FEBRUARY 11, 2015
Free programs at Arizona Capitol Museum bring Valentine’s and Statehood Days together
PHOENIX – Special Valentine’s and Statehood Day programming is available at the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records in the Arizona Capitol Museum on Sat., Feb. 14. Admission is free.
10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. A rare glimpse of the love letters between Arizona’s First Governor, George W.P. Hunt, and his wife, Duett Ellison, are on display courtesy of the Arizona State Archives.
11 a.m. – Noon Love Letters at the Capitol reenacts the letters written by Governor Hunt (Don Shields) and his wife, Duett Ellison (Mary Brown). Their trials, tribulations and lasting love are conveyed through specially selected letters they exchanged over the span of their 14-year courtship.
Noon – 12:45 p.m. Secretary of State Michele Reagan hosts the 103rd birthday of Arizona with the Statehood Day Celebration; including:
• Presentation of the Polly Rosenbaum Award which acknowledges an individual or group that cherishes Arizona’s rich cultural resources and supports the work of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. This year’s recipient is Cynthia Childrey, the dean and university librarian at Northern Arizona University’s Cline Library. The award is sponsored by the Arizona Archives Alliance; the Arizona State Capitol Museum Guild; and the Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State.
• The award ceremony of the Arizona Educational Foundation’s winning entries to the Polly Rosenbaum Writing Contest from each of three grade-level categories: 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12.
-7th & 8th Grade Category Winners:
1st Place: Aarjav Pandya, Payne Junior High School, Queen Creek
2nd Place: Ryan Bernardino, Vista Verde Middle School, Phoenix
3rd Place: Gabriella Garcia, Cambridge Academy – Marley Park Elementary School, Surprise
Honorable Mention: Udochukwu Nwosu, Payne Junior High School, Queen Creek
- 9th & 10th Grade Category Winners:
1st Place: Jessica Myers, Chaparral High School, Scottsdale
2nd Place: Tillena Trebon, Northland Preparatory Academy, Flagstaff
3rd Place: Hope Yi, Hamilton High School, Chandler
Honorable Mention: Ari Cohen, Chaparral High School, Scottsdale
Honorable Mention: Sophie Phaturos, Holbrook High School, Holbrook
- 11th & 12th Grade Category Winners:
1st Place: Elliot Smith, Hamilton High School, Chandler
2nd Place: Tye Housley, Benson High School, Benson
3rd Place: Emilee Henriquez, Red Mountain High School, Mesa
Honorable Mention: Bree Rath, Gilbert Classical Academy, Gilbert
The Museum is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free parking for Museum guests in Wesley Bolin Plaza at 17th Avenue and Washington. For more information, go to call 602.926.3620. The Museum is a branch of the Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State.
