I co-curated this exhibit with Gloria McMillan and India Spartz. My sections of the exhibition are shown below. I created the displays featuring science fiction-related toys loaned to Special Collections by Wolf Forrest, the featured speaker for our opening event. I also made arrangements with the staff at the Lunar and Planetary Lab to borrow the Mars globe, and visited with Dr. William Hartmann at his home, where he graciously loaned me one of his Mars paintings and some of his Mars-related reference books for inclusion in the exhibition. I also purchased the posters that were displayed and made arrangements for Dr. Bradley Schauer to speak at the exhibition’s second event. It was a real pleasure getting to know Mr. Wolf Forrest, who it turns out, is not only a Sci-Fi buff, but a rock and roll music buff too!
The Mars Madness exhibit, subtitled “Sci-Fi, Popular Culture and Ray Bradbury’s Literary Journey to Outer Space” opened January 21st, and will be on display until August 1, 2014 in the Special Collections at the University of Arizona, 1510 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ. An array of Ray Bradbury material will be on display, including original works by the author, works of others who influenced him, pulp SF magazines, photos of Mars, movie memorabilia, and a selection of SF related toys on loan from the private collection of Wolf Forrest. The exhibit is curated by India Spartz, Bob Diaz, and Gloria McMillan, editor of Orbiting Ray Bradbury’s Mars (McFarland),
Promotional material designed by Marty Taylor, University of Arizona Libraries
https://vimeo.com/112532202
Promo video for Mars Madness exhibition
Mr. Wolf Forrest, featured speaker at the exhibition’s opening event.
The opening reception will be held on January 21, 2014, at 5:30 p.m with a talk by Mr. Wolf Forrest. A book signing with McMillan will be held March 15, 2014, at 3:30 p.m., and a lecture, “Filming Pulp Poetry: Ray Bradbury and It Came From Outer Space” with assistant professor of the School of Theater, Film and Television, Bradley Schauer, will be held on April 8, 2014, at 5 p.m.
Mars globe on loan from the Lunar and Planetary Lab. Mars books by William K. Hartmann on loan from the author.
Toys on loan from the collection of Mr. Wolf Forrest
More of Mr. Forrest’s collection
And more toys. Books/magazines from Special Collections huge collection of science fiction related works.
More books from Special Collections science fiction holdings.
I put this exhibition together for display in the Main Library. All of the material comes from Special Collections, which has an amazing collection of performing arts-related holdings. The exhibition, although small, was well received, and was a pleasure to work on. I don’t have photographs of every section, but I did save some.
Description:
“Special Collections has a growing number of collections about the performing arts. This exhibit will draw on these collections to provide a look at Tucson’s history of performing arts from the 19th century to the present day. Included will be recordings, photographs, programs and other ephemera.
Tucson has been home to a rich arts scene encompassing music, dance, theater and cinema. The Tucson scene has thrived in part because of its inclusive nature, which has included classical as well as popular offerings. For instance, music offerings span symphonic and opera offerings at one end of the spectrum to street music and folk festivals at the other.
Tucsonans are fortunate that our community has so many arts and cultural organizations that sponsor performances, not the least of which is the University of Arizona. The exhibit will include materials from UA Presents, the “Saturday Morning Music Club” and Tucson Meet Yourself among other collections.”
THE PERFORMING ARTS IN
TUCSON
Native peoples of
Southern Arizona included chants and drumming in their ceremonial lives long
before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. Shortly
thereafter, as the missions were built, the Spanish priests trained the local
people in the music of the Church. Choral music and voice lessons provided by
the local friars were a regular part of mission life during the 18th
and 19th centuries.
After Mexico won its
independence from Spain in 1821, the local people continued many of the
traditions that the Spanish brought with them. Tucson was a small outpost on
the northernmost frontier, so entertainment by outsiders was sporadic. Small
local Mexican performing groups existed, and their infrequent work consisted of
serenades and performing at parties.
When the Gadsden
Purchase was signed in 1854, Tucson became part of the United States, and its
population gradually increased. Easterners brought with them their own European-based
cultural activities. However, visiting performing groups came mostly from
Mexico. El Teatro Royal, later called the South Main Theater, was one of
Tucson’s first entertainment venues. Traveling musical groups and theater
troupes entertained the locals with plays in Spanish, and even opera. It is
said that the world famous Mexican opera star, “La Peralta” even performed
there once.
