You've received Pat Gill's e-mail and are now checking here to learn more about this much - talked about but nothing - done yet book. The scope of the book is Tempe from 1950 - 1970 and will focus on what we loved and knew about Tempe. No title has been set, and we can't use a subtitle, but Arcadia suggested something like 'Tempe, Our Hometown,' or 'Forgotten Tempe.' But if anybody has a brilliant idea, now's the time to mention it.
Well, the book is growing legs and if we can offer assistance, it will have all appendages and come to life.
Here's the info you need to know:
1. We have contacted Arcadia Publishing about the project. They are willing to work with us and will not charge us anything to publish.
2. Arcadia has parameters that we must follow. A. No more than 10 chapters; B. At least 180 photos, and 3. A limit of 128 pages
Steve Frizzell and I have come up with some chapter ideas, but we want input from others before finalizing the headings.
The ideas we have so far are: Brief History of Tempe; Evolution of Mill Ave.; Tempe Beach; Town Characters and Famous People; Neighborhoods (we can divide this into several areas, each one a chapter); ASU; and ????
As for pictures, we want pics taken in Tempe that would hopefully show some recognizable part of Tempe, or in the neighborhood section, a picture of your house or some activity at your house.
So dig through your old pics and have a beer with some classmates to help this project along. No deadlines yet, but the sooner we get started, the sooner we'll have our very own book.
BTW, Arcadia will charge us half price for the books and we can order as many as we like. We can fund raise with the books, if we want. Half price is $11 per book.
I can be reached on my cell at (480) 326-7570 if you have questions or ideas. Let's go, Buffs! Also, anybody with any extra time who wants to help, speak up!
I like those 'Then and Now' photos books---is there one for Tempe?
Do these Acradia books have chapters with 'then' and 'now' photo comparisons?
Most of the Acradia books I've looked at have topical chapters--Schools,
Attractions, Drive-In Theaters, Motell/Hotels, Restaurants/eateries , Churches, Agriculture, Parks.
How about a chapter with old photos of downtown Tempe main streets
such as Mill Ave, Apache Blvd and University ?
Maybe the chapter on schools could have some old class photos from Broadmor
Elementary, etc. and yearbook photos from the high schools.
Like Phyllis said, we're looking for ideas, information, and volunteers to help gather and put together this project. It should be fun and it'll be good reference material for students now and in the future who want to learn more about our favorite hometown from our perspective during the 60's.
I have already started getting info from several people about where the grew up and the makeup of the neighborhoods around them.
If you send pictures to Phyllis or me we can scan them and send them right back to you. Phyllis is right there in Tempe and I am in Texas. My address is 3319 George Av. Forest Hill, Texas, 76119. My cel# is 817-680-6422. My email is sfrizzell@gmail.com. You can also email pics. Arcadia will take them in jpeg format.
What we want is for the whole class to contribute as much as possible, so go thru' your pictures, get your brain cells working and start sending us your contributions!!!
Great idea. Thanks for taking charge, Phyllis and Steve.
Maybe some interviews with the likes of Harry Mitchell, Joe Spracale, Grady Gammage Jr....? I think my Dad and Joe Spracale were lifeguards at Tempe Beach together, probably back in the 50s & 60s.
Hey Phyllis!
What a great (and big) project! Good for you. As far as a title, one came to mind: 'Tempe, In A Bygone Era'. Just a thought.
I also thought there should be a chapter on the Tempe bridges. Maybe much wasn't going on with the bridges then, but ???
Certainly -- good luck to you and Steve on this!!
Lanny (Pospisil) Flake
Any project of this nature will take up more time than you might believe. When you are done your sense of accomplishment will far outweigh all the emotional entanglements you will get along the way. I hope there is a now and then chapter for TUHS and others that show the gradual or sometimes rapid change that took place during that time. All of my pictures were lost on one of my transfers from state to state. I would welcome something like this. How about something simple TEMPE year to year or, in a lighthearted tone TEMPE: Does anyone know what this word means? Think about it and say the word a few times. Maybe, RE: Book about Tempe ha aha John
Guys, don't forget. While you're going thru' all those old pictures and memories, you can help me right away with the 'neighborhoods' chapter(s) by just shooting me an email (or phone call) and telling me your address back then and anyone you can remember who lived around you in your neighborhood.
I have a good start but need a lot more info from everyone and every area, especially those of you who lived East of Mill Avenue.
Thanks, and lets make this a very special THS '69 project!
HI everybody - I am thrilled to read your comments and know there's interest. I suspect 'Little Johnny Webster' is right about how big a project this will be, but no matter, we can get it done! We should shoot for a Spring deadline for our end, then give Arcadia time to print it.
Let's start with chapter titles - anybody else have any ideas beyond what I wrote? I like the idea of the bridges, but confess I know very little. Who knows a lot, or could find out a lot? Do we have enough info and pics for a chapter? So determining chapter titles is a primary decision. Once we these, then we can organize our material? Any volunteers for any chapter titles? Steve wants to handle the neighborhoods. What we want to say in this chapter (or chapters) is how Tempe was laid out and where we all lived. If you have a photo that shows your house, that's what we want.
