultants and founding of the museum and was three main tribes, represented in moment in time to look back at curators, one must look back at its heritage festivals, but beyond the founding energy and ideals its historical context. The Indian apparent in various ways, from the Navajo, Hopi and Zuni, the and creativity of an institution Citizenship Act, which declared hiring Hopi staff to developing museum also has items reprethe first heritage festival. and how that is relevant for modNative Americans in certain Edmund Nequatewa, who was senting the Havasupai, Puebloans ern day. [It energizes] the mustates U.S. citizens, was just four the Hopi founder of the first her- in northwest New Mexico, the seum while keeping it true to its years fresh when the Coltons itage festival, joined the museum Southern Ute and Paiute Tribes mission,” Kershaw says. first opened the museum. The

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ARIZONA DAILY SUN

FLAGSTAFF ANNIVERSARIES

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2019 |

Q5

Celebrating 40 years of

local impact in the

community

BEN SHANAHAN, ARIZONA DAILY SUN

Coconino County Supervisor Art Babbott speaks in August at the Willow Bend 40th anniversary celebration.

Willow Bend programs reach 18,000 people in 2018 KAITLIN OLSON

PAST ORGANIZATIONS OF THE YEAR

W Sun Staff Reporter

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illow Bend Environmental Education Center, Flagstaff ’s only full-time environmental education center, will have much to celebrate as it enters its 40th year of operation after being recognized as the Arizona Daily Sun’s Organization of the Year.

Willow Bend received overwhelming nominations for the award in response to its community-wide programs, which provide the knowledge and experience needed to transform students, longtime residents and visitors into responsible environmental stewards.

“We’re really excited and honored to have been nominated, and then to have been awarded,” said Moran Henn, Executive Director. “It’s a great kick-start to our 40th year anniversary celebration and it really just shows that the work we do and the service we provide is needed and appreciated in Flagstaff.”

Willow Bend’s 40-year success is largely due to the team that sustains it, a group of hundreds of dedicated, enthusiastic individuals of all ages, backgrounds and professions, Henn said.

“Willow bend is really a team effort,” she said. “Some people have been involved with Willow Bend for 40 years and some just for a couple hours, but all of those people are important and all of them make it possible for us to do what we do with very limited resources.”

This year, Willow Bend reached 18,282 individuals with its hands-on activities, experiments and exhibitions ranging from Picture Canyon field trips for local third graders to summertime geology tours of the downtown area. Staff and volunteers delivered hundreds of instructional programs specifically tailored to suit each one’s needs while also working to maintain the Willow Bend property on East Sawmill Road.

The organization’s origins date back to 1975, when Jim David, a biology teacher at Flagstaff Middle School, wanted to restore a nearby portion of the Rio de Flag to create an outdoor classroom for his students. With the help of Jim Alam, district conservationist for the Soil Conservation Service, the Natural Resources Conservation District (NRCD) and other community partners, the idea was expanded and Willow Bend became the first NRCD-sponsored environmental education program in Arizona. Until 2002, it was called the Resource Center for Environmental Education (RCEE).

Willow Bend’s current facility, whose cornerstone was set in 2001, is a certified sustainable building constructed using the principles of passive solar design: tightness, insulation, southern orientation, heat storage and distribution, and controlled ventilation. These characteristics allow the struc-

2017: Friends of Northern Arizona Forests 2016: DREAMS 2015: Forest Highlands Foundation 2014: Flagstaff Leadership Program 2013: Poore Medical Clinic 2011: Camp Colton 2010: New Hope Cottage 2009: St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance 2008: Raymond Education Foundation 2007: Flagstaff Community Foundation 2006: Court-Appointed Special Advocates BEN SHANAHAN, ARIZONA DAILY SUN

(Pictured left to right) Eric Souders, Mary McKell, Moran Henn, Neil Weintraub, Michele James, Susan Lamb, Bob Baer, Sara Day, and Cassandra Roberts of The Willow Bend Environmental Center, came together to rejoice after being selected as the Arizona Daily Sun’s 2018 Organization of the Year.

