Going Back to Bisbee is the title of a book written by Richard Shelton, but it’s also the title of this week’s blog.
In the mid-fifties, Richard Shelton came to Bisbee as a teacher in one of Bisbee’s grade schools at a time when I was a student in another. After a few years, he moved on to Tucson and to the English Department at the University of Arizona from which he retired a number of years ago. His memoir of his time in Bisbee came out in the early nineties. I was writing Tombstone Courage at the time, and I was also suffering a terrible case of writer’s block. Naturally, I sat down and read his book from cover to cover, telling myself that it was “research.”
Surprisingly enough, that turned out to be true. Reading his “outsider’s” view of Bisbee taught me a lot about my home town and a lot about my own personal history. I learned, for instance, of the strict blue collar/white collar separation that was maintained in that small mining town back then. Similar class distinctions no doubt held sway in many other mining towns of that era as well. When a parent defied convention and crossed over from the blue collar world into white collar world, his children were left in a social void.
I knew all about that first hand. Our father, Norman Busk, started out in Bisbee by working in the mines. Eventually he moved from blue collar status to white, first by owning his own construction business and later by selling life insurance. His changed employment situation wasn’t the only thing that left me in a social vacuum–being six feet tall and wearing glasses didn’t help, either. It was easy for me to see how what Richard Shelton had written reflected back on my own experience of growing up in Bisbee. That wasn’t so surprising. What did startle me, however, was realizing that I had instinctively written that social outcast motif into Joanna Brady’s life experience as well. The things that had happened to me had also happened to her as her father morphed from working in the mines to being elected sheriff. (Unfortunately, for anyone who is interested, Richard Shelton’s book isn’t available in e-book formats, but it does still exist in paperback.)
I learned a few other important lessons from reading Going Back to Bisbee. For instance, do NOT bring blooming yucca stems into the house. They may be pretty, but the flowers are FULL of bugs. And also, if you happen to be driving to Bisbee late in August when thousands of tarantulas decide to cross Highway 80 at the same time, there is no way you’ll be able to miss running over some of them.
But I digress. This past week, I had the pleasure of going back to Bisbee myself. Several years ago I was invited to speak at a Bisbee High School graduation ceremony, but scheduling was a problem. Usually, by the end of May, Bill and I are back in Seattle for the summer. This year, because I’m doing a special writing workshop at the University of Arizona the last two weeks in May, I knew we’d be here at that time, so I called up the school principal and volunteered.
This last Thursday, May 22 was graduation day. I taught my workshop in the morning. Then, abandoning my students to their own devices in the early afternoon, Bill and I headed to Bisbee, arriving in town a few minutes before four. I was due at the Warren Ball Park at six. Knowing this was going to be a very long day and evening, I wanted to have a sustaining meal to see me through the ceremony.
Lisa Holland, the high school principal, had prevailed on a local restaurant, the Cafe Roka, to open its doors early, at 4 PM, so Bill and I could grab a bite to eat. The Cafe Roka has been a staple in Bisbee for years, much of that time in the space formerly occupied by Bisbee Drug, back in the day. Because it opens for dinner at 5 PM and because most of our visits to Bisbee have been daytime affairs, we had never tried it. This time we did. Once we stepped inside that intimate, elegant space, I was taken aback by its beauty. The burgundy walls, the well-hung art, the matching burgundy table cloths and napkins, and the highly polished stemware were all comfortably inviting. The only hint of the room’s age or distant drugstore history was the stamped tin ceiling. That I remembered from days gone by.
Within minutes we were being served one of the most exquisite meals I’ve had in a very long time. We ordered an appetizer of red hummus and the pita bread without knowing that our order of short ribs was actually part of a four-course extravaganza. We ordered Arizona wines. Bill had a glass of Dos Cabezas Red, and I had the Keeling Shafer Syrah. I don’t know what the other vintages are like but the ones we had were excellent. Look out California. Arizona may just give you a run for your money.
