Centennial committee makes history with gala

1/12/2010 9:37:00 PM
Special to the Courier

The Arizona Centennial 2012 Foundation has sanctioned the Arizona Centennial Historymakers Gala as its first centennial event to commemorate the state’s 100th anniversary.

The gala, which will take place on Feb. 11, 2011, will recognize residents and community leaders who have influenced the cultural growth and development of Arizona. It is the first event to receive the foundation’s endorsement.

“Selecting the Historymakers Gala as the first sanctioned event is a tremendous way to begin a year of centennial celebrations,” said Gov. Jan Brewer, co-chair of the Arizona Centennial Commission. “This event will certainly set the trend for the celebrations that pay tribute to our state’s history, culture and people.”

The Arizona Centennial Historymakers Gala, which the Historical League Inc. designed with the help of the Arizona Historical Society-Central Division, will be a celebratory evening of dinner and dancing highlighted by the presentation of the video “In Our Own Words: Reflections and Recollections of Arizona Historymakers.”

Working collaboratively with the Arizona Centennial Commission, the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission recently sanctioned the video as a centennial legacy project. Produced by Agave Productions, the video incorporates excerpts of the oral histories of 58 influential Arizonans honored as Historymakers during their lifetimes by the Historical League Inc. These individuals have shaped the cultural fabric of Arizona by their contributions to the arts, business, education, entertainment and sports, politics, philanthropy and community service.

The video will celebrate statewide residents such as Bruce Babbitt, Joe Garagiola, “Family Circus” cartoonist Bil Keane, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and the Navajo Code Talkers for bringing awareness and understanding of what it means to be an Arizonan. Their oral histories relate important events, describe the contributions they have made, the challenges they have faced and the impact these individuals have had on chronicling the history of Arizona.

Once complete, the 58 oral history transcripts will be available on the Historical League’s website, www.historicalleague.org, as well as the Arizona Historical Society’s website, www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org, for the benefit of teachers, students, historians, researchers and the general public.

For more information about planning for Arizona’s 100th anniversary and opportunities to participate, visit www.Arizona100.org or contact Karen Churchard, director of the Arizona Centennial 2012 Foundation and Arizona Centennial Commission, at 602-364-4158 or at kchurchard@azot.gov.

For more information about the Historymakers Gala, visit www.historicalleague.org.