Christine Grady Gorder holding the photo of her WWII sweetheart U.S Army Staff Sergeant Ward Sackal who was killed in combat in Europe. The 98 year old has visited has visited his grave in France 11 times.
Courtesy of Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star
August 8, 2024
Featured on the August 8, 2024 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:
- A tale of true love that began in Tucson in 1943 continues today. Hear about Christine and Ward, who had only two months to get to know each other before Ward was sent to Europe to fight in World War II. Today, at age 98, Christine is still honoring his memory with a fresh rose and a love note every month. Reporter Henry Brean, who wrote about this enduring connection for the Arizona Daily Star, shares the story behind the story.
VIEW LARGER Christine Grady at age 17 in 1942. Courtesy of Arizona Daily Star
VIEW LARGER U.S Army Staff Sergeant Ward Sackall in 1942. Sackal and Christine Grady Gorder(then Christine Grady) became sweethearts just months before he would deploy to Europe and sadly be killed in combat. Courtesy of the Arizona Daily Star
- The unique Tucson landmark called The Valley of the Moon was founded 101 years ago. Find out why this replica of an enchanted fairy village is still capturing the imagination of visitors young and old.
VIEW LARGER Valley of the Moon fairy house. Laura Markowitz
- Marquez Price, an author, poet and entrepreneur, shares an essay about his attempt to do a “digital detox”. Price chose to limit his screen time to the bare minimum, in an effort to reconnect with the world around him, and to re-engage fully in the relationships that matter the most. Marquez Price’s debut poetry collection was called “My Train Is On Schedule”, his latest book of essays is “Return of the Observer”, from LLC Teach 1 Publishing.
- And, go inside AZPM’s film, tape and video vault, where more than a half-century of local television history is being digitized and preserved. Find out how it’s being done, and hear some memorable stories from the archive. (According to Arizona Illustrated producer Andrew Brown, despite sharing video of the city workers from 1988 on social media, they have still not been identified. If you know who they are, please tell us about it.)
Arizona Spotlight airs every Thursday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm and every Saturday at 3:00 pm on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Spotlight.
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