Jim Monroe AVHOFS President Class of 2014

Fellow patriots and AVHOFS members.  We have a number of things going on now, after a long period when we seemed to be struggling to get anything accomplished.  I offer the following as an update on activities ongoing and pending:

14th Annual Patriotic Awards Luncheon: 

The PAL committee has now swung into high gear and is quickly moving forward to the production of a stellar event on June 18.  Ron Perkins and Pat Little-Upah are working in tandem to ensure this luncheon / ceremony will be an event you don’t want to miss.  I  note that Governor Douglas Ducey will be addressing the room at 1215 prior to lunch being served.  Please see the section from Ron and Pat herein.

Induction of the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Class of 2020:

You are aware that I have been telling you that these inductions were going to happen for some months now, and several of you have expressed concern that we were never going to get this done.  Well, you were wrong!  Inductions are currently underway.

On May 11, Eric Fowler and Maureen Pryor were inducted in Tucson.  The University of Arizona kindly made one of their facilities available for the ceremonies.  Maureen (Mo) sent an email about her induction; following are excerpts from her email:
I want to thank you for your participation in my induction into the Arizona Veteran’s Hall of Fame (AVHOF).  It was a truly humbling honor to be selected and now inducted.  I join a very elite group of people! 
I appreciate the effort that was made to ensure that each of us had a ceremony.  Maybe because it was so intimate with so few people, it felt very personal and noteworthy.  I have attended several induction ceremonies in the Phoenix area, and while those are very nice, this smaller one was special.

On May 13, Adam Gerrard, James McCoy and Clyde Meade were inducted in Flagstaff.  Pete Kloeber made arrangements with Forrest Highlands for our use of their phenomenal facilities where the inductions were held. 

On May 14, Albert Crawford, Debra Undhjem, Kirk Thomas, Johnny Ramirez and John South were inducted in Phoenix at the offices of the Arizona Department of Veterans Services.  I received an email from John South following his induction; excerpts follow:
James- thank you so much for such an honor, being inducted into the Veterans Hall of Fame. I have no words to describe my feelings of thankfulness and emotions of an old soldier. Hope I can give back some of my appreciation to the organization in some way-

On May 19, Harold Briggs, Steven Cooper, Karen Craig and Nancy Fassbender were inducted in Phoenix at ADVS offices.  Nancy Briggs received Harold Briggs’ medallion and plaque for Harold who passed in mid-January. 

NOTE:  I am composing this post on Sunday, May 23.

On May 25, Roberta Kimelton, Edward Logan, Elizabeth Nehringn and Randall Schriver will be inducted in Phoenix at ADVS offices.

On May 26, we will induct Frank Hoak and Shane Groen in Phoenix at ADVS offices.  Leonore Hoak, Frank’s widow, will be receiving the medallion and plaque for Frank. 

Due to personal circumstances, Harold Pittman, William Spicer and Darlene Tryon will be inducted at a later date.

I know many of us were concerned and disappointed that the class of 2020 was not being inducted as classes before them had been.  I can tell you, from my point of view, I am convinced the inductions went very well and were favorably received.  Videos of each induction will be available to inductees soon, and they may share these videos as they see fit.  A composite video of the entire proceedings and photos will be available on the Society website in early June.

Seven people have committed their time for six days to make the induction presentation to each inductee.  The following photo of the seven was taken in Flagstaff.  From left to right are Carol Culbertson, Lea Seago, Reggie Yates, Col. Wanda Wright, Rob Welch, Jim Monroe and Sherry Burns.   A supreme effort from all.

A last comment on this subject.  Judy Carroll, class of 2014, attended the induction of Mo Pryor.  I received an email from Judy, and I believe it puts things in perspective.  A copy of Judy’s email follows:

I want to thank you for a very special ceremony for the “newly-inducted” members of the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame. It was exceptional! You found a way to closely replicate the normal induction ceremony and make each individual the center of attention. Thank you for that. While combining all the inductees as a group under normal circumstances makes sense, doing it individually made it special for each member. While COVID rules restricted the number of attendees at each gathering, it also made it an intimate ceremony for each inductee. I use the term inductee because, while they were formally officially included in the AFVOF, this ceremony makes it real for many of them.

I also want to commend all the support staff. They made everything come together. It was a smooth operation from beginning to end. We knew what to do and how to do it. That made the transition between the ceremonies much easier. 

