Kierland Resorts - Culturekeepers 2003

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2003 Culturekeepers

The Arizona State Cowbelles, Inc.
Arizona State Cowbelles is a 64-year-old organization composed of wives, mothers, sisters and daughters of Arizona cattlemen. Its purpose is to promote and educate consumers about the state’s cattle industry. The first Cowbelles met in Douglas, Ariz. in 1939 as a social outlet during the Great Depression. Since that time, the group has grown into a national organization that helps direct legislation, education and beef promotion. Cowbelles also serve as judges at national cook-offs, Ag Days, culinary festivals and state chili contests.

Vivian Burdette
Burdette is tribal chairman of the Tonto Apache tribe in Payson, Ariz. Several years ago, the tribe was one of the poorest villages in the state. Under her leadership, the people have gained a new pride. Burdette has taken revenues from casinos and other businesses and invested them back into tribal housing and infrastructure. Her dedication to the Tonto culture and its people has rejuvenated what was a dwindling existence.

Angel Delgadillo, the "Angel of Route 66"
Delgadillo grew up in Seligman, Ariz. during the era when Route 66 was the main thoroughfare for dust bowl refugees on their way to California. When the new Interstate 40 bypassed Seligman in 1978, he was not content to sit by and watch the town wither away. In February 1987 he founded the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona with a group of local business owners and successfully lobbied the state legislature to dedicate the stretch of old highway from Seligman to Kingman as Historic Route 66. Today, travelers from across the world are diverting to Seligman and Historic Route 66 as a destination. The romance of America's Main Street has attracted millions of visitors largely due to Delgadillo’s efforts.

Dolan Ellis, Arizona's Official State Balladeer
Ellis began his musical career as a folksinger in Old Town Scottsdale during the late 1950s. He went on to become an original member of the New Christy Minstrels. He left the group and returned to Arizona following several years of world tours, gold records and national television appearances. Gov. Sam Goddard appointed him Official State Balladeer in 1966. Since then, nine governors, including Gov. Janet Napolitano, have reappointed him. Ellis has written, recorded and performed hundreds of songs about the state of Arizona.

Janice Griffith
Griffith established the Old Trails Museum in 1985 and pioneered the revitalization of downtown Winslow. When Interstate 40 bypassed Winslow in 1979, the once bustling downtown dissolved into a depressed area of boarded-up storefronts. Griffith was instrumental in the preservation and restoration of the famous La Posada Hotel, the "Crown Jewel" of the early-day Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe Mainline as well as other historic projects.

Don Larry
Larry has worked to preserve the brass band music that was popular throughout the Arizona Territory before 1900. He founded the Territorial Brass Band to play one time for Territorial Days at the Mesa Southwest Museum. Their unique performance was so well received, they have stayed together and become renown for their spectacular performances. Gov. Rose Mofford proclaimed the band “Arizona's Official Historical Brass Band” in 1991.

Jerry and Florence Nelson
The Nelsons are the visionaries responsible for settling the Pinnacle Peak area and establishing the standards for development in northern Scottsdale. When the Nelsons came to Arizona in 1969 there was nothing but dusty roads and natural desert landscape. Together they founded the Pinnacle Paradise Water Company in 1970 and paved the roads that later became the thriving community of Pinnacle Peak. Nelson developments include Pinnacle Peak Village; Pinnacle Peak Country Club and Shopping Plaza; Troon Village; Troon Golf & Country Club; Troon North; and Troon North Golf Club. Throughout this vigorous development of thousands of acres, they also worked as preservationists safeguarding the natural flora of the Sonoran Desert and initiating the state’s first mountain preserve plan.

Marguerite Nobel
In 1910 Nobel was born in Roosevelt, Ariz., which is now buried beneath the waters of Roosevelt Lake. She grew up knowing a harsh rural desert life. This life helped inspire numerous books and stories about early day Arizona. Her award-winning book Filaree captures Arizona during the early 20th century. During the last 50 years she has been a fixture at pioneer Arizona gatherings offering insight into early Arizona history.

Anna Mae Deming (Payson)
Born in 1916 in Star Valley, Arizona, east of Payson, Deming’s roots run deep in the Pine, Payson and Mogollon Rim areas, where her ancestors settled during Arizona’s untamed years. An initial member of the Historic Preservation and Conservation Commission for Payson, Deming is considered a primary source of historical and photographic information of the Rim Country. Many have and still consult her, including the town of Payson, Payson Historical Society, Pine-Strawberry Museum, and Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. A lifetime member of the Daughters of the Gila County Pioneers, Deming was one of the founders of the Northern Gila County Historical Society and co-authored “The Rim Country History Book,” a grassroots history of the early settlers in the region. In addition to opening Payson’s second bank in 1958 and working there for 23 years, Deming recorded and maintained records for the National Weather Service for more than 50 years.

Elisabeth "Bette" Ruffner
Ruffner has been a steward of Prescott's historic architecture for 40 years and has been pivotal in developing public awareness of the irreplaceable value of Prescott's territorial buildings. She came to Prescott in 1940 to marry Lester "Budge" Ruffner and join his family, whose Prescott roots dated back to 1867. She immediately became interested in historic preservation and worked diligently to save historic structures in her area. Prescott now has 689 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in part because of Ruffner’s dedication to the cause.

The Arizona Archaeological Society
The Arizona Archaeological Society was founded in 1964 by archaeologists interested in the preservation of our historic and pre-historic cultural resources. The goal of the organization is to promote public awareness of Native American ruins and rock art and their value to our history. The statewide organization has grown to 15 chapters. Each chapter conducts studies and preservation programs, including several field schools that allow novice archaeologists to research and report on the ancient ruins of Arizona.

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