Angela Peralta, one of the greatest Opera stars of the Nineteenth Century.
The following story comes from the book, “Tucson Incunabula”, by Alexandra Maria Diamos.
In the 1870s, Levin’s Park was the home of Tucson’s first “Opera House”, which hosted traveling musical and theatrical shows. It didn’t last long, but soon other venues were created for entertainment. Military bands stationed at Ft Lowell also provided countless hours of entertainment for the local community at this time.
In the 1880’s, St. Augustine’s Cathedral was soon joined by other churches representing the Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and Episcopalian faiths. Choral music and other religious music thus increased. Along with this, the local schools (public and private) that were opened also emphasized the importance of the arts, music in particular. The University of Arizona, founded in 1885, played an important role in Tucson’s musical life. By 1906, the department of music and dance was training students in choral music and lessons were given to students learning instruments such as the violin and piano.
Tucson Daily Citizen, April 7, 1911.
Arizona Daily Star, April 12, 1911.
A scene from “Camille” with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role.
At the turn of the
century, a new Tucson Opera House was built on Congress, as were other venues,
including the Broadway Theater and Elysian Grove, which was located at the
present site of Carrillo School on S. Main and was the former home of The
Carrillo Gardens. One can only imagine what it was like attending Buffalo
Bill’s Traveling Minstrel Show or seeing the great Sarah Bernhardt on stage.
Both appeared in town in the early 1900s.
By 1910, what one would call “more refined” entertainment in Tucson began to increase. The Tucson Opera House hosted everything from Shakespearean drama to nationally renowned singers and other classical musicians, while theaters such as El Teatro Carmen, established by Carmen Soto Vasquez, continued to host travelling groups from Mexico that offered both musical and theatrical entertainment.
Teatro Carmen, circa 1918.
CLASSICAL MUSIC IN
TUCSON
Tucson High School was the home of many early classical concerts up through the late twenties. The auditorium was a beautiful space, and a favorite of the Tucson Symphony and other local performing groups in the 1920s.
This concert program is from 1920 and features an orchestra from Mexico.
Madeline Heineman
Berger, who co-founded the Saturday Morning Music Club in 1906, also founded
the Temple of Music and Art. Built in the late 1920s, it became the home of the
Tucson Symphony Orchestra as well as to local theater groups that performed
there. From 1929 through the late 1960s, the Temple served as a major center
for Tucson’s performing arts community. The Temple fell on hard times in the
1960s and 1970s, and changed ownership a number of times, but never completely
closed its doors. Today, it continues to be a thriving performing space and is
home to the Arizona Theatre Company.
The Old Pueblo Mexican Orchestra, in front of the Temple of Music and Art
The Tucson Symphony Orchestra began its long life at the end of the 1920s and performed not only at Tucson High and the Temple of Music and Art, but also at the University of Arizona auditorium, well into the 1960s. In the early 1970s Tucson Community Center Music Hall became its permanent home.
By mid-century, the University had a well-established annual visiting artist series, and hosted many talented musicians and groups, including dance troupes such as the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. The students and faculty of the School of Music also provided concerts for the public on a regular basis. Theater was taught both in the public schools as well as at the University level, and performances of plays, musicals and opera were held on a regular basis by both local and visiting performers.
This postcard is from my personal collection. What an amazing line-up of talent!
Over the past 25 years, the University of Arizona Library has hosted several El Dia De Los Muertos programs and altar installations. Dr. Alba Nora Martinez, a professor in the Spanish Department was an early promoter of this programming, and I worked with her at the Main Library to produce at least two different programs and installations in the late 1990s, when I was Assistant to the Dean for Staff Development, Recruitment and Diversity. Years later, after I became coordinator of exhibits and events at Special Collections, I decided to have the programming revived. In 2013, I worked with three graduate students, Amy Vaterlaus, Stephen Curley and George Apodaca on the altar below. We made paper flowers and I purchased other materials for inclusion in it. They also gave very informative presentations about various aspects of the Mexican Day of the Dead traditions in Mexico and the United States. Justin Enriquez and Juan Aguilar provided musical entertainment and there were Mexican beverages like horchata and jamaica as well as pan de muerto, provided by La Estrella Bakery. It was a fun and memorable event!