2005: Sunnyside Neighborhood Association 2004: The P.E.A.C.E. Project 2003: Coconino Coalition of Children & Youth 2002: Northern Arizona Center Against Sexual Abuse 2001: Theatrikos 2000: Toys for Tots 1999: Museum of Northern Arizona 1998: Society of St. Vincent de Paul 1997: Victim/Witness Services for Coconino County

BEN SHANAHAN, ARIZONA DAILY SUN

1996: The American Red Cross

Harper Corbinmeyer (9) pets a camel Saturday morning. ture to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter, reducing the need for air conditioners and heaters. The center also features low water native gardens, energy star office equipment and energy-efficient lighting. It also collects rainwater and composts.

“We play a really critical role in the community because no one else does this,” said Michele James, board member.

Leading up to its 2019 anniversary, the team has been reviewing all programs for adjustments and enhancements, Henn said.

Looking at 2018 alone, the vast number and diversity of services provided could make the review process a lengthy one.

On the property, creation of a new monarch butterfly way station, stabilization of a formerly hazardous slope and updates to existing gardens were completed.

There are currently six gardens available for public enjoyment: the hummingbird, lizard, forest, pond and wetland, wildflower and native edibles and medicinal gardens.

“Willow Bend has enriched the lives of our community and the surrounding area and reinforces the beauty that surrounds us,” Mary McKell, board member, wrote of the gardens in her nomination letter.

School and community program topics this year included zero waste and recycling, habitat

1995: Literacy Volunteers of Coconino County 1994: Northland Family Help Center 1993: Flagstaff Family Food Center 1992: Northland Hospice BEN SHANAHAN, ARIZONA DAILY SUN

Flagstaff based band Bright Angel plays in August at the Willow Bend 40th anniversary celebration. monitoring, bald eagle conservation and ecology, water ethics, hiking etiquette and safety, sustainable homes and renewable energy. Willow Bend representatives visited students of all ages to present these messages and their accompanying activities.

Susan Lamb, garden coordinator, thanked the community for being incredibly supportive of Willow Bend’s program expansion; recently, it has been redistributing resources to develop new strengths.

These programs make a substantial difference in local education by encouraging the development of future citizens, wrote Whitney Tapia, Northern Arizona University assistant professor of practice and former Flagstaff Unified School District elementary school teacher.

“With the stifling standardization we have seen in education, Willow Bend has remained a pillar of genuine learning for students and educators,” she said.

To make such learning possi-

ble, the team puts in an unparalleled amount of work every day with its signature positivity and enthusiasm for the never-ending opportunities the center receives.

Longtime volunteer Bob Baer said, “It’s very fun to volunteer here. What’s really fun is all the people we meet who love Willow Bend. It’s really a community heart space.”

Staff members like Henn shared similar sentiments about their work.

“I’ve always had a passion for education and especially environmental education and when I saw the job description, I just knew that I had to apply,” she said. “It’s been four years and every day I feel really lucky to come to work and I feel really honored to provide these services to the community.”

Kaitlin Olson can be reached at the office at kolson@azdailysun. com or by phone at (928) 5562253.

1991: The American Legion and Legion Auxiliary 1990: The Flagstaff Sunrise Lions 1989: The Flagstaff Elks Lodge 1988: Soroptimist Club of Flagstaff 1987: Flagstaff Sheriff’s Posse 1985: Flagstaff Exchange Club 1984: Assistance League of Flagstaff 1983: Big Brothers of Flagstaff and Big Sisters of Northern Arizona 1982: Pilot Club of Flagstaff, Inc. 1981: Flagstaff Corps, Salvation Army 1980: Board of Directors, Flagstaff Symphony 1979: Flagstaff Civitans 1978: United Way of Flagstaff 1977: Sunshine Rescue Mission 1976: Flagstaff Hospital Auxiliary 1975: Coconino County Search and Rescue 1974: All-Indian Pow Wow Committee

Q6

| SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2019

FLAGSTAFF ANNIVERSARIES

Service From Q1

RAYMOND ISAACS

Among its other roles in support of U.S. veterans and their families, the American Legion is involved in POW/MIA advocacy. The organization is committed to “achieving a full accounting of all POW/MIAs from the Gulf War, Vietnam War, Cold War, Korean War and World War II.” Nominee Raymond Isaacs served two tours in Vietnam from 1967 to 1975 as a signal man in the Navy and survived being a prisoner of war. He, along with many others, is recognized each third Friday of September for National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

ROBERT REYES

Corporal Mark A. Moore

Recognition and support Flagstaff American Legion celebrates 100 years

The American Legion is the largest Veteran Service Organization in the United States, founded by members of the American Expeditionary Forces, in Paris on March of 17, 1919, to build upon the relationships created in the “Great War.” These WWI veterans solidified leadership of the American Legion and received a charter from Congress in September of 1919 as a patriotic, war-time veteran’s organization, devoted to mutual helpfulness.

