Elaine Raines has been the librarian at the Arizona Daily Star for almost 30 years. While she does not claim to be a historian, she does have access to a treasure trove of great historical information.
"Tales from the Morgue" is a way to share some of that information with readers.
If you have an idea for a tale from Tucson's past that you would like to share, please e-mail morguetales@ azstarnet.com.
In the first week of October 1954, comedian George Gobel hosted the first episode of “The George Gobel Show.” This weekly comedy-variety program ran on NBC for about five years and later moved to CBS for a year. But, when Gobel was in Tucson, in December 1960, the series had ended its run. He was here to celebrate the opening of the new Ramada Inn.
Nick Reynolds died on October 1st. While his name may not sound familiar to many, the sound of his music will definitely bring back memories to a whole generation that came of age listening to the music of the Kingston Trio. The popular folk threesome made several appearances in Tucson.
Over the years, Diana Ross has been to Tucson several times. She has performed at two concerts and received rather lukewarm reviews. More recently had a run in with Tucson’s police and a resulting DUI charge. The pop diva may not be ready to hurry back to the Old Pueblo anytime soon.
After several days of slow steady rain, the land was saturated. On October 1, 1983, according to one official, “There isn’t a single wash in Pima County that’s not flooded.” And still the rain continued. By 8 p.m., the airport had recorded 2.72 inches of rain in a 24 hour period.
It was a combination of events that caused what has been called the worst natural disaster in Southern Arizona. A weather system from California got stalled over Southern Arizona. Then, Tropical Storm Octave parked off the coast of Central America and provided a steady stream of tropical moisture.
In 1989, when Hal Katzman saw the Toros bull mascot for the first time, he knew he would make a much better mascot for the Tucson Toros baseball team. So, he asked for a tryout and got the job. The bull was soon named Tuffy.
When he appeared at a Panasonic convention here in 1978, Sammy Davis told the group he just wanted it to be “an informal houseparty.” Davis told them he seldom appeared at such functions and had turned down requests to perform for the ‘plop, plop, fizz, fizz’ people. But, he said, he had an affinity for the Panasonic group.
When the eight crew members exited Biosphere II on Sept. 26, 1993, Linda Leigh proclaimed it had been “An extraordinary experience and a magnificent journey.” After two years inside, another Biospherian, Abigail Alling, seemed to gasp for breath and said “It’s really a very different atmosphere.”
The owner of Tucson’s first nudist camp, Jardin del Sol, stated that volleyball was the nudist’s national sport. So, when he built his nudist camp about 35 miles northwest of Tucson, he made sure the volleyball facilities were top notch. Volleyball and nudity go well together, he told a reporter, both are freewheeling activities.
