Category: Legends

Born and raised in Detroit, Stu Siefer and his wife Nancy moved to Tempe in 1970 after completing a tour with the Peace Corps in Honduras. Following graduation from the College of Architecture at ASU in 1973, Stu opened Siefer Associates in downtown Tempe. By the time he retired in 2006, his firm had designed over 300 projects including University Towers, Tempe Town Center, Bandersnatch Brew Pub and the Fiesta Bowl Headquarters.

A leading local preservationist, Stu is responsible for the preservation and rehabilitation of historic buildings like Tempe Hardware, Vienna Bakery, Tempe National Bank and Old Towne Square. He is a past president of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce, the Rio Salado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the Arizona Jewish Historical Society. Stu was a founding member of the Downtown Tempe Community, Inc. (now DTA), was a Tempe Historic Preservation Commissioner, and member of the Tempe Historic Preservation Foundation. Since retiring, Stu has returned to his passion for music and plays saxophone in various jazz groups.

Rob Moore is a passionate community advocate and cultural organizer whose work has helped shape Tempe’s grassroots arts and historic preservation landscape. A longtime champion of Danelle Plaza, Rob has documented its vibrant creative history through The Danelle Project website and has played a key role in bringing artists, musicians, and community members together through events and activities that celebrate Tempe’s independent arts scene. A Phoenix New Times profile notes that under Moore’s leadership, Danelle Plaza has transformed from a “derelict eyesore” into what some call “the last cool place in Tempe,” serving as a grassroots arts hub.

Rob also contributed significantly to Tempe History Society’s Hayden’s Ferry Days, helping to organize festivals that highlight local heritage and foster civic pride. Deeply engaged in public life, he has frequently spoken and written to Tempe City Council on cultural heritage and preservation issues, advocating for thoughtful stewardship of the city’s historic places.

As President of the Tempe Historic Preservation Foundation, Rob continues to champion the preservation of Tempe’s unique character while supporting a dynamic and inclusive cultural community. His efforts exemplify the power of citizen leadership in sustaining the stories and spaces that define a city.

Mary Ann’s historical legacy reflects four decades of volunteerism, leadership, and public service to Tempe – particularly to the art exhibits, music and dance performances, historic homes tours, cultural festivities, community services, tributes to military veterans and families, and public programs via the Tempe History Society, Tempe History Museum, and as a former City of Tempe employee.

Mary Ann’s passion for art shows through in everything she touches, and she became the designing woman who helped shape Tempe History Society’s character. She served as the Society’s board president from 1992-1994 and 2007-2009, and served on the City of Tempe’s Library & Museum Advisory Board for six years. She was heavily involved in organizing the Tempe History Society’s Lunch Talks program as well as its annual Hayden’s Ferry Days, which celebrated Tempe’s rich heritage with a series of historical and cultural events that attracted visitors from across the valley and introduced them to Tempe’s past while highlighting a current generation of artisans and services.

Through her sustained stewardship and intrinsic value of historic preservation and advocacy, Darlene re-defined Tempe’s historic and cultural identity and re-discovered the city’s forgotten landmarks as places of meaning for those like her. She emboldened others to build and manage their beloved town via volunteerism, because it was the right thing to do.

Darlene passionately cares about Tempe – its people, places, character, and its unique value as a destination many choose to make their forever home, while still embracing its potential for future growth. As co-founder of the prestigious Tempe Historic Preservation Foundation, Darlene fought for the rehabilitation of the Rose Eisendrath House, a Pueblo Revival adobe home built in 1930, and helped the City of Tempe and Rio Salado Foundation restore its beauty and architectural value in the hills of Papago Park.

She oversaw the desert landscape restoration of Evelyn Hallman Park in north Tempe and helped to make the Papago Park Reserve a reality. In 2021, Darlene was awarded the Elisabeth Ruffner Keystone Award for Community Leadership at the annual Arizona Historic Preservation Conference.

Dr. Leland Fairbanks (1930-2025) was a dedicated doctor, public health advocate, educator, and civil rights activist. He was awarded the Surgeon General’s Exemplary Service Medal in 1988 and named the Arizona Family Physician of the Year in 1998, but he is best known for his work in public tobacco control.

While working in the U.S. Public Health service in 1983, Dr. Fairbanks was instrumental in the Keams Canyon Hospital on the Hopi reservation becoming the first smoke-free hospital in the nation. He led the successful 2002 campaign in Tempe where voters passed a landmark public smoking ban. This served as a springboard to his efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of second-hand smoke at the local, state and national level, including his leadership in getting voters to pass the Smoke-Free Arizona Act in 2006.

While he modestly referred to himself as the old country doctor, his efforts included working with the Peace Corps and training nurses in Africa, training medics to work on Indian reservations, treating patients at multiple government hospitals and in private practice, speaking at world conferences, and tirelessly promoting public health.