F l a g s t a f f ’s American Legion, Mark A. Moore, Post No. 3, turns 100 this Saturday, July 6, 2019, and plans to extend the celebration through the end of the year after throwing one big party.

The post was named in honor of Corporal Mark A. Moore of Flagstaff, Arizona, who was killed in France on October 17, 1918. He was a member of Co. B, 105th Field Battalion, Army Signal Corps and was one of the first men from northern Arizona killed in France.

The American Legion is founded upon 4 pillars: Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism, and Children & Youth. These pillars encompass a number of programs that benefit our nation’s veterans and service members as well as their families and American civilians.

Each year, American Legion posts donate more than 3.7 million hours of volunteer service in their respective communities and provide assistance on more than 181,000 benefits claims and cases with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The Legion is the nation’s single largest blood donor, with posts donating more than 80,000 pints of blood to collection centers nationwide.

In Flagstaff, over 11,000 pints of blood have been donated since the program partnered with nonprofit community blood service provider Vitalant, formerly United Blood Services. Junior ROTC students receive more than 8,000 medals from American Legion posts annually. The Legion

ANDREW VIANA

also sponsors more than 2,500 Scouting units serving more than 64,000 young people, and awards more than $4 million in college scholarships.

Impacts the American Legion has had over this past century:  Led initiatives to create the US Veterans Bureau in August 1921, a precursor to the current Department of Veterans Affairs  Established American Legion Baseball in South Dakota in 1925.  Led initiatives to create the Veterans Administration, which was established in July 1930  Established Boys State summer leadership programs in June 1935—Post No. 3 is a proud sponsor of AZ Boys State held at Northern Arizona University each June  Drove passage of the first GI Bill signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in June 1944  Proponent and major donor to the Vietnam Wall in 1982  POW/MIA recognition and remembrance at all formal meetings beginning August 1985  Gained cabinet-level recognition with the Department of

Veterans Affairs at the Presidential Level in March 1989  Established Post 9/11 GI Bill inJune 2008  Organized the American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund for children of military members killed on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001 American Legions across the country are comprised of volunteers who serve our community by enhancing the lives of our veterans, military and their families, both at home and abroad. Through our local, state and national fundraising efforts, the American Legion helps veterans and their families during times of stress and challenge, via their veteran’s assistance program. Whether it’s a tank of gas, hot meal, bed for the night, a compassionate ear or a Service officer to assist with the search for earned VA Benefits, Legion posts are here for the community. To learn more about the American Legion Family and it’s more than 3 million members, or to make a donation, contact Robert “Mac” McMillen at (928) 774-7682 or visit the website at www.FLGAL3.org.

Anniversary From Q1

mander. Having a millennial running such an august service club might surprise some, but it’s part of a conscious effort to recruit legionnaires from more recent wars, such as in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Being part of the prime demographic to help sustain the legion’s membership base, Phelps has reached out to other vets his age.

He knows that it can be a tough sell, because the perception of the American Legion is that of a gaggle of aging gentlemen reliving war stories while bellying up to the bar.

“It used to be that the older generation was pushing away new ideas,” Phelps said. “That’s what drove a lot of people away, and

Navy yeoman Robert Reyes served the United States from 1965 to 1971. His family recalls his strength and fearlessness as well as humility.

“He was never one to boast about his life, his accomplishments or his constant drive to help anyone in need,” said niece Sarah Quinlan.

“Growing up, he emphasized doing the right thing, continuing to learn and helping others.

Following his time in the Navy, Reyes joined the American Legion where he advocated for veterans and their affairs, acting as a voice for those who didn’t always have one.

“He was and will always be the veteran to remind us never to forget our heroes who answered the call for freedom,” Quinlan said. “He is my hero. He taught me to recognize the price of freedom, to never forget any of the prisoners of war or the soldiers missing in action. Robert Reyes would want all of us to recognize the patriotism. Our ability to show gratitude and our pride to be an American makes us who we are and [allows us] to live in the land of the free.”

