FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Arizona’s 101st Statehood Day celebration features Arizona’s 48 Most Intriguing Women Luncheon

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A daylong schedule of events is planned for Thursday, February 14, at the Arizona State Capitol and surrounding sites to celebrate the end of Arizona’s Centennial Year. Events will include a presentation of the Arizona Educational Foundation’s annual Polly Rosenbaum Student Writing Contest winners, a 48 Most Intriguing Women of Arizona Luncheon and Governor’s Capstone Reception.

PHOENIX – Arizona’s 48 Most Intriguing Women (a Centennial Legacy Project), the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission and the Arizona Centennial Commission will celebrate Arizona’s 101st Statehood Day on Thursday, February 14 at several State Capitol sites.

The day begins at noon with presentation of the Polly Rosenbaum Award, presented by the State Library, followed by presentation of the 7th- to 12th-grade Polly Rosenbaum Writing Contest Winners. Secretary of State Ken Bennett and Superintendent of Education John Huppenthal will make the presentations in the Historic Senate Chamber of the Arizona Capitol Museum. The Polly Rosenbaum Writing Contest is named for Polly Rosenbaum, a former Arizona State Representative and teacher who passed away in 2003 at the age of 104. The writing contest is a long-standing tradition honoring Mrs. Rosenbaum, who believed Arizona’s young people are the state’s greatest resource.

Following the awards presentation, Arizona’s 48 Most Intriguing Women will host a luncheon in the Rose Garden at the Arizona State Capitol. The keynote address will be given by 48 Women Honoree Gerda Weissmann Klein, a Holocaust survivor and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. Guests will be entertained by 48 Women Honoree Isola Jones, a Mezzo-Soprano opera singer who performed with the Metropolitan Opera for 16 seasons. Tickets to the luncheon are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased the day of the event, or via the 48 Women website: www.48women.org/events. After lunch, guests will have an opportunity to meet some of the 48 Women Honorees, who will autograph the Centennial Legacy Project book, and attend a 48 Women Speaker’s Forum on building civic engagement where they will discuss Civic Engagement in their individual areas of interest.

The day will conclude with a Governor's Capstone Reception featuring a Centennial Legacy Projects Appreciation and permanent re-lighting of the State Capitol’s newly refurbished Copper Dome and the statue “Winged Victory” that sits atop the dome. This last accomplishment is the culmination of the Arizona 2012 Centennial Foundation’s fundraising accomplishments. For more information, please visit the 48 Women website www.48women.org/events, or contact Connie Robinson at 602-896-9000 or Anne Wallace at 602-926-3810. Proceeds from the day will be presented to the Arizona Capitol Museum in honor of the Centennial Legacy Projects and Arizona’s Centennial Celebration.