We also appreciate the photographers. Since we couldn’t take our own pictures, we are looking forward to seeing the photos and videos they took.

You all do a great job. Thank you for taking the time to perform these ceremonies. I know Mo Pryor and her sister were appreciative and impressed. I know other inductees will feel the same. In an environment where COVID still reigns, you have found a way to make their induction special for them. Hopefully, we will be able to induct next year’s class in a traditional format.

Thank you for your dedication. 

Respectfully,
Judy Carroll, Class of 2014

Memorial Flag Presentation (AVHOFS OI #6):

It has come to my attention that there are Society members who may not be familiar with the Memorial Flag Presentation, the funeral honors your Society conducts for every member who passes.  Pete Kloeber attended the Memorial Services for James Johnston recently and presented the AZ Flag which was contained in a flag case and engraved with James Johnston’s name, class, year, and branch of service; Ron Perkins assisted Pete.  I asked Pete if we might share a portion of the memorial he presented.  The following photo is a sample of a presentation flag.  Below the photo is an excerpt from the presentation:  

Memorial for James T. Johnston, Class of 2013

Jim passed away 13 Jan 2021, just one day short of his 87th birthday. His children decided to delay his memorial service due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Pete Kloeber (Class of 2018) and Ron Perkins (Class of 2012) represented the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society at the recent memorial service for Jim on 7 May at the Whitney and Murphy Funeral Home in Phoenix. The AVHOFS honor ceremony included remarks, reading of an official citation, and presentation of the Arizona Flag to Jim’s children. Pete was a long-time friend of Jim and handled the remarks and reading. Pete and Ron together presented the Flag and concluded by rendering Jim a hand salute. 

Jim's family members acknowledged their heartfelt appreciation for the Society’s words and actions on behalf of their father. They - and several friends in attendance - readily admitted they did not know of many of Jim’s accomplishments until they heard them read during the ceremony. In fact, the ceremony itself prompted numerous testaments of remembrance among the family members.

Respectfully submitted…

Pat Little-Upah AVHOFS Vice President Class of 2014

Ron Perkins AVHOFS President Emeritus Class of 2012

Dear Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society Members,

We have tried to get the word out about the Patriotic Awards Luncheon scheduled for Friday the 18th of June via our monthly newsletters and information on our website avhof.org.  It is not too late to register, but the Early Bird discount has gone away.  The late fee for AVHOFS members plus one will be $50 Ea. and nonmember fee’s will be $60 Ea.  Reservations will close out on June 10th, 2021.  We encourage you to go to the website where you can register online or print out the registration form and fill it out and send it in with a check to the society’s address.  Below are the Unified Arizona Veterans (UAV) 2020 & 2021 Copper Star recipients and the 2020 Copper Shield recipient.

Unified Arizona Veterans 2020 Copper Star
Drew Trojanowski

Drew Trojanowski ‘s service to Arizona veterans began when he enlisted in the Arizona Army National Guard in 2006.  He served seven years with distinction, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2013, Drew transitioned to civilian life.  Due to his personal experiences with navigating the system at the VA, Drew joined the Mesa Chamber of Commerce.  In 2015, he built and implemented the Mesa Veterans Program, currently the Mesa Veterans Resource Center. 

In 2016, Senator John McCain asked Drew to become his veteran advocate staff member for the State of Arizona.  Drew led several successful policy and program changes, including the implementation of the Clay Hunt Act, which became Arizona's Be Connected program, a nationally recognized community collaboration model to reduce veteran suicide.  Drew also authored the Veteran Overmedication and Prescription Act, which has become law.  He also worked to write the Veteran Court Bill, a $50 million expansion for the successful Veterans’ Court Program.
Drew worked on several pieces of impactful legislation while in Senator McCain's office.  He then transitioned to serve as Special Assistant to the President of the United States on the Domestic Policy Counsel and the lead veteran advocate for the nation.  In 2018-2019, Drew built department-wide initiatives that include the implementation of the MISSION Act and championed the PREVENTS Executive Order.

Drew is currently working at ASU as the Assistant Vice President for Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development Research.