BEN SHANAHAN, ARIZONA DAILY SUN

Flagstaff’s American Legion Post 3 offers veteran services as well as community outreach programs. that’s where that stereotype came from. Now, it’s completely different. The older generation here wants to sit back and motivate and counsel (younger vets) and let them lead.”

And what is Phelps’ pitch to his cohort?

“I tell them, it’s not (just) a bar,” he said. “It’s an organization. Yes, we do have a cantina. But with the events we hold, I tell them you can

ARIZONA DAILY SUN

in the war did make a difference even though he didn’t volunteer to join.

“It put me in perspective of what was going on in the world,” Brown said.

During the war, he and several fellow soldiers jumped from a helicopter that was being fired at, resulting in Brown breaking his back and four others breaking their ankles. He was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal.

After Vietnam, Brown continued to serve his community as a police officer with the Flagstaff Police Department for 17 years and then with Coconino County Sheriff’s Office for two and a half years. He said the discipline and comradeship he experienced with these entities was similar to his time in the Army.

AUGUSTINE V. DELGADILLO WWII VETERAN Augustine Delgadillo was an 18-year-old sophomore at Seligman High School when his draft notice came. He joined the U.S. Army and fought battles in central Europe and the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II. Following his service, he was awarded numerous medals including the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal and Philippine Liberation Ribbon.

“We went to Europe to save the people, not to conquer them—we went to liberate and I’m so proud that I served my country,” Delgadillo said in a 2017 interview with the Daily Sun. “I love my country and I will always be thankful for what our country’s all about. We are a great nation.”

RICK PETERS

Rick Peters served in the U.S. Army from 1972 to 1982 in Vietnam, working his way through the ranks to Staff Sergeant before retiring from the military.

“He sacrificed his whole youth in service and was lucky to come home and raise a beautiful family then raise his grandchildren,” granddaughter Erica Strobel said in her nomination of Peters. “He’s a true hero.”

Peters served on special security teams and handled classified material, receiving the Army Commendation Medal following his service in recognition of his achievements.

He is now a great-grandfather with four great-grandchildren and 12 grandchildren, and is retired with his wife of almost 30 years.

“He shows love and compassion to everyone he meets and instilled his bravery in his children and grandchildren,” Strobel said. “I can’t express enough how much he means to me.”

While some veterans were drafted and given no say in the terms of their service, others simply knew they would serve no matter what. Andrew Viana joined the National Guard in 2017 as a specialist and is currently an active service member.

“Joining the military is something Andy has always wanted to do,” said Ericka Askan, his girlfriend of four years, in her nomination of him. “He chose the Army National Guard because his family is very important to him and he wanted to stay close to home. He enjoys the experiences and the brotherhood.”

Viana recently returned home from a deployment in Afghanistan where he was a guardian angel. The guardian angel program was implemented by the U.S. Military in 2012 to counteract insider attacks on American troops while stationed overseas.

PAUL R. LOPEZ “I‘m very proud of everything he Born and raised in Flagstaff, Paul is doing and has done,” Askan said. R. Lopez was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950, a year following his PETER MACDONALD, SR graduation from Flagstaff High Corporal Peter MacDonald, Sr., School. He served in the Korean born Hashkasilt Begay, served the War from 1950 to 1952, fighting in U.S. Marine Corps in World War II the Battles of Heartbreak Ridge, as a Navajo Code Talker in the 6th The Punchbowl and Old Baldy. He Marine Division. MacDonald was also helped save the lives of a tank raised among traditional shepherds crew when he ran through small and groomed as a medicine man, arms fire and mixed mortar fire to but served in the war from 1942 secure a cable to pull the tank to to 1944. The war ended soon after safety. The act of heroism earned his training was complete, and he him a Bronze Star Medal with the was deployed in post-war China “V” device, although he returned to guard surrendered Japanese of- to the United States never having ficers. received the medal.

He later earned an electrical en“My father very seldom spoke of gineering degree from the Univer- his time in the Korean War and in sity of Oklahoma and secured a job particular this heroic action,” said at the Hughes Aircraft Company, Vincent Lopez. “After hearing of working on the Polaris nuclear this event I made several attempts missile project. He returned to the for years to retrieve the record and Navajo Nation in 1963 and began a have the medal awarded.”

