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Owner of popular dude ranch dies at 72
Cynthia True, owner of a popular Tucson dude ranch, died Sunday of complications from a stroke. She was 72.
Born in Denver, Mrs. True moved to Tucson in 1965 with her husband Allen. They purchased 3,000 acres on the northern edge of the Tucson Mountains and started the White Stallion Ranch.
”We’re kind of a secret in Tucson, but we’re well known around the world,” said Gail True, her daughter-in-law.
The ranch has hosted visitors from all 50 states and 53 foreign countries, said her son, Russell True.
He noted that at first his mother opposed her husband’s interest in the land.
”But finally, she said, ‘If I can look at those mountains . . . every morning when I get up, I’ll let you throw our lives away on the ranch.’ They bought it and we’ve been here ever since,” he said.
Allen True wound up building a home on the property with huge windows facing the mountains that his wife adored.
The couple raised two sons, Russell and Michael, and both still work on the ranch with their wives, Gail and Kristen.
Mrs. True also is survived by two grandchildren, Steven and David. Her husband died eight years ago.
Russell True said the ranch’s guests were touched by his mother, who would sit at the head of the guests’ dining table every night.
”She was a mother figure to a whole lot of people from all over the world,” he said. ”They always spoke of her presence and how much they loved to be there with her.”
A memorial service, which is open to the public, will be held at the ranch Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. The ranch is at 9251 W. Twin Peaks Rd., just west of North Silverbell Road.
(Dated Dec 09, 1999)
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PGA golfers will miss helpful Alene Stoecker
A memorial service will be held tonight for Alene Gourley Stoecker, a longtime volunteer with the Touchstone Energy Tucson Open.
Stoecker, 80, died Thursday.
”Alene was helping Ricki Rarick with the Tucson Open long before the Conquistadores took over,” said Dot Straw, a longtime friend and fellow volunteer for the PGA Tournament. ”She also was involved with the Ricki Rarick Junior Golf Program from the beginning.”
Straw, who worked side by side with Stoecker for over three decades, said the PGA players ”all remembered her name. Most of them called her by name. She was a great lady and a good friend.”
She was inducted into the Arizona Daily Star Sportsmen’s Fund Ricki Rarick Hall of Fame in 1994 and received the Tucson Women’s Sports Association 1976 Outstanding Achievement Award. She also served as secretary of the Tucson Women’s Bowling Association.
Stoecker, Straw and Trudy Bishop handled the pro registration at the Tucson Open for more than 30 years. In the 1994 Tucson Open program, a feature story about the three read:
”Their involvement began when the first tournament chairman for the Tucson Conquistadores, Fred Boice, made a wise decision when he asked Alene to do the pro registration. That same year, Dot volunteered as a driver and Trudy occasionally substituted for Alene. Since then, they have become a familiar sight to all those involved in the tournament. Just ask Arnold Palmer, who always remembers their names.
”During those 30 years, these ladies have spent many hours catering to the needs of all those who make the tournament a success, from answering phones and registering players to being chauffeurs and solving problems.
”Twenty years ago, Alene was given a big glass pig filled with candy and brought it to the tournament for all the players to enjoy. Every year since then, the players look forward to snacking on their favorite candy before and after the round.
”Through their volunteer work, they have offered advice over the phone and have provided information for the players and their families. They have done everything from recommending a doctor for one player’s wife to finding a veterinarian for another player’s pet.”
Stoecker was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred Stoecker, and brother, Gerald Gourley.
She is survived by a son, Frederick Stoecker of Tucson; a daughter, Ann Freeman of Arlington, Va.; and a sister, Kathleen Brodt of Dallas.
Services will be held tonight at 7 at Adair Funeral Home, 1050 N. Dodge Blvd.
Donations may be made to TMC Hospice or Rick Rarick Jr. Golf Association, c/o Mike Hayes at the Fred Enke Golf Course, 8251 E. Irvington Road, Tucson, Ariz. 85730.
(Dated Dec 15, 1999)
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Ex-broadcaster Borozan dies at age 66
Veteran Tucson broadcaster George S. Borozan, who ran twice for mayor, died last night after a twoyear fight with cancer. He was 66.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Thursday at Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, 1946 E. Adams St.
Mr. Borozan was born in Phoenix in 1934, and his family moved to Tucson the following year. He had a 33-year career as a broadcaster for Tucson television and radio stations.
”He was a great old friend,” said former Tucson Mayor Tom Volgy last night. ”He was a bit larger than life and cared deeply about this community.”
Mr. Borozan went to Tucson High School but joined the U.S. Air Force in 1950 before graduating.
He was stationed in Japan during the Korean War and flew combat missions to Korea, family members said.
In 1954 Mr. Borozan left the Air Force and began taking classes at the University of Arizona.
In 1955, Mr. Borozan began his on-air career at KTUC-AM radio here.
From 1963 to 1969, he worked for KOLD radio and television. In 1970 he moved to KZAZ-TV, now KMSB-TV.
Mr. Borozan was a former news anchor with KZAZ, and later became director of news and personnel for KMSB-TV.
He retired from radio and television in 1988.
Mr. Borozan first sought the Tucson mayoral seat in 1987, but lost his bid during the Republican primary. He finished second to Mayor George Miller during a threeway race for mayor in 1991.
After losing the 1987 primary, Mr. Borozan helped Democratic candidate Volgy’s successful campaign for the mayoral seat.
Volgy, mayor from 1987 to 1991, said Mr. Borozan ”cared about people and friends more than party affiliations.”
Volgy, a UA political science professor, said Mr. Borozan ”took his politics with a great sense of humor. He once said to me that if he was elected mayor, I could have found him anytime on the golf course.”
Calling Mr. Borozan an avid golfer is an understatement, said his daughter Beth Borozan.
