Pat Little-Upah AVHOFS President Class of 2014

Dear Society Members,

It is hard to believe that September is here, and summer is coming to an end once again.  For most not soon enough with the extreme heat that we have all endured these past months.  I hope you had an enjoyable summer.  I know many of our members have traveled to places far and near and we look forward to hearing about your adventures.  

We are all busy working with the Unified Arizona Veterans to welcome our incoming Arizona Veteran Hall of Fame Inductees on Oct 13th at the Talking Stick Resort.  It is so gratifying when I read their biographies because they are all such deserving individuals.  The Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame is responsible for putting on the morning VIP Reception where the inductees and their support persons are recognized.

We strongly encourage our current AVHOFS members to attend as this gives us the opportunity to meet and get to know them.  It is also a great time to catch up with current members whom you have not seen for a while.  I would like to thank Bob Wiedower (class of 2022) who donated money to allow us to give each of the new 2023 inductees an AVHOFS coin at the morning reception. 

We will be starting our planning sessions for our 17th annual Patriotic Awards Luncheon to be held on Friday April 19th at the Doubletree by Hilton Conference Center and Hotel in Tempe.  So please save that date and plan to attend.  This is the Society’s premier event at which we give out our Copper Awards and Scholarships.  We need nominations for our Copper Awards.  The Copper Eagle Award is given to a business/organization/foundation for outstanding support of our Military/Veteran Community.  Our Copper Sword Award is given to an individual non-veteran who has supported and given of their time and talents to help the military, Veterans and their communities.  These awards are due to me by Oct 31st.  You can find the nomination guidelines and forms on our website.  I know that each of us has known or in some way been supported or impacted by businesses and individuals who meet this criteria.  If you have any questions, please contact me. 

I have been asked by the Jewish War Veterans Copper State Post 619 in Sun Lakes if we could provide a speaker at their meeting on March 17th.  I am seeking more details.  I would like to have a list of members who in the future would be interested in speaking at events about the Society and tell their own story.  I know if we put the word out, we would get many requests and that it would be a great opportunity for the Society to be better known.  If you are interested in becoming one of our speaking ambassadors, please email me at patupah@gmail.com.  If you prefer to not be a speaker, we are also increasing our presence at various veteran events.   If you would be willing to help us at events, please let me know.  If there are any events outside of metropolitan Phoenix you would like to represent the Society at, let us know about them and we can get materials and information to you.

As your Board gets back into session, we are pleased to welcome our newest member Paul Smiley Jr to his first meeting.  Paul’s biography was in our last newsletter.   He is actively engaging with Jerry Wojtas, our Treasurer, in his new role as Assistant Treasurer. 

You will see an article on our last outreach event to the State Veterans Home in Phoenix, coordinated by member Christeen Verchot.  We encourage all of you to support Christeen and help her with these events.  We can only increase our outreach and support to our Veterans with the help of our membership.  We welcome your ideas and support as we move forward.  My goal is that we be seen not just as an organization that recognizes achievements, but also one that is actively supporting our military and veterans.  Walt Disney said it best “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” 

Congratulations to the 2023 Inductees for the AVHOF

Please join me at the VIP Reception the morning of the induction ceremony, Friday, October 13, where we will honor the newest members and their support person. AVHOF members are encouraged to attend this reception. It is a wonderful time to get to know our newest members and share a little about the Society. 
The morning reception registration starts at 7:30 a.m. and there is no cost. Please let me know if you will attend. You can purchase your tickets to the Induction Luncheon on the Unified Arizona Veterans website at azuav.org.  
Thank You,

Franklin William Alger, Jr., USMC veteran, Casa Grande
Cyril Ernest Bassett, Army veteran, Phoenix
Sheree Bigge, Army veteran, Maricopa
Stephen Louis Bradford, Army veteran, Phoenix
Marcus Lamar Brown, USMC veteran, Gilbert
Thomas Leonard Day, Army veteran, Sonoita
Sidney Scott Duke, USAF veteran, Peoria
John Francis Farley, Navy veteran, Scottsdale
Ricardo Juan Leonard, Army veteran, Scottsdale
Rose Mary Lloyd, Army veteran, Mesa
Christopher Thomas Maloney, Sr., Army veteran, Tucson (Posthumous)
Ralph Malcom Milliken, Jr., Army veteran, Sun City
Sandra Lanter Raynor, Army veteran, Phoenix
Ronnie Dale Smith, USMC veteran, Coolidge
Meredeth Ann Stucky, USAF veteran, Litchfield Park
Buford Watts, Jr., USMC veteran, Lake Havasu City
Wanda Arlene Wright, USAF veteran, Tempe
Lorenza Lopez Wysong, Army veteran, Hereford
James Edwin Zawacki, USAF veteran, Concho 

The Earl Milford family has waited through many delays for this presentation from the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society.  The presentation of the Arizona flag and certificate was presented to Christopher Milford, son of Earl Milford (Class of 2012) at a ceremony on the 28th of July 2023 at Navajo Nation Chapter House.  Many family members attended including Earl's brother, Ron who was the Master of the Ceremonies along with other brothers, sisters and family.

Gerry Berger, Past President
Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society

The 3rd State Home Outreach Initiative Event was held on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023 from 10-12 pm at the Phoenix Arizona State Veteran Home.  We were able to mingle with the State Home residents while enjoying Dunkin Donuts and Bingo games.  Many attendees took this opportunity to share their military experiences with us, allowing for a spirit of camaraderie for all present. 

Participant evaluations collected at the end of the Event indicated satisfaction and a desire/interest for more such future events.  It was determined that, perhaps in the future, we might support an off campus luncheon trip for the residents. 

A special thanks goes out to our VP, Karen Craig, as well as to our new friend, Marine Corps Vet, Kimberly Branch, (affiliated with Women Marines Association AZ-1 Roadrunner Chapter; Team RWB Phoenix Chapter – Director of Communications; American Legion Post 145 - Executive Member At-Large; West Valley Women Veterans Group).  Karen and Kim’s presence and assistance were appreciated by the Veterans and Staff.  

 Next  Event: To be determined. Stay tuned!  

Jerry Wojtas AVHOFS Treasurer Class of 2011

A number of our ‘regular’ contributors came through in August and helped your Society cut into the shortfall we had a month ago.  We’re still behind our goal of $1,000 a month, but we have made inroads into our deficit.

Be aware that your Society has 5 other important programs where the budgeted costs total over $50,000 and those costs are covered through means other than your contributions.  Programs like Veterans Court, Maternity Outreach for Veteran Families, our Veterans Home Program, Employee Recognition of the VA Medical Center and last, but not least, our annual Patriotic Awards Luncheon.  To find out more about one or all of these programs, simply contact one of our board members.

ARIZONA VETERANS HALL OF FAME SOCIETY
4980 S. ALMA SCHOOL ROAD
STE. A2-619
CHANDLER, AZ 85248-5545

Above is the COMPLETE mailing address that should be used whenever you mail anything to our Society.  If you don’t use the STE. A2-619, which is our P.O. Box, we won’t get your mailing!  And below that are the names of those who have contributed to the Century Club by our August press time.

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

Roy McClymonds AVHOFS Quartermaster Class of 2017

The Country Store opened on August 15, 2023 and will run through September 15, 2023.  I am doing this so our vendor can prepare clothing to be able to present the items right after they are inducted.

One last thing: when you complete the catalog PLEASE print clearly.  I have had some catalogs that I have made errors on and I don’t want to inconvenience any members.

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 Pat Little-Upah at patupah@gmail.com.

Known members that have passed in the past twelve months.