Lopez spoke to then-Congresscareer in tribal politics. MacDonald served as Navajo Nation Tribal man John McCain about getting Chairman for four terms—the only his father’s award. McCain found Chairman of the Navajo Tribe to do the record and citation in “less so—from 1970 to 1986. than 30 days” and presented Sgt. Lopez with his medal in 1986 in a ceremony at Camp Navajo.

JOHN BROWN John Brown was drafted into the Following his time in the Army U.S. Army and served in Vietnam Reserve, Sgt. Lopez served 30 years from 1968 to 1970. He said he felt with the Arizona National Guard his involvement as an infantryman before he retired.

meet different people that can help you. There’s a ton of different benefits with the American Legion. It’s kind of like a Triple-A for them, a lot of benefits.”

Plus, it’s a good source of “networking” for veterans seeking work or friendships, or both.

“I work for a contractor, and it brings in jobs for me,” Phelps said.

“People looking for workers ask me, and I’ve hired 15 or 20 guys from here. Whenever I need help around my house, I come here and say, ‘Hey, who wants a beer? I’ll give you one at my house if you help me out.’ It’s not just an organization; it’s a family.”

Flagstaff’s legion, as with the other approximately 15,000 posts nationwide, uses funds raised from renting its hall for community events to sponsor not just

celebrations on Veterans Day and Memorial Day but to help veterans in need.

“Summer months, it gets crazy,” Phelps said. “Sometimes we’re dealing with five to 10 veterans a week. Sometimes they’ve got money; sometimes they don’t.

Sometimes, they only need a tank of gas to get to the next place or a hotel for the night. We know who to call.”

The old members of Flagstaff’s post — “lifers,” they are called — have embraced the infusion of new blood. They acknowledge that the graying of the American Legion is a threat to its long-term survival.

“I like it that they’re trying to recruit,” said 72-year-old Ron Kosola, aka “Calico Red,” enjoying a lunchtime libation at the post.

“We need ‘em.”

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ARIZONA DAILY SUN

FLAGSTAFF ANNIVERSARIES

Sunday, September 22, 2019 | Q7

CELEBRATING THE

GRAND CENTENNIAL SCOTT BUFFON

Sun Staff Reporter‌

‌As of this year, the Grand Canyon National Park is now 100 years old.

In the grand scheme of things, the canyon is estimated to be millions years old. But local and state legislators, park employees, students and people from around the world came to pay their respects to the crown jewel of Arizona.

Katie Hobbs, newly elected Arizona Secretary of State, came and unveiled a new plaque to commemorate the 100 years of federal protections for the canyon. Hobbs felt while the Grand Canyon is protected by the federal government, the state’s actions to protect it during the shutdown showed Arizona’s dedication.

“Today there were so many messages about the Grand Canyon and how it’s an inspiration that the canyon is to get outdoors and be active but also that commitment to stewardship to ensure it’s around for generations to come,” Hobbs said to the Arizona Daily Sun. More than 100 students in the Sechrist Elementary School Choir and Knoles Choir came to voice songs like ‘Home on the Range’ and ‘America the Beautiful’ for the park’s celebrations.

Camden Keeler, choir singer in the fifth grade at Sechrist Elementary, said they were excited to get out of school and spend time singing at the Grand Canyon.

Keeler and his friends couldn’t wait to sing “Happy Birthday” to the canyon on its 100th birthday, which they did in front of a packed theater.

“I feel really cool because not a lot of people get this chance or opportunity,” Keeler said.

The choir, made up of students from both Sechrist and Marshall Elementary, contained students from third, fourth and fifth grade.

Joe Rauschenbach, a teacher at Knoles Elementary School and and head of the Knoles Choir, said they have been working for over a month to prepare for their performance in the Visitor Center’s theatre.

“I thought it went miraculously,” Rauschenbach said. “We are so blessed to be at our national park. And we call it our national park. The grandest of all — the Grand Canyon.”

Outside the theatre, the visitor center was buzzing with tourists as people looked through booths, signed cards and learned

Canyon From Q1

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of either bad planning and bad luck. Before hiking the canyon, hikers are expected to understand and prepare for the harsh conditions. Phillips said the hot temperatures in the summer and river rapids turned him into a pessimist on the job when searching for lost people.

