[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 1234-1235]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             COMMEMORATING ARIZONA'S CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 5, 2011, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake) is recognized 
for 56 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate a milestone in 
Arizona's history, the centennial of our great State. After nearly 49 
years as a U.S. Territory, Arizona became part of the United States on 
February 14, 1912.
  Today Arizona is a bustling, contemporary oasis of more than 6 
million people. Its natural wonders--the Grand Canyon, the Petrified 
Forest, the Red Rocks of Sedona, the Painted Desert, coupled with 
modern conveniences, most notably air-conditioning--draw millions of 
visitors from around the world every year. But it wasn't always so.
  Early settlers, ranchers, farmers, and miners had to wonder what 
they'd gotten themselves into. Such was the case with my ancestors. 
Allow me to tell a sliver of their story because it tells a little 
about Arizona's history.
  William Jordan Flake, my great-great-grandfather arrived in Arizona 
territory in 1878. When he bought a ranch on the Silver Creek, he was 
warned by the previous owners not to invite any other families because 
the land and water would not sustain them. Fortunately, he didn't 
listen. Soon the town of Snowflake was born, becoming the hub of 
activity in what was then Arizona territory.
  Not long after, William Jordan's son, James Madison Flake, was 
deputized, along with his brother, Charles Love Flake, to arrest an 
outlaw who had drifted into town. As they disarmed the outlaw, the 
outlaw reached into his boot, drew a weapon, and shot Charles in the 
neck, killing him instantly. James received a bullet in the left ear 
before returning fire, killing the outlaw.
  Just 3 years later, James Madison Flake sat at the bedside of his 
beloved wife as she passed away, leaving him with nine children. ``Once 
again I must kiss the sod and face a cloudy future,'' he poignantly 
wrote in his journal.

                              {time}  1140

  But like so many other pioneers who settled Arizona, he not only 
faced the future, he shaped it. Along with raising these children and 
many others that would come later, James Madison Flake involved himself 
politically in the issues of the day. Notably, he tells in his journal 
of attending numerous meetings and conventions around Arizona and 
Colorado to promote the cause of women's suffrage. No doubt, he was 
proud when, just after Statehood in 1912, Arizona became the seventh 
State to approve the right of women to vote. Just a few years later, 
the Nation followed with the 19th amendment to the Constitution.
  James Madison Flake would be proud to know that Arizona has many 
women legislators, has had a number of women Governors, and that the 
first woman appointed to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor, is a 
proud Arizonan. He would surely be proud to know of Gabby Giffords, 
daughter of Arizona and one of this Nation's enduring symbols of hope, 
who served this Nation's House of Representatives so ably.
  Over the past 100 years, Arizona has been home to a number of 
colorful and transformative figures: Carl Hayden, Barry Goldwater, Mo 
Udall, and John McCain.
  With so many unsuccessful Presidential candidates, it's often joked 
that Arizona is the only State where mothers don't tell their children, 
Some day you can grow up to be President. In fact, mothers get to tell 
their children something better: You have the privilege of being an 
Arizonan.
  One thing is certain. Because of the hard work and sacrifice of those 
who have gone before, Arizona's next 100 years promise to be even 
better than the first because in Arizona, the beauty of the sunset in 
the evening is only eclipsed by the sunrise in the morning.

[[Page 1235]]

  I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________