De Grazia: The Man and the Myths

Acknowledgments

219 Acknowledgments a Book usually has one auThor on the cover, two as in this case. But there are dozens of people who have contributed to this end product. Some of their names have been lost out of haste or lack of time, or the author forgot to ask their identities. They are all important , and I need to thank them up front. I wish I had everyone’s name. Of those names I do have, two that stand at the top of the list are Lance Laber, executive director of the DeGrazia Foundation, and my wife, Marilyn Johnson, whose name graces the cover. Laber gave me complete access to the De Grazia archives, cheerfully responded to my telephone calls and e-mails with insightful answers, and didn’t even mind when I had lunch with him, devouring Mexican food, when he was on a diet. Jim Jenkins, a DeGrazia Foundation archivist, also helped a great deal with tracking down archival material. Particularly gracious were other staff members who made my visits to the Gallery in the Sun so pleasant. I visited there so often that one time a visitor thought I was the gallery’s director. Marilyn meticulously edited my manuscript, as she has two of my other books, ridding it of my clumsy syntax, catching contradictions, and encouraging me to rewrite numerous sentences written in passive voice. It’s amazing how many times I used the verb was. Her feminine insight also helped me show some sensitivity to the women in De Grazia’s life. The University of Arizona Press’s Diana Rico polished the manuscript even more. She saved me from several embarrassing mistakes, tightened up my writing, and cleared up ambiguous statements. Her editing makes this a far better effort than what I put forth. I am extremely grateful. 220 Acknowledgments Encouragement from acquiring editor Kristen Buckles of the University of Arizona Press gave me motivation and discipline to complete this work. Thanks as well to Jack Riddle of the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum and to librarians at the University of Arizona; the Pima County Public Library; the Arizona Historical Society; Northern Arizona University; and the Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records. Friends I counted on to come to my rescue included Stan and Phyllis Newman, who live in Manhattan and made several trips to the Museum of Modern Art to gather information; University of Arizona emeritus journalism professor Donald W. Carson, who read my manuscript with great care; and Arizona Daily Star executive editor Bobbie Jo Buel and senior editor Debbie Kornmiller, who gave me access to the newspaper’s library. ...