One instance that Phillips remembers is when a hiker at the bottom of the canyon was struck by lightning. Lightning strikes happen up to 25,000 times per year in the park, according to the National Park Service.

“It is a dangerous place,” Phillips said. “This place has a lot of ways to kill you.”

But despite his pessimism, he still has love for the Canyon. Phillips said he met and married his wife in the Grand Canyon, raised his kids into lovers of it and still is moved when standing at the rim.

“I appreciate looking at it every time I’m here,” Phillips said. “I really don’t like to come to Grand Canyon and not come out to the rim. I kind of feel cheated.”

Steve Hatch, owner of Hatch River Expeditions, is a third-generation river guide. He said his grandfather’s company was the first river guide company in the canyon and the first in the United States.

Hatch said he grew up on the Green River in Utah and started learning to row boats on the river at a young age. When he moved to the Grand Canyon, he began to work as a full-time guide for nearly 28 years.

“It’s difficult to describe how people will see or feel during their trip because it’s a personal experience, but you can see how people change afterward,” Hatch said.

“They get the appreciation for the canyon and they want to go home and share their experience.”

Helen Ranney, Grand Canyon

JAKE BACON, ARIZONA DAILY SUN‌

The Sechrist Elementary and Marshall Elementary school choirs sing during centennial celebrations for the Grand Canyon National Park in February in the visitors center at Mather Point.

JAKE BACON, ARIZONA DAILY SUN‌

Hopi Silversmith Jonah Hill talks about how he finishes an overlay cuff in February during centennial celebrations for Grand Canyon National Park in the visitors center at Mather Point. about the Grand Canyon’s history.

Richard Powskey, member of the Hualapai Tribe, spent his time at a table in the Visitor Center to speak and share stories about his tribe.

Powskey talked about the Hualapai’s original homeland that extended from Las Vegas to Prescott and over to Tuba City. He explained that they have sacred sites and elements specific to the

Grand Canyon.

“The park accommodates us and gives us a place to stay and talk about our craft, sell some of our items if we want it,” Powskey said. “I think for us to just to explain who we are as Hualapai and our history is important.”

Abbie Smith, Anne Kenison and Scott Nichols came up from Mesa, Gilbert and other parts of the Valley to celebrate the can-

JAKE BACON, ARIZONA DAILY SUN‌

Greg Hill decorates a traditional Hopi spinning top that is used to play the game Patukya in February during centennial celebrations for the Grand Canyon National Park at the visitors center at Mather Point. yon’s birthday. The three of them had a goal to complete 100 things at the Grand Canyon throughout 2019 for the centennial.

They were snowed in during their stay at Phantom Ranch days before, had become junior rangers at the North Rim and have plans to see a California Condor in the canyon. Their most recent accomplishment: attend the centennial celebration.

hiking guide, also worked several other jobs involving the Grand Canyon in some capacity. She said growing up, she did not feel at peace until she moved to the park.

Ranney refers to the steep jagged walls and open space of the place as her church, saying she sometimes travels to it for healing.

“The Canyon is part of who we are,” Ranney said. “Once it gets you, it doesn’t leave you. It’s with you forever.”

Guardians of the Grand Canyon‌ The Havasupai Tribe is one of the many tribes that considers the Grand Canyon and its surrounding land sacred, with the Havasupai Reservation located next to the park. Most people live in Supai, which has become widely known for its turquoise waterfall — Havasupai Falls.

Coleen Kaska, councilmember of the Havasupai Tribe, said she and her ancestors have taken on the duty of being guardians of the Grand Canyon. She said before the park was established, they considered their lands to be both within and above the canyon.

The creation of the park, she said, has created an obstacle for people within Supai from continuing their traditions on their homeland.

“Our future generations, we need to bring them out here to the Grand Canyon and introduce them to the area, the names, the spiritual sites, the sweat lodges, the dances that were done here on the rim,” Kaska said. “There’s a lot we need to catch up on; it’s been 100 years.”

She appreciates the land and beauty of the park, but for her there is more to her experience of looking out beyond the rim.

“When I look out there I can just see my people appreciating me being out there for them, the ones that have gone,” Kaska said.