Diane, would you like to organize the chapter on Town Characters and Famous People? In the famous people category, Harry Mitchell comes to mind. So does Ladmo. And Grady's dad. Google his name and see what you find. Town characters would include the guys who rode bikes around downtown Tempe (Muley and Johnny, right?) The guy from the Class of '66 who contributed to some of the posts knew the history of one of them, and I bet he has pictures.
Lana, I think a Then and Now Chapter would be great. I've been told the Tempe Historical Society has lots of pictures and could be a great resource for us. If you live around here, you're suddenly nominated.
Billy, I'll give you a call and come by to look at the zillion pics you have. Maybe Campbell, Kelly and whoever else wants to come can be there and bring photos, too.
My cell no is (480) 326-7570. Anybody can call me , and if I don't hear from you, I'll pick up the phone myself.
Would you like to be an honorary member of our class for this project? We could use help here!
As far as different class members heading up different chapters, that was just an idea and we don't have to do it that way, unless we agree to do it that way.
Can people who have an interest in participating - providing pictures, primarily - please join in here and name yourself.
The longer the list, the easier it will be to gather 180 pictures.
Weird. Looks like College makes a jog at the tracks by Daley Park, then becomes Willow as it goes through the campus. Wonder when they moved the lower half. Also interesting to see the number of streets with Spanish names . . . except for Transvaal. Where'd THAT come from?
I'll take your posts to mean interest in helping with this book. I've called Bill and will help him go through his pictures - what about you, Jim? You must have some personal photos that would look fabulous in our book. Same with you, Larry.
And what about Tom Summers, didn't he have pics from Landis?
Judy Bender and I were on the phone yesterday and we were tossing around title ideas. How about, 'Growing Up in Tempe' ?
About Transvaal St., no idea where the name came from but I remember seeing the street sign when Jill and I cruised through the frat houses once we could drive!
The jog in College was removed about 1960. I lived just across the tracks on 15th from Daley park and I remember the road jog. After they removed the jog, the parking on the west side of the park was created.
Wow, Elson, you're OLD. Just kidding. It's great that someone knows how that happened. So that means that the lots for the two churches south of the park there were enlarged, then that whole subdivision south of Broadway was built around the moved road. Interesting.
Glad to read all the above - thanks for your input, Elson, re the evolution of College Avenue. We moved to Tempe in 1962, so I didn't witness the change.
Now about those chapter titles - Steve Frizzell and I would like to have them set by Nov. 30th. Then we'll want to add the pictures - how about a deadline for pictures Feb. 15th, 2011?
Who has time to write some text? I'd rather somebody else wrote the text and I can help with any editing or proofing.
All for now. I'm off to Bill Richardson's to look at his pics.
Google Earth Daley Park. The angle parking next to college is the old roadway. They just straightened College from the SW edge of the park to meet at the RR tracks rather than have a sharp jog on the north side of the tracks.
Elson, Yes, now that you point it out, it's clear what they did to Willow Ave, I mean College Ave.!
Her are chapter titles so far:
1. Brief History of Tempe
2. THS Class of 69 - who we are and why we're doing this
3. Mill Ave. during the 50s and 60s
4. Famous People and Town Characters
5. Tempe Landmarks
6. Where We Hung Out (or as Judy Bender suggested, Tempe Hot Spots)
7. Neighborhoods -
8. Arizona State University
Can anybody think of a topic we've missed? And neighborhoods can take up more than 1 chapter, if we want. So the above could fill out our 10 chapters, or we could consense neighborhoods into 1 chapter if we want to put in a couple more.
Hi, Class of '69! I was working on ideas for a similar book about Tempe. I hoped to convey the experiences as well as the places and times. Here is the imagined book cover for 'Our Tempe' as well as my outline--a gift from a freshman ('72) to the seniors!
[Hi, Judy! Here's your little sister, tagging along again! :) ]
Patti Bender
front cover:
OUR TEMPE
back cover:
City lights, romance, and dead Governors.
If these words bring to mind Papago Park on a Friday night, you knew our Tempe.
The old Tempe Beach. Cobblestones in the entryway of Monti's. Joe Sellah's. The Boston Store. Riding horses in the riverbed. The Pioneer Drive-In. Wallace & Ladmo. The College Bookstore. Rosita's cheese crisps. The bird lady. Tempe Center.
Whether you grew up when Carl Hayden was new to the Senate or when he left office, whether you think of the southern boundary of town as Broadway, Southern, or Baseline, we think you'll like this book.
Get out your old annuals, call your friends together for a little reunion, and enjoy a look back at 'Our Tempe.'
Weird. Â Looks like College makes a jog at the tracks by Daley Park, then becomes Willow as it goes through the campus. Â Wonder when they moved the lower half. Â Also interesting to see the number of streets with Spanish names . . . except for Transvaal. Â Where'd THAT come from?
It's Dutch. It means Across the valley. There were Dutch settlers here as well. If you remember university or eighth Street Turned into transmission road. That wasn't about the mechanics of cars. It meant across the mission or past the mission