Promotional video for the El Dia De Los Muertos altar
2013 El Dia De Los Muertos altar created by Bob Diaz, Amy Vaterlaus, George Apodaca and Stephen Curley
I co-curated this exhibition with another member of the Special Collections staff, who chose the materials for inclusion in the exhibition. My contributions included writing all of the captions and a narrative of the ship’s history (see the text below) as well as a timeline/chronology of key events in the life of the ship. All photos used here are from the U.S.S. Arizona collection, AZ 517, courtesy of Special Collections, The University of Arizona Libraries.
Promo from the UA News Service:
Special Collections, at the Main Library, has one of the largest collections of USS Arizona materials in the world. The collection will host a signature exhibition honoring the 1,177 USS Arizona crewmen and officers who gave their lives in the line of duty during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The extensive USS Arizona collection, which has been created primarily from donations of individuals associated with the battleship during her 26-year life, is the source of content for the exhibition, “The Life and Legacy of the USS Arizona,” which opens on Aug. 29.
The exhibition will remain open through Dec. 23, featuring original photographs that document the USS Arizona’s personnel and operational history. Other materials on display will be papers, scrapbooks, documents and memorabilia, such as the ship’s newspaper, official Navy documents and crew correspondence. Also included will be oral histories with men who served on the ship and papers from the USS Arizona Reunion Association.
At the close of the 19th century, the military strength of
Japan and Great Britain was largely based on their sea power, and both led the
world in building great battleships. Domination of the seas meant domination of
commerce and trade. The United States,
not to be outdone, dedicated itself into building even greater, mightier war
ships, and in the early 1900s several were built. It took an act of Congress to
authorize the construction of such ships. Upon completion of construction, the
USS Arizona, the 41st battleship built by the US Navy, was said, by
the New York Times, to be “the
world’s biggest and most powerful, both offensively and defensively, super
dreadnought ever constructed.” The ship was built at a cost of 15
million dollars, and was a sister ship to the USS Pennsylvania.
There was speculation in the news media about the name of the new ship.
Some believed it would be named after the home state of the Secretary of the
Navy, Josephus Daniels, who hailed from North Carolina. However, as fate would
have it, the keel for the new ship was laid on March 14, 1914 and it was
christened the USS Arizona on June 19, 1915, in honor of its entry as the 48th
state into the union on February 14, 1912.
Esther Ross, an Arizona native and the daughter of a prominent Prescott businessman, was chosen by Governor George P. Hunt as the ship’s sponsor. It was her job to “christen” the ship, and an estimated 75,000 people crowded the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn witness Miss Ross fling two bottles, one filled with champagne and one with water, at the prow of the ship, proclaiming, “I christen thee Arizona!”
1916-1920
The USS Arizona was commissioned on October 17, 1916 by Rear Admiral
Nathaniel R. Usher. Its first captain was John D. McDonald. Following her “shakedown
cruise”, or maiden voyage, on November 10, 1916, she joined the Atlantic fleet,
and by the end of 1916 had sailed to Cuba and had fired both her 5-inch and 14-inch
guns for the first time. Unfortunately, the ship had experienced some mechanical
problems with one of its engines, and as a result had to return to New York for
repairs, which took about four months.
The ship remained stateside during World War I because oil, which wasn’t
readily available in Europe during the war, was the ship’s main fuel source,
while other ships in the US fleet ran on coal, which was plentiful in places
like England.
Shortly after the war ended, the ship participated in escorting President Woodrow Wilson to Europe for the Paris Peace talks in December 1918. It was then sent to Turkey in 1919 at the beginning of the Greco-Turkish War to represent US interests, which included the oil companies owned by men such as John D. Rockefeller. It then sailed back to New York where it remained until the following year. In January, 1920, the ship sailed to the Caribbean once again, with visits to Cuba, Barbados and Panama.
1921-1925
In early January of 1921, the USS Arizona joined the rest of the Atlantic
fleet for a trek to Cuba to participate in a series of tactical exercises in
the Caribbean. Having its sister ships in proximity offered the crew of the USS
Arizona the opportunity to compete with the crews of other ships in a variety
of sports, including football, rowing, boxing and baseball. Several of these
athletic teams from USS Arizona won awards and trophies.
The fleet transited the Panama
Canal on January 17, 1921, and made its way to Peru, crossing the Equator for
the first time on January 24. This was the USS Arizona’s first opportunity to
both transit the Canal and to cross the Equator. Crossing the Equator,
according to naval tradition, meant it was time for the “crossing the line” ceremonies, a series of mostly fun-filled activities
and practical jokes intended to initiate new recruits into the naval
brotherhood.