“Those types of feelings I always

JAKE BACON, ARIZONA DAILY SUN‌

Ken Phillips is a former chief of the National Park Service’s emergency services and former search and rescue coordinator for the Grand Canyon.

JAKE BACON, ARIZONA DAILY SUN‌

Despite cold weather, tourists fill the observation area at Mather Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. get when I look at the canyon.”

Now, she says children in Supai do not understand her when she describes the Grand Canyon because they have not experienced it themselves.

“I can see the little ones think, like, ‘What is she talking about?’

Just like I used to be when I was younger. I see that in their faces,” Kaska said.

For Kaska the centennial has reminded her to fight harder for wider recognition of the Havasupai Tribe, including continuing to tell the stories of her people for

those willing to listen.

Historic protections‌

Beyond the Grand Canyon National Park’s 100-year anniversary, this year also marks the 150year anniversary of John Wesley Powell’s first river rafting trip through the canyon, according to author and Grand Canyon historian Don Lago.

Lago wrote “The Powell Expedition” and several other books about various parts of the Grand Canyon’s history.

Lago said that Powell’s perspec-

“We made the list of the 100 things we wanted to do,” Kenison said. “It’s been really fun we’ve been looking forward to this day the whole time. Today we just reached 85. Happy birthday, Grand Canyon!”

Scott Buffon can be reached at sbuffon@azdailysun.com, on Twitter @scottbuffon or by phone at (928) 556-2250.

tives about the canyon and water usage in the West weren’t popular while he was alive.

“His beliefs led to the visions where he realized the settlement practices were hopeless in the West,” Lago said. “He tried to warn the country about that, and damaged his career in the process.”

Before the land was protected with National Park status, many in Arizona did not want it protected, Lago said. Instead, many miners had staked out claims and saw the land through the lens of manifest destiny.

“The idea of taking land away from the pioneers and giving it to the park, that debate is still with us today,” Lago said. “The question of whether land should be privately owned for resource extraction and not for everyone’s enjoyment.”

That debate even bested President Theodore Roosevelt fought to protect the Grand Canyon. It took two more presidents before Woodrow Wilson was finally able to sign a bill from Congress on Feb. 26, 1919, awarding National Park status for the Canyon.

For Lago, his love of the Grand Canyon started when he was in Missouri. He came to the Canyon to continue his love of nature and geology. He sees his love of its history as just a different way of exploring it, similar to kayaking and hiking.

He hopes that the centennial will remind people of the purpose of the National Park Service and what could be here if the land was never protected.

“Its good to remind ourselves that it’s there and there’s nothing inevitable about national parks,” Lago said. “The South Rim of the canyon could just be miles of mansions and gated communities with security guards.”

Scott Buffon can be reached at sbuffon@azdailysun.com, on Twitter @scottbuffon or by phone at (928) 556-2250.

Q8

| SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2019

FLAGSTAFF ANNIVERSARIES

ARIZONA DAILY SUN

Winnie Hanseth, the owner of Beaver Street Brewery, looks over her card alongside her daughter Kelly Hanseth during bingo night. March 7 was the first of seven March events to celebrate the brewery’s 25th anniversary.

BEN SHANAHAN, ARIZONA DAILY SUN

strong A quarter century

Beaver Street Brewery celebrates its 25th birthday

ALEXANDRA WITTENBERG

J

Arizona Daily Sun

ust 25 years ago, there were no breweries in Flagstaff.

In 1993, that changed when Dick and Jean Wilson’s interest in “brewpubs” sparked after reading an article about the up and coming trend of restaurants which brewed their own beers. A few brewpubs had started cropping up in Phoenix and around the country.

The Wilsons got their daughter Winnie Hanseth interested, and after educating themselves at one of the first craft brew conferences in New Orleans, the family decided to open their own brewpub in Flagstaff ’s Southside.

On March 4, 1994, Beaver Street Brewery opened its doors.

Now, Winnie and her husband Evan Hanseth run Beaver Street Brewery with their daughter, Kelly Hanseth. The biggest change throughout the quarter of a century, Winnie said, is the amount of infrastructure and build-up nearby.

“When we opened, there were just a few restaurants on the Southside.

Macy’s, La Bellavia and Main Street are the only ones I remember,” Winnie said. “Now, South San Francisco Street is restaurant row. It has been fun to see the Southside come alive.”

