by 
Robert ‘Beto’ Cervantes
Have you sat on one of the new benches on Main St. or at the school? Have you seen the new wall at the Bob Jones Museum? These projects have been completed under the work of the creativity and leadership of Robert “Beto” Cervantes.
Beto has always had a heart for the beautification of Superior. One of his first projects was the bench and monument to miners at the Rails park on Main Street. He didn’t stop there. If it was not for his vision and helpfulness, the walk over bridge crossing over Queen Creek probably would have been closed years ago. With the support of the Town of Superior, financial contributions by businesses and hundreds of hours of volunteer work, he helped to repair both bridges and ensure that they could continue to serve the community. After the bridges he moved on to the construction of the Veterans memorial wall and monument at the Fairview Cemetery.
Following his retirement, Beto took up woodworking.
“You can only clean your yard so many times before you get bored,” he said. He started by making small cabinets and cupboards for his family. Then he started making benches and those benches have really become quite a hit. One of his first benches is the bench in front of the Superior Chamber of Commerce.
“I really like working with groups that help the community. The Chamber does a lot for the community,” he said. The benches he made for the school were actually built from the wood from Mr. Van’s third grade classroom loft. It brings him a lot of pride to see people sitting on the benches and enjoying Superior.
Beto saw a need for some beautification at the Bob Jones Museum. He became a member and began drawing up ideas for the yard. He enlisted the help of Bruce Armitage and Woody DeLaRosa to start planning. Originally he presented the idea to the board of the historical society but they opposed the idea of the wall because they felt removing the wire fence from the museum would hurt the eventual historic designation of the building. With the help of Mr. Armitage, the two presented to the Superior Town Council for approval to build the wall and it was approved after much discussion with the Mayor and Council. Mr. Armitage contacted the National Register of Historic places and confirmed that a new wall will not affect the designation of the building as a historic building.
Bruce and Beto were able to raise $2,500 to fund the purchase some of the materials and pay for the labor to have the wall built. Several individuals and businesses donated and all the rock was donated by Albo Guzman Trucking. Other contributors include Save Money Market, Angel Gomez, Random Boutique, Edwardo’s Pizza, Bruce & Tweedy Armitage, Porter’s Cafe, Resolution Copper Company, Pamela Peck, Omya Arizona, Superior Chamber of Commerce, DeMarcos Italian Restaurant, Superior Lumber Yard, Sole to Soul Awakening, Jesse and Marcella Garcia, Wild Cow Gallery and Ray Federal Credit Union.
The wall will feature a unique entry way lighting that has been designed and will be installed by Jess Armenta, Jon Moreno, Matt Mashaw and Ray Alvarez.
Beto says his next projects are to have the museum painted and the lighting fixtures outside of the museum painted then they will start to focus on the Besich Park and possibly other buildings on Main St.
His life’s motto has been customized from the famous John F. Kennedy speak. “I always say, It is not what the community can do for me, it is what I can for my community.”
Beto has always worked for the people, he was a teacher, counsellor, and probation officer. He also served a member of the Town of Superior Planning and Zoning committee and also was elected to the Superior Town Council and Superior Unified School District Governing Board.
Mila Besich is a resident of Superior with two children. She volunteers for many local organizations. She is an experienced fundraiser and event planner for Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition. She covers some of the area town councils and schools.
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