By mid-1921, a number of changes took place, including a change in senior
leadership. The USS Arizona was now under the command of Rear Admiral Josiah S.
McKean and tasked to join the Pacific fleet, with its new home base at San
Pedro, a port adjacent to Long Beach, Ca.
In 1923, President Warren Harding reviewed the ship while anchored in Seattle. Upon his death the following month, the USS Arizona half-masted her colors and joined other ships in firing a salute to the deceased President.
1925-1930
The latter part of the 1920s found the USS Arizona with a busy schedule. It was continually moving, often engaged with its sister battleships in a variety of military exercises. From its home base in Southern California, it sailed up and down the West Coast, from San Pedro to San Francisco to Seattle and back numerous times. It sailed to Hawaii twice, to Panama and the Caribbean, and up to New York and back. Its final trip of the 1920s was through the Panama Canal up to the Norfolk Navy Yard where it was dry docked in late May, 1929, and underwent major renovations. The cage masts were replaced with newer tripod-type masts, and newer five inch guns replaced her old three-inch anti-aircraft battery. Outer plating was added to protect against underwater mines and torpedos. Work on the ship was finally completed in December of 1930.
1931-1935
Remodeling of the ship was completed by 1931 and the ship is re-commissioned. It sails the East Coast, and escorts President Herbert Hoover on a cruise to the West Indies and back to Maine. It also makes trips to Cuba and the Panama Canal on its way back to the West coast. By early 1932 it makes its way to Hawaii with other battle ships for tactical exercises, but soon returns to the West Coast. This would be the normal routine for the ship for the remainder of the 1930s, although there were a few out of the ordinary adventures, including the occurrence of an earthquake in Long Beach in 1933. The crew of the ship assisted with the relief efforts that followed. Another was the use of the ship as the main prop for the movie, “Here Comes the Navy” starring James Cagney in 1934.
1936-1940
The next five years (1936-1940) finds the ship spending time sailing up and down the Pacific coast, as well as making a few long distance trips to Hawaii, Panama and the South Seas. It crossed the Equator two more times, offering the ship’s men the opportunity to engage in more rounds of “crossing the line” ceremonies. It also participated with the rest of the US Fleet in various military exercises throughout this time period. Tragically, on July 9, 1937, one of the USS Arizona’s planes, an O3U-3 biplane, was caught by a sudden wind that plunged it five hundred feet, into Puget Sound, leaving one man, Seaman First Class William H. Meyers, dead. By late September, 1940. the ship returned to the West Coast and spent the last days of 1940 in the Puget Sound region.
December 7, 1941
Pearl Harbor. The fate of the crew on the USS Arizona took the worst turn
imaginable on December 7, 1941. Early in the morning, the Japanese attacked the
US fleet docked in the harbor, and virtually destroyed the USS Arizona with a
direct hit which split the ship in half and caused it to sink, killing most of
its men. In all over 1,100 lives were lost. Over 900 of these men are still
buried on the ship. As then President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed shortly
after the bombing, Dec. 7 1941 “would be
a day that would live in infamy”.
There are numerous first person accounts of the day Pearl Harbor was attacked.
To learn more about these personal testimonies, please see the computer kiosk included
as part of this exhibit. It includes two recorded oral histories.
The book, “The USS Arizona: the ship, the men, the Pearl Harbor attack, and the symbol that aroused America,” by Joy Waldron Jasper, James P. Delgado and Jim Adams. New York: Truman Talley, 2001, is also available in the Main Library and Special Collections. (Call #: D 767.92 J37 2001)
Daily Life on the USS Arizona
The USS Arizona was home to over 1500 crew members at any given time.
There was a clearly defined chain of command and very little, if any, informal
interaction between officers and the non-commissioned and enlisted ranks. Those
in the enlisted ranks were assigned the most laborious jobs, such as holystoning
the deck, (sanding the deck with a brick attached to a pole) polishing brass
and peeling chipped paint.
While daily life on the USS Arizona was very regimented, the sailors
still found time for engaging in various activities, including a variety of
sports such as boxing, rowing, baseball and football. Over the years the teams representing the USS
Arizona in competition with teams from other ships won a number of trophies and
awards.
The ship housed a printing operation, and published a weekly newsletter, as well as programs for events and other activities. The ship had its own band, and concerts were given whenever possible. Parties, and special dinners occurred all too rarely, but were memorable events. The ship also had a library, and a canteen, and church services were held every Sunday.
