Pen Johnson has devoted his life to hospitality and civic involvement. Most identified with his 35 years in the hotel lodging industry, Pen has been a major force in establishing Tempe’s tourism footprint. From 1970 to 2000, he was owner-operator and general manager of the iconic Holiday Inn of Tempe at the southeast corner of Rural Road and Apache Boulevard. …
MARCH HISTORICAL LEGEND: JAN YOUNG
Jan Young saw so much of Tempe through her trusty camera’s lens. She would have full confidence that taking just one single picture would satisfy each photo assignment. Then she could move on to her next photo assignment for the Tempe Daily News. Once Arizona’s first and only full-time female newspaper photographer, Jan was an unmistakable fixture in the …
MARCH LIVING LEGEND: IRA FULTON
At 89, iconic Arizona homebuilder Ira Fulton proclaims he proudly makes money because the more he makes, the more he can give away. The Tempe-born philanthropist, best known for his Fulton Homes empire of new homes – about 1,500 home constructions a year – especially likes to challenge the benefactors of his largess to raise big dollars on their own so …
FEBRUARY LEGEND: BETTY GREATHOUSE
Betty Greathouse has been a paragon of education for more than a half-century. The onetime dean of the College of Education at Arizona State University was born in Mesa and graduated from Tempe High School. She went on to earn an associate degree from Phoenix College, then a bachelor’s degree in education from Arizona State in 1963. In 1972, …
FEBRUARY LEGEND: EDWARD SMITH
Edward “Ed” Smith was well-trained in race relations. He devoted much of his life to the National Urban League, the 110-year-old civil rights and urban advocacy organization tasked with helping African Americans achieve economic empowerment, equality, and social justice. His skills were employed by the Phoenix Police Department to find and recruit black police officers and firemen. Ed served on the City …
JANUARY LEGEND: PEGGY BRYANT
Peggy Bryant left her mark in the ink on newsprint in the pages of the Tempe Daily News. Her journalism tracked the events and rhythm of the Tempe community for 30 years. This prolific journalist left an immense body of work – features, news items and her weekly Ferry Tales columns that retraced the city’s history. As an editor, Peggy …
Tree of Lights Stories: Early Childhood Christmas Memories in Tempe by Eduarda Harter Yates
We moved from Forest Avenue to Van Ness when I was five and my sister Susan was seven. Our new neighbors from across the street, Carolyn and Kay, invited us to their house to decorate Christmas sugar cookies. It became a yearly tradition. Every year we looked forward to seeing the star and three kings on camels appear on Tempe …
Women of the City Council
First appearing in The Tempe Republic on March 25, 2011 Writer: Jay Mark Today’s trivia quiz. How many women have served on the Tempe City Council since elections began in 1920? And for good measure, when was the glass ceiling broken? You might be surprised by the answers. As of 2011, of the 87 individuals who have stepped up to …
Tempe Teepees
An early 1960s postcard of the Wigwam Auto Court, later called the Wigwam Lodge located at Apache Boulevard and McAllister. Courtesy of Tempe History Museum. Tempe Teepees Writer: Jay Mark A Pyramid and teepees. Not many cities can boast having both architectural styles in their communities. Tempe can. Virtually every local resident is familiar with our “inverted pyramid” on 5th Street …
Tempe City Halls
Tempe’s first City Hall as it appeared shortly after its completion in 1914. Courtesy of Tempe History Museum. Tempe City Halls Writer: Jay Mark After more than 35 years the only City Hall that most Tempe residents identify with is the curious “upside down” pyramid on East 5th Street in downtown. Few recall or know about the first City Hall …