Then came our food, one plate after another. First was an elegant plate of tiny pieces of watermelon freshened tiny pieces of mint and drizzled with an emulsion of same. After that came a plate of gorgonzola stuffed dates, still piping hot from the oven. After that came a salad made of amazingly fresh pieces of leafy greens topped by a rosemary honey mustard dressing. Having grown up on Pay-and-Tote lettuce which was dead long before it made its way home from the grocery store, I have spent most of my adult life avoiding leafy greens. But those greens were locally grown and utterly delectable. As for the dressing? It popped my taste buds wide open. The salad was followed by lemon sorbet. By the time our short ribs showed up we were too full to eat them, but they made a wonderful dinner the next night at home when we reheated the leftovers. In other words, in my first ever venture as a food critic, Cafe Roka garners a definite two thumbs up!!!
Once dinner was over, a glance at the clock told us it was time to head for the ball park. At that point, we called for the bill–which did not come. Instead, the owner/chef came out to the dining room and told us that, since I was speaking at graduation, our dinner was on him. That was unexpected, to say the least, but that’s what small town America is all about, and Bisbee is no exception.
And now it was time for the whole point of our two-hundred mile journey–graduation.
Those of you who have already read Second Watch know that it has a Bisbee High School connection. This year’s graduates have spent the last four years of their lives, walking past Bisbee High’s Vietnam Memorial day in and day out. The memorial is at the entrance to the school, next to the office, and just across from the flag pole. I wanted the graduates to know a little more about one of the names on that memorial, an amazing guy named Leonard Douglas Davis. In high school we knew him as Doug Davis. He was the class valedictorian in 1961, someone whose greatest ambition was to find a way to serve his country, possibly by becoming a physician. The last time I saw him was that year at graduation when he gave his valedictory address. He went from Bisbee High School to West Point, where under the banner of Duty, Honor Country he graduated as a lieutenant in the US Army. He went from West Point to Vietnam where he died, on August 2, 1966, weeks before his 23rd birthday.
I graduated a year after Doug. I was NOT the class valedictorian. I was ranked # 7 among the 128 graduates in the class of 1962. I had spent my school years dreaming of one day becoming a writer, and now I am one. Two years ago, when it was time to write my 50th book, J.P. Beaumont #21, I came up with the idea of creating a book in which my fictional character, J.P. Beaumont, would meet and interact with the real Doug Davis. If you’re interested in reading the story of how that book came about, here’s the link to The Story Behind Second Watch.
The empty chairs
I thought that the best way to let this year’s graduates know about Doug’s legacy was to give each of them an autographed copy of the book that tells his story. After dinner, on our way through town, Bill and I picked the books up from the bookstore. When we arrived at the ball park, we distributed sixty some books, one book on each of the graduate’s waiting chairs. The problem was, as the books were set out, I discovered we were one short. I thought the chair missing its book was the one on the aisle in the second row. When I mentioned that to Bill, he said no, it was the next seat in from the aisle. I wanted to be sure so we could be certain that graduate received his or her book. That was why I went back to check. Sure enough, Bill was right, and I was wrong. The aisle seat had a book. The next one over did not. I was reaching down to move the book from one chair to the other when it felt as though something literally stopped my hand in mid-air. Taking the hint, I left the book where it was, on the aisle chair.
Being the Warren Ball Park that night was a heady experience for me, a small town girl who made good. People wanted their photos taken with me–rushing to pose with the girl who had once been the six-foot-tall outcast from Mr. Norton’s seventh grade classroom. One woman sent her grandson racing after me, asking me to autograph a dollar bill. Judy Busk, a celebrity in Bisbee? Nope, it didn’t seem possible.
As the graduates filed in to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance, I turned to the man seated next to me and asked him about the kid in the second chair in the second row. “Oh,” he said. “That’s Michael Edsel. Like the car.”
The color guard came in after the graduates–six old guys from Bisbee’s VFW who carried the flags and then stood at attention while the Bisbee High School band played the Star Spangled Banner. I sang along for a while, but eventually my voice broke. It turns out it’s impossible to sing and cry at the same time, and in that moment I’m afraid my emotions got the best of me.