William Watkins
William Allen Watkins was born in Jackson County, West Virginia and served aboard the USS Arizona from 1931-1938. He remained with the US Navy for 23 years, and retired in 1953. His duties while on the USS Arizona included that of turret crew member, where he kept the turret #1 clean and ready for firing. He was active in sports, and participated on the ship’s tennis, baseball and rowing teams throughout the 30s. He donated over 400 USS Arizona related items to the University of Arizona, including photographs, albums, books, certificates, banners, a kerchief and various handmade souvenirs such as handmade photo frames and ashtrays, made from shell casings and scrap metal.
Carlos Cecil
Carlos Cecil enlisted in the US Navy in 1917. He was a Carpenter’s Mate 1st class, and served on board the USS Arizona from 1919 to 1921, whereupon he received an honorable discharge. He was born on October 15, 1899 in St. Louis Missouri, and passed away at the age of 70 on July 8, 1970. His last will and testament stipulated that his collection of Navy memorabilia be donated to the University of Arizona. These included photographs, news articles and programs for various events. They were presented to the University by Cecil’s widow at the 18th Annual Fleet Reserve Associations SS Arizona Memorial Service, held at the Student Union building on December 5, 1971.
Crew-Kin Association
The USS Arizona Crew-Kin, an Arizona non-profit organization, was founded in 1979 shortly after the fourth annual reunion of the USS Arizona Reunion Association. The organization’s objectives were to: maintain membership of the immediate relatives of persons who served on board the USS Arizona; to perpetuate and memorialize the Battleship USS Arizona and the officers and men who served on board; and to conduct reunions with such members. Meetings were held annually and reunions were to take place on the weekend nearest the 7th of December at the University of Arizona’s Student Union building. The organization’s bylaws included descriptions and duties for various committees, including the newsletter committee, a historian committee, and a publicity committee.
Pearl Harbor Memorial
Efforts to create a memorial at Pearl Harbor date back to 1950, when
Admiral Arthur W. Radford, commander of the Pacific Fleet, attached a flag pole
to the main mast of the USS Arizona and began a tradition of hoisting and lowering
the flag. A temporary memorial was created that same year above the remaining
portion of the deckhouse. As early as
1951, Radford requested funding to create a national memorial, but it took over
10 years to see his vision realized.
The USS Arizona Memorial was built in 1962, and is the resting place of
1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the USS Arizona during the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The memorial was designed by Honolulu
architect, Alfred Preis.
The National Park Service currently manages a visitor’s center, where historical information about the ship is provided. It also runs a shuttle to and from the memorial, and provides other general visitor services. 2 million people visit the site annually. The sunken remains of the USS Arizona were declared a National Historic Landmark on May 5, 1989.
The Ship’s Bell
In June, 1944, while in search of scrap material in the Bremerton Navy Yard, Wilbur Bowers, (a University of Arizona graduate, class of 1927), discovered one of the ship’s bells from the USS Arizona, enclosed in a crate and in line to be melted down. Bowers worked immediately to save the bell, contacting the senior Naval command. In August of the same year, Arizona Governor Sidney P. Osborn wrote to the Honorable James V. Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, requesting that once the war ended, that the ship’s bell be turned over to the State of Arizona, to be hung at the University of Arizona’s Old Main building. The bell reached the campus in 1946, and when the new Memorial Student Union building was constructed in the early 1950s, was installed in a tower built specifically for it. While the Memorial Student Union has since been re-modeled, the bell remains a stalwart fixture in the structure, and is rung on special occasions. It is also rung seven times every third Wednesday of the month to honor the achievements of UA students, faculty and staff.
Crossing the Line Ceremonies
The Crossing the Line ceremony is an initiation rite in the US Navy that
has origins going back hundreds of years. It commemorates a sailor’s first crossing of the
Equator. The two-day event is a ritual in which previously inducted crew
members called Trusty Shellbacks, are
organized into a “Court of Neptune” to induct “slimy pollywogs” into the “mysteries
of the deep”. The pollywogs undergo a series of personal initiation
ordeals. After a day and half of such activities, a pollywog receives a
certificate indicating his new status as a shellback.
The USS Arizona crossed the Equator three times, first on January 24, 1921, then again on May 19, 1936 and a final time in July, 1940. On each occasion, the crossing of the line ceremony was held. The USS Arizona collection includes a variety of photographs and memorabilia commemorating each crossing.
