Patt Leonard

Ms. Leonard's family has a long history in Arizona. Her great-grandparents came to Arizona before it was a state. She has a large extended family and her various relatives built trails into the Grand Canyon; operated Santa Fe trains; sought adventure as Harvey Girls; trained to fly at Williams Air Force Base; marched to war with Arizona military units; studied at all three state universities, from normal school days to the present; taught in a one-room schoolhouse, Catholic schools, public schools, and on the Navajo Nation; guided tours in the Heard; nursed at St. Joseph's; painted desert landscapes; drew maps for the Salt River Project; reported for The Arizona Republic; trod the boards of Valley theatres; dunked baskets for the Lumberjacks; wore the Miss Navajo County crown; logged in the White Mountains; grew citrus in Yuma; told tales of the Mogollon Monster at Boy Scout camp; tubed the Salt River; rafted the Colorado; saddled horses; water skied, snow skied, hiked, and rock climbed from Lake Powell to the Santa Catalinas; tooled motorcycles on scenic byways and rattled family sedans down unpaved back roads; walked the paths of Homolovi and Arcosanti; reenacted gunfights in Tombstone; stood on a corner in Winslow; cheered Ladmo and booed Gerald; and today, are working in a range of industries, from pumping gas in Wickenburg to computer-aided design in Gilbert. This personal background gives her a deep knowledge of and fondness for the Arizona landscape, history, and culture. From her extended family, 27 relatives and in-laws attended Arizona State University, and two cousins currently work and teach at ASU.