Once the program started, the principal read off the names of the top ten ranked students in the class. Guess what? The guy who was number seven turned out to be Michael Edsel, the kid in the second seat of the second row. No wonder something unseen had stopped my hand in mid-air! I’m sure I’ll be hearing from Michael directly any day now so I can make arrangements to get his book to him–from Number 7 to Number 7!
The Salutatorian and Valedictorian spoke about how hard high school was and how short. I agree with the short part. But I’ve got news for them. Life will be a lot harder. The Valedictorian spoke about how everything she had done had been done in honor of her father who died of cancer several years ago. She said she hoped he’d be proud of her. I know he was!
J.A. giving the commencement address.
In my talk, delivered in a 30 mph wind, with my hair flying in all directions, I told about how, in May of 1961 I had been part of the band playing Pomp and Circumstance as Doug and his fellow classmates marched to their seats. Philip Hirales, the guy who played the trumpet back then, was part of my class, the class of 1962. And who do you suppose is the B.H.S. band teacher now and who do you suppose was playing the trumpet for both the Star Spangled Banner and Pomp and Circumstance? You guessed it–none other than that very same Philip Hirales. I told this year’s graduates that, too. And then I told them about Second Watch. I told them that, through the magic of fiction, someone who had been only a name to them, would now become a person.
I finished by telling them how, fifty years after the fact, Doug’s dream of serving his country and my dream of becoming a writer, had blended together to create the book they now held in their hands. I told them that Doug and I, too, had wondered what our lives would be like once we ventured beyond the walls of Tombstone Canyon and out into the world. I ended by assuring them that just because they came from small town Bisbee didn’t mean that their dreams wouldn’t come true.
Then it was time for the graduates to come up and receive their diplomas. Two of them, boys who are going into the military, paused long enough on stage to shake my hand on their way by. As the names were read, one by one, I was struck by the kids sitting in the front row, the only ones I could see, holding their red BHS diplomas and their copies of Second Watch, stacked together, treasuring them both and treating them with respect.
I don’t know how many of those kids will ever read their books. Maybe they’ll put them away with their diplomas and never touch them again, but I hope they know each copy was a loving gift to all of them from Doug Davis, from Bonnie Abney, Doug’s fiancé at the time of his death, and finally from me.
Once graduation was over, as Bill and I headed back to Tucson, we had the heater on high so we could warm up from being out in that chilling wind. As we drove, though, I found myself coming to the same conclusion Richard Shelton did all those years ago. It turns out Going Back to Bisbee is a very good thing.
The Bisbee Class of 2014
Nice article about your return home. I will bet the kids you gave the books to will read them.
What a nice story and a good experence you had. Going back can sometimes be hard, as things and times are not always what we remember.
I sure enjoy spending my Friday mornings having my coffee with you.
Have a wonderful weekend and a safe trip back to Seattle. Enjoy the grands.
what can I say you are the most down to earth author ever… I look forward to all of your books…second watch was a great book I hope all the graduates read this….keep up the good work…
What a classy lady you are! Your books have brought me many hours of enjoyment and I’m sure many of those students will read your book and be hooked for all time on your writing. You present such a “real” side of yourself it makes me wish I could know you personally. Please never stop writing or blogging! Hugs!
Loved this blog. One can go home again! I once read an interview with some “important” person. Someone asked what the best thing you could do for your child was and the answer was raise them in a small town! Two things, it is most often nurturing and you’ll work hard to get away!!
Congratulations on being the speaker at your alma mater.
How fortunate the class was to have you speak – I’ve heard you several times in Seattle and you really move your audience. I also think Second Watch is your best (so far -please keep them coming)
It was truly an honor to hear you speak at this year’s commencement ceremonies. I sat mesmerized in that wind, also. Struggling to make out the words in tha boistrous wind. As a BHS alum (Class of ’87), I too have fond memories of Bisbee. My youngest nephew grqduated that evening, and I am very proud of his accomplishments. (He was the one that put together the video presentatuion for that evening.) I thought certainly I woul get choked up during the graduation, I never thought that it would be during your remarks. Hearing history of our wonderful town and it residents is amazing. I am a third generation Bisbeeite and proud of it. Richard Sheldon’s book, Going Back to Bisbee is one of my favorites. I am a truly one of your greatest fans. I can’t wait to read your latest book. I must say, though, I will have to go out and purchase my own copy because my nephew won’t share his.