Unified Arizona Veterans 2021 Copper Star Award
Jennifer Harris

Unified Arizona Veterans 2020 Copper Shield
Mark Cardenas

Mark Cardenas grew up in Phoenix and is a graduate of Washington High School.  Upon graduation, he enlisted in the United States Army, serving eight years as a Military Policeman. 
When he returned to civilian life, he studied International Relations at the University of Southern California and began working on political campaigns.  In 2012, Mark was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives (LD 19) and served through 2019.  During his time at the Legislature, he worked with Republicans and Democrats to expand AHCCCS coverage, pass legislation that protected homeowners from theft, and preserved $50 million in public safety funding for the City of Phoenix. 

In 2013, Mark was one of the founding co-chairs of the groundbreaking Arizona State Veterans Legislative Council, which continues to the present day to provide a forum for veterans in Arizona to propose and support legislation and to assist veterans of all eras with civilian reintegration programs.  Also, in 2013, he spent a week living on the streets, with homeless veterans, to raise money for a transitional-living facility for female veterans.
Mark has worked with local school districts to address child neglect and abuse, fought for services for people experiencing homelessness, secured funding to hire additional public defenders, and championed the effort to clean up polluted groundwater in South Phoenix.

Mark is currently a Legislative Affairs Specialist for Torres Consulting and Law Group, representing clients at the local, state, and national levels.

Jerry Wojtas AVHOFS Treasurer Class of 2011

We still have a few weeks to go, and we need your contribution badly.  We want to reach our $10,000 goal and as we go to press with our June issue of the Patriot, we currently have $8,882 in this fiscal year’s contributions.

Last month I placed the HELP WANTED sign out for all of you to consider.  I have been Treasurer for your Society for the past 7 years.  The job has grown in responsibility over that period of time.  An assistant would be greatly appreciated by me.

OR… if there is someone out there who feels they would like to be the treasurer with or without an assistant, please step forward and make yourself known.  I will be around to offer answers and assistance as needed.  At this point I would be willing to step down completely, or be an assistant to a new treasurer, if so desired.

Give it some thought and if you have questions, you can contact me by phone at 623-544-4477 or by email at jp7wojtas@gmail.com.

And remember, when mailing your contributions to the Society, PLEASE use the complete address as shown below.

Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame
4980 S. Alma School Road, Ste, A2-619
Chandler, AZ 85248-5545

CENTURY CLUB DONATIONS (FY Goal is $10,000. Total to date is $8,882)

Black - up to $100  GREEN - $101-$199   BLUE - $200-$299   RED - $300 and above GOLD - $400 and above

Listed below are those that have contributed so far in CY 2021.

Christine Mahon AVHOFS Director Class of 2017

The East Valley team leaders were Christine Mahon (Class of 2017) and Pat Little-Upah (Class of 2014),  Society Board members (they are shown to the right).  They collected 125 boxes for the drive and cash donations of $1500.00+.  The West Valley team leader was Gerry Berger (Class of 2016), immediate past president.  Collections from both teams filled two storage units!

The project was done in collaboration with veteran coordinators on each Reservation to assure that the needed items were collected and will be distributed to those women in need.  The boxes will be delivered the week of May 24.

The need is ongoing and if you would like to make a financial contribution you can do so by sending a check to Veterans First Ltd 8433 N Black Canyon Highway Ste 164 Phoenix, AZ 85021.

Request you let us know as soon as you know of an inductee’s passing.  If available, we would like to know the inductee’s name, date of passing, funeral, and memorial service details, and a copy of the obituary.  Send notices to Jim Monroe at j.c.monroe@cox.net.

Known members that have passed in 2021.
James Johnston (Class of 2013) passed 14 January
Joe Briggs (Class of 2020) passed 15 January
Helene (Billee) Culin (Class of 2017) passed 19 January
William Christopher (Chris) Spicer (Class of 2020) passed 1 May

William Christopher (Chris) Spicer

Born in Corning, New York in 1955, Chris Spicer served in the US Air Force in 1974. Chris’ civilian career includes construction, real estate, and customer service.

Chris served as the Glendale Community College Veterans Advocate where he was instrumental in starting the annual “Stand Up for Veterans” event that he co-chaired. In 2017. Chris founded Veterans Advocates on Call, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which has helped over 400 veterans.

Chris was an active member of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce Military and Veterans Affairs Committee; he volunteered and supported the Mayor of Glendale Big Dog Motorcycle Run which supports scholarships for veterans. He served as the Assistant Director for the Hispanic Medal of Honor Society. Chris Spicer was a Past Junior Vice Commander for Disabled American Veterans Chapter 20 in Glendale.