Dividing Western Waters: Mark Wilmer and Arizona v. California

Acknowledgments

For years I dreamed about finding the time and resources to write about Phoenix attorney Mark Wilmer and his preeminent place in the history of the American West. Then, in March 2003, while visiting friends in Tucson, I received a call from Patty Johnson, Director of Public Relations at the Phoenix-based law firm of Snell & Wilmer. She said my name had come up in discussions about the legendary Arizona attorney who argued the Arizona v California Supreme Court case that shaped the region’s future and altered the lives of millions of people. The firm, she said, was interested in discussing with me a Wilmer biography, and could I schedule a time to meet with Snell & Wilmer chairman, John Bouma, and partner David Rauch? “Yes,” I said, scarcely disguising my excitement about the prospect. Bouma and Rauch were smart, serious, and carefully analyzed my responses to their questions. Somehow, I passed the test and commenced working on one of the most important and enjoyable scholarly journeys of my career. Access to records and people, office space, financial assistance, and, most importantly, intellectual and emotional support, were forthcoming and critical to the resulting manuscript. The attorneys and staff at Snell & Wilmer were unfailingly gracious during the years of research and writing, and for the opportunity to work with people of this caliber and grace, I am thankful. The legal communities in Arizona and California familiar with the significance of the case and knowledgeable of the numerous lawyers and judges involved in Arizona v California, have my undying gratitude. In addition to Snell & Wilmer’s Bouma and Rauch, I want to gratefully acknowledge attorneys Grady Gammage, Jr., Edward “Bud” Jacobson, Jack Pfister, Robert Begam, Tom McCarthy, Tom Galbraith, Judge C. Kimball Rose, and James D. Kitchel, among others too numerous to name, who read all or parts of the manuscript and offered invaluable suggestions for revision and clarification. All of the attorneys noted above are scholars of the first rank who critiqued, cajoled, and directed me through uncharted waters. The Board of Directors of the Arizona Historical Foundation (AHF) at Arizona State University, my employer, allowed time, travel, and tolerated the ACKNOWLEDGMENTS mood swings and erratic behaviors that attend such projects. Archivists and librarians at Stanford University, Arizona State University, University of Arizona, University of California at Los Angeles, and the Arizona Department of Archives, Manuscripts and Public Records, assisted me at every turn. My staff at AHF, Susan Irwin, Linda Whitaker, Judy Eisenhower, Jared Jackson, Elizabeth Scott, Erica Johnson, and Rebekah Tabah supported me throughout the research phase and successive manuscript drafts. The encouragement of Jon Talton, a distinguished journalist and novelist of the first order, enabled me to persevere to the end. Robert Nelson, columnist for The Omaha World Herald, helped immensely in offering suggestions to improve the manuscript. Former Arizona Senator Dennis DeConcini and Arizona State University Foundation Vice-President for Community Partnerships, Diane McCarthy, a former four-term state legislator and Arizona Corporation Commissioner, always responded to my requests for help and assistance. Finally, Mark Wilmer’s family and descendants opened their homes and hearts to me during this process. Mark Bernard Wilmer, Charles Mark Wilmer, Elizabeth Wilmer Sexson, and Genevieve Wilmer Hendricks, talked candidly about their father, assisted in my discoveries and brought me into their respective families in ways I never expected. Without their openness and cooperation, this book would not have been possible, and my dream about writing on one of the most important people in the history of the twentieth century American West came true. xiv DIVIDING WESTERN WATERS ...