Thank you for Coming Back to Bisbee and sharing with our next generation. You truly inspire and can’t wait for future adventures through your words. Go Pumas and Bear Down Arizona!
I loved your blog today. I also love both Second Watch and Mr. Shelton’s Going Back to Bisbee. It is one of the few books that I have read a second time. He was my sister’s teacher and keeps up with her class. He was at Pete Cloud and Anne Barnett’s wedding about 10 years ago. He will probably be at their 50th HS reunion this year.
Carolyn and I are going Back to Bisbee to put our mother’s ashes along side our father and grandmother. We are also getting a double headstone as our father’s was buried under lots of things when Carolyn went earlier. It seems that I always had to find someone to level the stone when I was in Bisbee.
I was at the graduation too and really enjoyed your speech. I must admit, tears welled in my eyes when you spoke about your friend Doug Davis. Thanks for giving him a place in our school history and not just remembering him as a Vietnam casualty, from Bisbee. My nephew promised he would let me borrow the book, after he reads it. I hope he speed reads because I want to read it now! I’m glad to hear that you made it, and you happen to be from BISBEE..!!!
Judy, I always read your blog and was expecting you to comment on your trip to Bisbee for graduation. How neat that you were there. I always tear up when I hear “Pomp & Circumstance” . I usually cry over “America”, and “The Star-Spangled Banner” too. I thoroughly enjoyed Richard Shelton’s book too – his memory of the arrival at Hereford when he was first stationed at Ft Huachuca parallels Jim’s so much I had to read it to him; he is a wonderful writer. How I wish I could have taken your writing class! I think it is wonderful that Bisbee honors its vets like they do and respects the graduates from years gone by. Greetings to you and all of the Class of ’62.
I have enjoyed all of your books and because of your Brady books I talked my husband into a trip to Bisbee. We had a wonderful time and I loved seeing the town that is the setting for your books.
Your story behind the writing of Second Watch is beautiful and very touching. Thanks for sharing that.
Dear Judy,
You and your books are the reason I now live in Cochise County. Thank you for all that you do.
Anna Nickell
Hello Judy, so glad that you were able to go to Bisbee and speak at the graduation ceremony. Knowing you and having heard you speak, I know it was a pleasure for all the attendees! I too, enjoyed reading Richard Shelton’s book; particularly the part where he told of his arrival in Hereford en route to Fort Huachuca. I had to read that part to my Jim as he had pretty much the same experience in 1961 when he arrived in Southern AZ. I find myself tearing up whenever I hear “Pomp & Circumstance” as well as “America” and “The Star-Spangled Banner”! Keep safe in your travels, and well.
Glad you liked the wine! Rod and Sally at Roka are the best.
I graduated in Bisbee, the Class of 1971. I have heard my brother speak of you often. He is Dennis White. I have one of your books that he gave me….I will have to see what more you have so I can get one…thanks for keeping Bisbee alive.
Judy, I feel that way each and every time I go “back to Bisbee” to see my parents Bill and Yvonne Taylor who still live on Mill Road 😉
I just finished Second Watch last night. Just wanted to let you know I very much enjoyed this weeks Blog and Second Watch. When I was in 8th Grade the church I attended had three young men that were Serving in Vietnam. I decided to write a letter each night to one of them. I know to them I was still a little girl but I wanted to make sure they received letters from home. They wrote back frequently. Two of the men were two of my best friends brothers. We were all so lucky that all three men came home and for the most part have had good lives. I have now read 44 of your books and Second Watch just touched me. Thank you
My family has been in Bisbee for many years as well as my wife’s family. The book “Going Back to Bisbee” is dedicated to my wife’s grandmother, Ida Power. Rod and Sally of Cafe Roka are a super and very generous couple and I’m proud to say that Sally is my sister. I really enjoy your books and I wish we were able to make graduation to hear you speak.
