More Arizona CCC News!

The acclaimed National Park Service exhibit It Saved My Life, which originated at Grand Canyon National Park in 2008, is finding continued life with the upcoming opening of the exhibit in Tucson, Arizona.

Following a wonderful run in historic Kolb Studio on Grand Canyon’s South Rim, the exhibit was loaned to the City of Phoenix and was set up at Phoenix South Mountain Park. The opening of the exhibit there coincided with the dedication of a CCC Worker Statue at the park.

Now comes word that the exhibit will open for public visitation at the Arizona History museum in Tucson starting Friday, May 14th. There is no immediate word on how long the exhibit will run however the exhibit title has been revised to incorporate the local story of CCC work in Southern Arizona as well. The Arizona Historical Society and the Arizona Humanities Council have teamed up to make the exhibit possible. The announcement for the exhibit opening indicates that on the evening of May 14th visitors will have an opportunity to view the exhibit meet CCC enrollees and enjoy refreshments. On Saturday, May 22nd the museum will host a Family Program during which visitors will be able to go on a family-friendly tour, listen to a fireside chat with FDR and participate in hands-on activities.

It is a tribute to the hard work of folks with the National Park Service that this exhibit continues to enrich people’s lives even after its terrific run at Grand Canyon. It is a further tribute to hard working folks at the local level in Phoenix and Tucson who’ve worked to extend the usefulness of this wonderful exhibit so that it continues to teach people about the work of the CCC in Arizona.

Phoenix Unveils Arizona's Second CCC Worker Statue, 50th in the United States

The program kicked off shortly after 1 pm, February 21st at the South Mountain Environmental Education Center with opening introductions by park staffers P.J. Conover and Kim Keith. Mr. Conover, Recreation Coordinator and Facilities Manager expressed excitement over both the positive turnout as having both the dedication of the CCC Worker Statue and the formal opening of the Grand Canyon, National Park Service traveling exhibit. Mr. Keith, Park Manager, spoke of his new found appreciation for the CCC, gained as a result of his work at the park, amid so much CCC history.

Mr. Keith then turned the ceremony over to Michael Smith, President of CCC Legacy Chapter 44 based in Phoenix. Mr. Smith welcomed those in attendance, and specifically recognized the CCC veterans in the audience. Smith noted the place that the work and legacy of the CCC has alongside not just the wartime service of the New Deal generation, but also alongside that largely forgotten humanitarian effort, the Berlin Airlift that came so soon after the carnage of the war. Smith noted that no other nation could have turned its efforts so quickly and seamlessly from saving its own youth, to fighting a war across two oceans and then quickly back to saving a former foe in time of crisis, with a compassion that only comes from having suffered yourself.

Smith then introduced Bob Audretsch, recently retired National Park Service ranger from Grand Canyon National Park. Ranger Audretsch helped spearhead the CCC exhibit and symposium at Grand Canyon in 2008 and it was in part due to his effort that that same exhibit has now traveled to South Mountain Park were thousands more visitors will see and enjoy it. Mr. Audretsch presented a detailed and interesting account of the work of the CCC at Grand Canyon along with a history of the national CCC program. Audretsch pointed out that in all the years that the CCC worked at Grand Canyon, not a single enrollee was killed in a work related accident, despite the dangerous nature of their high angle work building trails and improvements in the Canyon and on its rims. Audretsch also alluded to the fact that, in much of the work of the CCC, heroism was an everyday thing. Audretsch then turned the program back over to Kim Keith who asked everyone to file out into the courtyard for the official unveiling of the statue.

With the crowd now gathered around the statue, Michael Smith read a letter from CCC Legacy President Joan Sharpe acknowledging the special day and pointing out that this statue is the 50th such statue to be dedicated in the United States. P.J. Conover then asked Jack Duncan, Vice-President of Chapter 44 to step forward to assist with the unveiling of the statue, which was done to enthusiastic applause. Smith then spoke briefly about the history of the Chapter 44 statue projects and noted that in the case of both of Arizona’s statues – Colossal Cave and South Mountain Park – the primary funding came from CCC veterans, proving the point that if you want a job done, call on a CCC boy. Smith noted specifically the generous contribution from Chapter 44 Vice-President Jack Duncan, whose donation funded the South Mountain statue. Jack Duncan then stepped forward and offered some personal reflections on the legacy of the CCC and specifically the struggle to make certain that the story of the CCC is told honestly and correctly in the future. Jack noted in particular his own effort decades ago as he worked to set a local history teach straight regarding the work of the CCC.

The members of Chapter 44 then stepped forward to have their picture taken with the newly dedicated statue and everyone was asked to stay for refreshments and to view the traveling CCC history exhibit. It is estimated that there were over 100 in attendance for the event.

The staff at South Mountain Park have developed a wonderful web page devoted to the work of the CCC at the park and nationwide. You can access that page here.

Arizona Dedicates Its First Civilian Conservation Corps Worker Statue!

We couldn’t have asked for better weather or a more enthusiastic group in attendance to celebrate the dedication of Arizona’s first CCC Worker Statue on October 25, 2008.

As always, J.J. Lamb and the staff at Colossal Cave put together a terrific event with a slate of speakers that included historians and researchers, local elected officials as well as a rousing portrayal of President Franklin Roosevelt, remarkably performed by James Goodin.

Colossal Cave’s CCC connection runs deep. To quote the text of the dedication program: “Colossal Cave Mountain Park owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps. From 1934 to 1937 two CCC companies, 0858 and 2851, worked at what is now Colossal Cave Mountain Park…Inside the Cave, they widened passages, established trails, installed handrails and lighting, and enlarged the entrance. Above ground, they constructed the magnificent hewn-limestone retaining wall and headquarters buildings.”

Following remarks by guest speakers, Arizona’s first CCC Worker Statue was unveiled by Gerald Johnson, CCC veteran and Colossal Cave Mountain Park Director Martie Maierhauser. It was Gerald Johnson’s generous initial donation in 2004 that got Arizona’s statue campaign rolling and ultimately, an additional donation from Mr. Johnson insured that the statue would be a reality. It is safe to say that without Gerald Johnson, the statue dedication would not have taken place in this, the 75th anniversary year of the CCC.

The statue will stand near the entrance to the visitor’s center where all who visit the Cave will see him, standing proud, a reminder of a simpler but tougher time in our history when sometimes all you had to show for a day’s work was a new set of blisters.