His golfing partner for 30 years, Armen Dirtadian, said Mr. Borozan was ”a great force in this community, and had a wonderful mind.”
”He had knowledge in an incredible amount of areas,” said Dirtadian, one of Tucson’s top amateur golfers.
”George got along with anyone,” Dirtadian said. ”He could talk and argue with you about politics and still be your friend.”
He is survived by a sister, Milena Parber of Novato, Calif.; brother Sam S. Borozan of Tucson; his former wife, Liz Borozan of Tucson; son Steve Borozan of Tucson; daughters Beth Borozan of Ventura, Calif., and Susan Borozan of New York City; and three grandchildren.
Burial will be at Evergreen Cemetery, 3015 N. Oracle Road.
The family suggests donations to the Borozan Scholarship Fund at the modern languages departments of the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.
Donations to the scholarship fund should be sent in care of Valley Funeral Homes, 2545 N. Tucson Blvd., Tucson, Ariz. 85716.
(Dated Dec 21, 1999)
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UA transportation director a tireless worker, mentor
A Dec. 29 memorial service will be held for Marlis Davis, the University of Arizona’s parking and transportation director, who died of colon cancer after a two-year battle.
Ms. Davis, 61, who died Sunday, started in the UA parking department in 1984.
She worked ”up until the bitter end” of her life despite heavy chemotherapy treatments, said her daughter, Stephanie King.
”She loved her work; it was a huge part of her life. She was always so excited about it,” King said. ”You’d think, ‘Who could get excited about parking and transportation?,’ but when she talked about it, it was exciting.”
Ms. Davis left her mark at the UA through changes aimed at easing the campus parking crunch, and programs to make the UA accessible for bicyclists and the disabled.
”She’s well recognized in the country,” said Joel Valdez, UA’s senior vice president for business affairs. He called Ms. Davis a ”tireless worker.”
She was elected to the International Parking Institute and sat on a series of committees that extended beyond the UA campus.
Valdez said she had the ”hardest job on campus – on any campus.”
”She was a very, very strong person, with a lot of tenacity and courage,” Valdez said.
Ms. Davis graduated from the UA in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in business and public administration. She also held Pima Community College degrees in business and construction technology.
Beyond her tangible accomplishments, Ms. Davis served as a role model for employees, said Priscilla Salinas, who worked for Ms. Davis for 11 years.
”She was a mentor for a lot of people here,” Salinas said. ”She never called in sick. She had an open-door policy – anyone could go in and talk to her about anything.”
”She’ll be dearly missed. She was a part of us,” Salinas said, her voice choked with tears.
King, 40, said ”no one was more important than the next person” to Ms. Davis, who split time between diverse interests, a series of committees and her family.
”Everybody got 100 percent; I don’t know how she did that,” King said. ”She was just an incredible person. She was an incredible mother. I can only hope I’m half the mother she was to me.”
In addition to King, Ms. Davis is survived by two grandchildren, Joshua, 8, and Marisa, 4, of Tucson; brother Claude V. Newtson of Fullerton, Calif., and her mother, Josephine Newtson, of Tucson.
A viewing will be held at Bring’s Funeral Home, 6910 E. Broadway, Dec. 29 from 4 to 7 p.m.
A memorial service will be held at Golf Links Baptist Church, 6902 E. Golf Links Road, Dec. 29 at 11 a.m.
(Dated Dec 22, 1999)
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Fernando Escalante a Pascua Yaqui Tribe leader
Fernando Escalante, vice chairman of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, educator and community religious leader, died Monday night after a long illness. He was 64.
Mr. Escalante devoted much of his life to preserving the Yaqui, or Yoeme, tribal language and culture.
”He was a very amazing individual who accomplished a lot in his lifetime,” said Tribal Chairman Benito F. Valencia. ”He had other endeavors to achieve, but time was not on his side. He will be greatly missed, not only by the people he worked with but by those who have associated with him throughout his lifetime.”
From humble beginnings, Mr. Escalante earned his GED while serving in the Army, and entered the University of Arizona at age 25. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology at UA in 1972, a master’s degree in 1985, and finally a doctorate in linguistics in 1990. He was fluent in English, Yoeme and Spanish.
Mr. Escalante served as a research associate with the UA anthropology department and associate faculty member at Pima Community College. He was credited with helping develop a Yaqui alphabet, an Uto-Aztecan language that is at least 5,000 years old.
Mr. Escalante was selected as vice chairman of the tribe in 1996 after serving two terms on the council. He also established the Tribal Housing Office, serving as its director from 1979 to 1981.
Alma Lespron, secretary of the tribal council, said, ”It was very somber morning (Tuesday) when I walked in the office. He was loved by the people who work here in education. He was very personable, and got along with everyone. He had a terrific sense of humor and made everyone laugh. He’s being missed.”
Valencia credited Mr. Escalante with being a strong influence in the tribe’s efforts to provide financial assistance to members interested in furthering their education. Mr. Escalante also ensured that Yaqui youngsters in the Headstart Program received an early exposure to their language.
He was one of only a handful of maestros in the tribal religion, practicing ancient religious beliefs of Yaqui elders. He served as captain and maestro in Old Pascua Village during the six weeks of Lent.
A wake is scheduled at 4 p.m. Sunday at San Ignacio de Loyola Church, 785 W. Saguaro St. in Old Pascua Village. Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Monday at San Ignacio, with burial to follow at Monte Calvario Cemetery at New Pascua Village.
Survivors include his wife of 30 years, Maria; daughters Patricia and Rosa Maria; and sisters Francisca Rivera and Virginia Baltazar. Tribal offices will be closed Monday in a day of mourning for Mr. Escalante.
(Dated Jan 06, 2000)
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