REFERENCE TITLE: Mayor John Driggs; death resolution

State of Arizona Senate Fifty-second Legislature First Regular Session 2015

SCR 1020

Introduced by Senators Griffin, Ableser, Allen, Barto, Begay, Biggs, Bradley, Burges, Cajero Bedford, Contreras, Dalessandro, Driggs, Farley, Farnsworth D, Hobbs, Kavanagh, Lesko, McGuire, Meza, Miranda, Pancrazi, Pierce, Quezada, Shooter, Smith, Ward, Worsley, Yarbrough, Yee; Representatives Allen J, Alston, Andrade, Barton, Benally, Borrelli, Bowers, Boyer, Brophy McGee, Campbell, Cardenas, Carter, Cobb, Coleman, Espinoza, Fann, Finchem, Gowan, Gray, Kern, Larkin, Lawrence, Livingston, Mach, McCune Davis, Meyer, Mitchell, Olson, Pratt, Rios, Rivero, Robson, Sherwood, Shope, Steele, Stevens, Townsend, Ugenti, Weninger: Senator Dial; Representatives Ackerley, Bolding, Clark, Farnsworth E, Fernandez, Friese, Gabaldón, Gonzales, Hale, Leach, Lovas, Mendez, Mesnard, Montenegro, Norgaard, Otondo, Petersen, Saldate, Thorpe, Velasquez, Wheeler

 

A Concurrent RESOLUTION

 

on the death of mayor john douglas Driggs.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 

Former Phoenix Mayor John Douglas Driggs passed away on December 11, 2014 at the age of eighty-seven.  An Arizona Republic editorial that was released on that date pronounced him "the absolutely essential mayor."

A native of Arizona, Mayor Driggs was born in Douglas on June 16, 1927 and moved to Phoenix at the age of six months.  Active in the Boy Scouts during his youth, Mayor Driggs was an Eagle Scout.  Later, as an adult he was awarded the Silver Beaver award from the Boy Scouts of America.  Following his graduation from North Phoenix High School in 1945, he ably served our country in the United States Navy during World War II.  Mayor Driggs then served a mission for the LDS church in the New England States Mission.  After earning his B.A. and M.B.A. from Stanford University, he returned to Phoenix and worked as an executive at Western Savings and Loan for thirty‑five years, where he retired as Chairman of the Board in 1989.  Mayor Driggs also served as a founding member of the Board of Directors for America West Airlines.  During his successful business career, Mayor Driggs lived by his conviction that "a basic obligation of any business is to be a good citizen."

Mayor Driggs distinguished himself as an outstanding public servant throughout his lifetime.  He served two terms as Mayor of Phoenix from 1970 to 1974, in which capacity he demonstrated an enduring commitment to preserving the city's rich history.  Among his many noble accomplishments as mayor, he helped establish the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and the Echo Canyon Trail, as well as expand the city's park system and revitalize Papago Park.

During his tenure as mayor of Phoenix, Mayor Driggs held several high profile national positions in the United States Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities.  The outstanding leadership he exhibited in these positions earned him appointments by President Richard Nixon to the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations and the President's Council on Intergovernmental Personnel Policy.

In 1974, Mayor Driggs facilitated the City of Phoenix's purchase of the Rosson House, which had been targeted to be razed.  In 1975, after leaving office, Mayor Driggs was asked to chair the Rosson House's restoration committee, which was funded solely through community support.  The Rosson House restoration was a crucial catalyst in the current revitalization of downtown Phoenix.

Despite the demands of his political and business endeavors, Mayor Driggs gave generously of his time, energy and abilities to numerous worthwhile civic organizations.  In 1979, he became the founding chairman of America's Second Harvest, a national food bank network that has grown to become our nation's third largest charitable organization and is now known as Feeding America.  Under his leadership, the national food industry donated 280 million pounds of food products.  In 1983, Mayor Driggs was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as a member of the President's Task Force on Food Assistance to examine the extent of America's hunger problem, to determine its causes and to recommend specific solutions.  As a result of those efforts, Mayor Driggs organized an outreach effort in 1986 for the food stamp program that garnered a prestigious Effie Award as the year's outstanding public service announcement.  He also raised the funding and organized the construction effort for six houses for Habitat for Humanity. 

Over the last fifteen years, Mayor Driggs served as chairman of the Tovrea Castle restoration project and as the founder, chairman and chief visionary behind the Arizona Second Century Initiative.  Mayor Driggs devoted considerable time, energy and skill to the effort to increase synergy in the Governmental Mall, with a special emphasis on restoring the territorial Arizona Capitol to a working historical edifice.

An avid and accomplished skier, Mayor Driggs would often counsel his five sons while skiing in inclement weather that one must learn to ski "in varying conditions."  That counsel became a metaphor for how he lived his entire life.  Indefatigable in spirit, visionary in thinking and, most importantly, gracious to all he encountered, Mayor Driggs persevered even when one of his business, government or charitable projects experienced seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  That perseverance was the genesis for a lasting legacy of accomplishments realized in a lifetime of varying conditions.

Dedicated to his family, Mayor Driggs will be greatly missed by his wife, Gail, five sons, Douglas, Andrew, Thomas, Adam and Peter, nineteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Therefore

Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring:

That the Members of the Senate express regret at the passing of Mayor John Douglas Driggs and extend their deepest sympathies to his family and many friends.