February 22, 2012 • Vol. 10, No.11
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Anthem • Black Canyon City • Carefree • Cave Creek • Desert Hills • New River • N. Phoenix • Tramonto
Anthem man recounts World War II experience MARC BUCKHOUT MANAGING EDITOR
Marc Buckhout/The Foothills Focus
Winson Jones, an Anthem resident since 2004, was at the debut of the movie Red Tails, a film featuring the Tuskegee airmen. Jones, 87, was the top turret gunner on a B-24 Liberator, which flew 35 missions during World War II
Trio of basketball teams bow out in state tourney
Marc Buckhout/The Foothills Focus
Boulder Creek senior Kacey Winters tries to drive as a trio of Mountain Pointe defenders collapse around her. The Jaguars were eliminated from the Division I state tournament in a 43-36 loss to the Pride. MARC BUCKHOUT MANAGING EDITOR
In the big picture the 20112012 season will be viewed as a rousing success for the Boulder Creek Jaguars girls basketball team.
Inside:
Under first year coach Josiah McDaniel the Jaguars went from a nine win team during the 2010-2011 season to a 23win team in 2011-2012.
TOURNEY
continued on page 11
SPORTS:
He was part of 35 successful missions as the top turret gunner on a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber during World War II, but Anthem resident Winson Jones first broken bone came late last year when he broke his hand after tripping and falling on his way back from working out at the gym at Anthem Country Club. While the 86 year-old snowbird from Seattle laments his slow-toheal injury has kept him off the golf course, he considers himself as lucky as they come. “We lost 8,000 heavy bombers
along with more than 3,000 of our fighter planes and I just feel so fortunate to have escaped without a scratch at least physically,” he said. Last month Jones was out in Surprise for the grand opening of Red Tails, a film looking back on the World War II and specifically the Tuskegee airmen. Though he said the movie “Hollywoodized” the impact of the first black U.S. soldiers given the opportunity to fly in combat, he enjoyed the movie, which brought back a lot of memories. “The way the movie makes it sound, they were the reason we won the war,” he said. “In reality
by the time they were allowed to get involved the German’s arsenal wasn’t nearly what it had been at the start of the war. But they were important. They proved to be skilled aviators and once we saw them perform we were delighted to have them.” The Tuskegee fighter pilots flew P-51s beginning in the fall of 1944. Jones, who enlisted in December of 1943 at the age of 18, said after basic training he had proved himself such an accurate marksman that he was
EXPERIENCE
continued on page 10
Cave Creek couple return with art gallery MARC BUCKHOUT MANAGING EDITOR
You can go home again according to Cave Creek residents Elaine Elliott and Bruce Simon. The couple, who owned Cave Creek Fine Arts Studio for 12 years, are back in town, this time running the Elaine Elliott Gallery at 6057 E. Cave Creek Road. “We’ve spent the last couple years in the Ventura area over in California, but we kept our home here,” Simon said. “This has always been an art rich area. People come to look for art here and there are a lot of artists living in this area. We’ve been pleasantly surprised with how things have gone so far.”
gallery
continued on page 3
MUSIC:
Marc Buckhout/The Foothills Focus
Elaine Elliott of Elaine Elliott Gallery stands with one of her impressionistic pieces. The couple, who had previously owned a gallery in Cave Creek for a 12 year stretch, reopened their gallery in January.
ART:
OTHER :
Ben Avery Facility hosts shooting competition
Musical Instrument Museum pays tribute to Arizona’s centennial
Cactus Shadows hosts event this weekend
• Editorial Page
Page 3
Page 9
Page 11
• Classified Ads
13
• Service Directory 14 18