Category: Legends

Dr. Octaviana Salazar Trujillo, born and raised in Guadalupe, is a graduate of Tempe’s McClintock High School. Arizona State University is her academic home–the first Yaqui woman from Guadalupe to receive three degrees in Education from Arizona State University: the Bachelor of Arts, the Master’s degree, and the Ph.D. degree. She is the first woman elected to serve as Chair, Pascua Yaqui tribe of Arizona. For at least 45 years, Dr. Trujillo has devoted her life and academic career to bring educational change and reform to indigenous students, communities, and people of Arizona, especially women. They are the salt of the earth. Her international travels and proven leadership on behalf of Arizona and the United States have brought her acclaim and attention and recognition from President Barack Obama, who appointed her to serve on committees that reflect the importance of global collaboration among nations that seek solutions to problems dealing with climate change, the environment, and the preservation of natural resources. Dr. Octaviana Salazar is now Professor Emerita, Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and continues her work and research on the history and culture of the Pascua Tribe of Arizona.

“All I wanted to do was help the poor, the ethnic and racial minorities, the disadvantaged in my town of Tempe. Mexican Americans like me: we knew the struggle, too. I wanted them to be better.”—John Aguilar.

John has never been afraid of hard work. He learned the value of education as a young boy. He is a lifelong learner and student of self-improvement, self-reliance, and pride in his achievements. Since the 1960s John has been actively involved in improving the lives of Tempe residents through his work and volunteer service. Through the Tempe Girl’s Club, he helped establish social services and educational programs to help girls achieve their goals. In the 70s he worked on a number of initiatives with Tempe City Manager Ken McDonald to improve the educational, economic, and social programs that spurred Tempe’s growth and progress. This included a month-long stay in Germany to study model social service programs and bring back that knowledge to improve the programs in the City of Tempe. In the 1980s John, as the Human Resources Coordinator for the Fair Housing Program in Tempe, helped racial and ethnic minority residents to find affordable homes and end discriminatory practices and policies against them.

Family is also very important to John and both the Soza and Aguilar families are part of Tempe’s history. His spouse, Henrietta Soza Aguilar (1934-2021), was the daughter of Henry and Victoria Soza. Her grandfather, Juan Soza, was born in Tuscon in 1851 and came to Tempe with his brother in 1871.  The Aguilar family fled Mexico during the Revolution of 1910 and settled in Tempe. John’s father, Juan Aguilar, worked for thirty-seven years for Tempe School District, and Aguilar Elementary is named for him and his wife Concepción.

Pedro “Pete” Obregon (1898-1991) was a kind and generous man of Tempe who did a great deal to give back to his community over the course of his lifetime.  Born to a pioneer family in Tempe in 1898, Pete Obregon was one of ten children.  His Yaqui father, Serapio Obregon, made his way up to Tempe from Sonora, Mexico, and purchased land in the San Pablo neighborhood in 1887.  In 1902, he purchased a large lot at the east edge of San Pablo on Dewey Street where Pete Obregon would live for most of his life.  As they grew up in Tempe, Pete Obregon and his sister and brothers did well in school and learned the skills and values of their pioneer parents.  Pete Obregon became a farmer, but he also worked for many years at the Hayden Flour Mill.  In 1958, Pete and his wife, Fedelia, sold the family homestead at 540 E. Dewey Street in the playfully named Mickey Mouse barrio as Arizona State University expanded in the late 1950s.  Pete, Fidelia, and their family headed east to buy a farm along Old Transmission Road, at the southeast corner of what we know today as University Drive and Smith Road.  Known in the community as “Don Pedro,” Pete Obregon is lovingly remembered by his family today for his guidance, hard work, generosity, and spirit for serving his family, friends, and community.   

Tempe historian Shirley Blanton has been a champion for local history for many years.  Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Shirley has called Tempe home since 1948.  That’s the year that her parents – Maude and John Randolph – decided that it was time to move out west from Illinois. Shirley immediately embraced her new home, which she remembers as a “very active little town.”  Shirley met her future husband on a blind date, and in 1950 she married Ralph Blanton.  Two years later, Ralph joined Tempe’s volunteer firefighters, a career move that would shape the lives of this young couple for decades to come.  He served the Tempe Fire Department for nearly 30 years, after which Shirley set out to write the department’s history.

Over the years, Shirley became a student of Tempe history overall.  A long-time member of the Old Settlers of Tempe – a pioneer organization established by Niels Petersen in 1902 – she contributed many stories to the “Memories of Old Settlers” book published in 1996 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Tempe.  In 2001, Shirley published For Whom the “Town Bull” Tolls: A History of the Tempe Fire Department, 1894 – 2000.  In 2003, the Tempe History Museum turned Shirley’s epic history book into an exhibit.  In 2007, Shirley published another volume of local history which featured over 200 historic photos.  Her Images of America: Tempe book was a wide-reaching history of the city, covering over 130 years of history with a rich assembly of photos and contributors. 

For their lifetimes of dedication to community service and Tempe’s history, Shirley and Ralph Blanton were featured among Tempe’s century-and-a-half of movers, shakers, and community advocates in the 2016 book Legendary Locals of Tempe.  Shirley Blanton’s love of history and community service have placed her among the truly Legendary Tempeans who have inspired love and service dedication in our city.