By Dr. Christine Marin Ladimir Kwiatkowski –( July 13, 1928-March 2, 1994). Yes, you know him: the thin, tall, clumsy kid with a top hat, rubber-faced expressions, and who wore long funny ties that came down to his knees. His best friends were Wallace and Gerald; he’s better known as Ladmo, the Arizona television personality and Emmy award-winning comedian who co-hosted …

By Dr. Christine Marin The essence of a well-seasoned and highly respected Educator and a life-long practitioner of equity and inclusiveness in all aspects of his work and life. His father’s family came from Texas to the Salt River Valley in 1925. His mother’s family came from North Carolina in 1907. Dr. Warren’s parents attended the Phoenix Union Colored High …

By Dr. Christine Marin Ray Martinez (1918-2002) —Born in Tempe, Arizona, in 1918 and passed away on December 5, 2002, at the age of eighty-five. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII, trained as a radio man and served on the USS Macaser Straits until 1944 when he was injured in an enemy attack and sent to a hospital …

by Ryan Fields If there ever were someone to epitomize the phrase, “your favorite musician’s favorite musician,” Hans Olson would be that someone. Despite a lack of mainstream success, the man is one of the premier musicians of Tempe and Arizona. Olson represents a musical style that, while not necessarily Arizona in origin, represents the state and its personality almost …

Dr. Ben Furlong was born in 1931 and raised in South Georgia until 1948 when he moved to Tempe with his family. He graduated from Tempe Union High School in 1949. In 1952, Ben graduated from Arizona State College at Tempe with a degree in Elementary Education. He taught for nine years at Sunnyslope School and at Franklin and Lincoln …