Spoofing the senate?

In the fall of 2003, the director of the AHS testified before a Senate committee. Among other things, the senators were told that:

From its founding by the territorial Legislature on November 7, 1864, the understanding of history and the need to pass that history to future generations have been the guiding principles of AHS.

As show by prior posts, the AHS was not founded in 1864, and the AHS was still well aware of that. In 2005, two years after the hearing, the AHS letterhead still displayed the correct founding date of 1884.

Also, the AHS was not founded by the territorial legislature. It was founded by Charles Poston in Tucson.

Why did the director of the AHS misinform the Senate about the founding of the AHS?

How can a historical society misrepresenting its own history continue to receive public funding?

Reference:

Senate hearing, Monday, Oct. 20, 2003 (Senate Government Committee)

www.azleg.state.az.us/iminute/senate/102003 Arizona historical society.doc.htm

The smoking guns

Prior posts established beyond any doubt that the AHS is presenting a false history about itself. The remaining question was why. Is it the result of incredible historical incompetence, or is it a lie? Two documents now in the possession of this blog answer that question. It is a lie.

As late as December of 2005, the AHS letterhead displayed the following just to the right of the logo:

Arizona Historical Society

founded by Arizona pioneers in 1884

Then, in February of 2009, the following appeared at the bottom of an internal memo:

Visit us at www.arizonahistoricalsociety.com

Established by an Act of the First Territorial Legislature on November 7, 1864, the Arizona Historical Society is Arizona’s oldest historical society

The 2005 letter head is correct, and the 2009 memo is not. Whoever fabricated the lie did so sometime during an interval of just over three years.

How can this happen?  How can a state historical society, a state agency funded by taxpayers, promote such a fabrication and then celebrate a fake 150^th anniversary a few years later?

Why should the people of Arizona continue funding this agency to preserve Arizona history?

A thorough investigation is called for.  This fraud cannot be allowed to continue.

Further evidence

The prior post was sarcastic, but the underlying question is serious.  Why is the AHS presenting a false history about itself?  The question is not if  it is wrong, the question is why it is wrong.

An early, multi volume record of Arizona history also exposes the truth.  Farish, writing is 1916 about the History of Prescott and the first AHS (actually the Arizona Historical Association), also reports that it quickly went out of existence.

The Arizona Historical Society had only a brief existence. After the removal of the capitol from Prescott, it was abandoned, probably for want of supplies.

Whether the false history is the result of incompetence or dishonesty is unknown. Either way, Arizona taxpayers should wonder why they are providing this organization with millions of dollars every year.

Reference: Farish, Thomas Edwin, History of Arizona,Volume IV Phoenix, Arizona, 1916, Page 260

http://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/swetc/hav4/body.1_div.12.html

History Quiz

This blog began with the premise that the Arizona Historical Society is not qualified to be in possession of the state mineral collection. Over time, evidence appeared suggesting that the AHS is currently not even capable of preserving Arizona history. A short quiz to test the AHS’s historical competency follows:

Why did the AHS celebrate its centennial in 1984?

(   ) It took the AHS so long to plan for the centennial that it celebrated its centennial 20 years late.

(   ) It took 20 years longer than expected to raise the necessary funds.

(   ) The AHS was actually founded in 1884, not in 1864 as it currently claims.

(   ) No one was paying attention and they missed it.

(   ) It took members 20 years to agree on a venue for the celebration.

Voters wake up

The September 17, 2015 post reported a new boondoggle on which the AHS was embarking. Their target was public funds connected with the old Pima County Courthouse and the Pima county bond election. However, having recently been fleeced by the Rio Nuevo project, in which the AHS squandered $1.4 million, voters are now wary.  They rejected every one of the bond propositions.

http://webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?pageId=195314

Spreading the bad word

Continued AHS obstruction of  mineral museum restoration is unacceptable. When enough Arizona citizens are aware of the illegal and unethical AHS conduct, corrective action will follow

Former mineral museum supporters are busily spreading the bad word about the AHS. They have been going to schools, offering free rock and mineral education programs and also free rock and mineral kits for teachers. The programs are very popular. and greatly appreciated. Last school year alone, over 5,000 students were served. Students and teachers are being briefed on the ugly AHS closure of the mineral museum, and are volunteering to support its restoration.

Today and tomorrow, museum supporters are participating in the Arizona Science Teachers Association annual conference.  They are briefing attendees on the ugly AHS closure and subsequent looting of the mineral museum, and are being provided with material on www.CAMMAZ.net so attendees can participate in the restoration.

The Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum will be back. It will just take a bit longer to crush AHS opposition.

Party

The AHS is having a party to celebrate their lawless looting of the mineral museum.