With the new restaurants came the onslaught of other breweries popping up around town as well. But Winnie doesn’t necessarily see the competition as negative.

“I think the other breweries in town have their own uniqueness in the style of beers they produce. It gives the public lots of options depending on what type of beer they want to drink that day,” Winnie said. “There will always be compe-

TRIP ADVISOR

BEN SHANAHAN, ARIZONA DAILY SUN

This March marks 25 years of business for Flagstaff’s Beaver Street Brewery. The brewery has stocked the entire month with games and fun. INSET: On your birthday Beaver Street Brewery offers a free dessert with any meal and if you are over 21 have a 50 cent Specialty Shot. Just bring your photo ID. tition. I feel the best way to compete is to keep working on improving your product and listening to your customers.”

In fact, Winnie said that she believes part of the success of Beaver Street Brewery is that the staff “work very hard at trying to improve.” She added that the quality and consistency of their food and service is what has given them such high accolades, including four gold medals at the Great American Beer Festivals and three medals at the World Beer Cup. Beer and food trends have grown up with Beaver Street Brewery.

When the brewery opened, the Railhead Red was the most popular brew, Winnie said. Now, Railhead Red and Conductor IPA are head-to-head.

The Whistle Stop Café inside the brewery has always been known for its burgers and wood-fired pizzas.

But the menu evolved quickly since opening, Winnie said.

“On our first menu, we had Welsh Rarebit because my parents liked it,” she said.

As recently as March 11, the menu

BEN SHANAHAN, ARIZONA DAILY SUN

Ian Carr inspects his bingo card for the spot I-25 on the evening of March 7 during a game of Bingo at Beaver Street Brewery.

was updated in order to “make the restaurant feel more modern and up to date,” Winnie said, adding that they had used the same cafe style menus from day one.

New food items include a Steakhouse Burger with Swiss cheese and mushrooms and a Homestead Pizza with Gouda cheese, shaved Brussels sprouts, bacon and roasted red pepper.

Besides new menu items, Beaver Street has expanded their reach across Flagstaff through the years.

In 2001, the team opened Brews and Cues, a neighboring bar that connects to Beaver Street Brewery.

Here, the 21-plus crowd can order the brewery’s same food and drinks while playing billiards or board games.

“The space was a used clothing store that went out of business,” Winnie said. “The space became available and we thought that a bar where just adults could go was needed for the brewery. It was a good fit. Billiards and beer go together.”

In 2009, the popularity of Beaver Street Brewery and high demand for

its beer made it clear to the Hanseths that they would need to expand. The family looked for an opportunity elsewhere to brew more beer and start distribution throughout Arizona.

“Just when they had exhausted many possible locations around Flagstaff, the city of Flagstaff put out a request for proposal for the historical Halstead Lumberyard Building,” according to the bio on beaverstreetbrewery.com.

The lumber building, a block away from Beaver Street, was built in the early 1900s, and had been abandoned for eight years at the time the Hanseths toured it. The family put in a proposal to the city and were granted ownership. Then they rehabilitated it and turned it into their sister site: Lumberyard Brewing Company.

Alex Pendola, who has been a manager at Lumberyard for nearly two years, explained that while Beaver Street is more of a family dining experience where customers can have a quiet dinner, Lumberyard is a little different.

“Lumberyard is more based as a production company and a bar, though we do have an extensive menu. You’re at a bar, you’re going to have barbecue, burgers, handheld food,” Pendola said.

Now, Beaver Street Brewery and Lumberyard Brewing Company are two of the most popular of seven breweries in Flagstaff.

The Hanseth’s breweries, as well as Historic, Wanderlust, Dark Sky, Mother Road and Flagstaff Brewing Company combine forces each year to come up with a single beer for Arizona Beer Week.

In February, the seven local breweries created the Imperial Oak Smoked Porter. For a few weeks, all the local breweries were tapping the strong, bold porter. This was a few weeks where there was unison between the so-called competitors for the greater good of Flagstaff beer.

BEN SHANAHAN, ARIZONA DAILY SUN

Sam Nigh hands his winning card to the Beaver Street Brewery bingo host Zane Jacobs Thursday, March 7 after winning a game inside of the restaurant.

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