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San Manuel Miner
Two local authors and history buffs will be giving presentations at the 56th annual Arizona History Convention being held at the Casino Del Sol Resort and Convention Center in Tucson on April 23-26. Catherine H. Ellis and Royal “John” Medley live in Oracle and had their presentation proposals selected by the Arizona Historical Society from numerous entries. Catherine and John are also members of the Oracle Historical Society. They presented at last year’s convention.
Catherine H. Ellis is a noted author of numerous books on Arizona history. Her books include “Oracle and the San Pedro River Valley”; Holbrook and the Petrified Forest”; “White Mountains of Apache County”; “Snowflake”; and “Latter-Day Saints in Tucson”.
Catherine will be presenting during Session 5A: Trails and Travelers across the Southwest in Ballroom B, 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, April 25. Her presentation is “Mormon Battalion Men and Monuments”.
Royal John Medley has the largest personal collection of vintage produce crate labels in Arizona. He is also a student and source on the history of agriculture as it relates to crate labels which he considers an art form. He wrote the book, “Images of the Sweet Potato: An American Art Form”. The book is about the history of the sweet potato and yams as well as the history and art of packing labels used in the sweet potato industry.
John will be presenting on Friday April 24 during Session 4C: Salt River Valley Agriculture and Politics, 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. in Ballroom E. John’s presentation is “Lettuce and Landscapes: An Illustrated History of Commercial Row Crops.
Congratulations to John and Catherine for being selected to speak at the convention!
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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