I saw you in Port Angeles in September, (I met you at the door), and I so enjoyed hearing you speak about Second Watch. In November, while visiting our daughter in Scottsdale, we drove to Bisbee and spent two nights at the Old Schoolhouse Bed and Breakfast. It was so much fun to visit the town, and it felt so very familiar because we’ve read most of the Joanna Brady books. I have been reading all of your books in order, and Second Watch is up next! I just finished Betrayal of Trust, some of which takes place in the tiny towns of Packwood and Randle, Washington. I was just there a few weeks ago, and they make Bisbee seem large! Few people have ever heard of them, but I grew up there, and they’ve barely changed in 70 years! I graduated in 1956 from what was then Randle High School. There were 22 in my class, which included both communities! We were a tightly knit group. Sadly, one of them passed away earlier this month, so we were in Packwood for his funeral. In two years, we will have our 60th reunion, but our numbers are dwindling. It’s good to go back home if you can. Thank you for this blog, which has brought many memories of small towns and school days!
It is beautiful in Washington this week. I think summer has arrived early! Have a safe trip back to Seattle. I’m looking forward to my summer read, Second Watch!
Hi Ms. Jance, I apologize I have not gotten back to you sooner, I had called Ms. Holland and gotten her email written on a piece of paper and then had to leave to on vacation to D.C. and Florida. If you read this please get back to me at prohaska_m@yahoo.com
thank you so much,
Michael Edsall
I have tears now, both as a former high school teacher and a long-time resident of Bisbee. Yes, Bisbee is special, but young people everywhere are special. Thank you so much for being here for graduation and for the tribute to your friend and classmate.
I graduated HS in 1967; we all lost people in Vietnam, or saw them returned damaged physically and emotionally. Thanks for reminding younger people of this.
Also, thanks for your praise of Cafe Roka, which is (I believe) a five-star restaurant here in little Bisbee. It is indeed a treasure.
If any of those students don’t want to keep their books, I’d be happy to have it. However, I don’t have a problem with going down to Joanie’s Atalanta to purchase one.
Thanks so much for your wonderful spirit and amazing writing.
I don’t know if you remember me but I was your 4th grade teacher at Greenway. I also taught your brothers. The valdictorian was my granddaughter, Juliana Giacomino. I was sittint in the bleachers beamin but at the same time had tears in my eyes at remembering. I loved your book, Second Watch,. I will admit I read it and recalled many memories of living in Bisbee. I also cried while reading it. Your speech to the graduating class was great. The way you tied your writing of the book and the book itself was neat. I told my granddaughter she needed to be sure to read it. I have read most of your books about Cochise County and thoroughly enjoyed them. I have retired and now live in Arkansas. We have gone back to Bisbee many times but since my daughter and granddaughter are moving back here, we will probably only go to Tucson from now on. We have a daaughter living in Tucson. I wish you the very best and continue with your great books. Judy Mosley
Thanks, Judy, for sharing your experiences as Bisbee High School’s commencement speaker. You account brought back so many wonderful memories! I remember Doug Davis well, and suspected he would do great things. How terribly sad I felt when I heard his life had been cut short. Glad to hear that Philip Hirales is now teaching band/music in Bisbee. He played a mean trumpet!
I just picked up Second Watch at Costco, and I can’t wait to start reading it.
Wishing you a happy summer!
Toby
Having twice been a guest speaker at BHS Honor luncheons, courtesy Fred Corrin, I can appreciate the joy you felt in being asked to deliver this years commencement address…an honor richly deserved and reserved for one of Bisbee’s Best! Keep signing those books:) Ted Sorich
My father remembers you and said that his older sister Bettie Boggess knew you from school in Bisbee. I hope she treated you well. I love to read, but unfortunately I have yet to read your work. Now knowing you are a Bisbee Puma, I will start!! Congratulations on your well deserved success.
I hope it is OK to mention this, but I just noticed that B&N nook has this book on sale and then I checked Amazon and it is also on special for the Kindle. If you are waiting to read this and have an e-reader, $1.99 is a killer of a price for a newer best seller like this. I already got it when it first came out, so I know what a good price this is.
Judy,thank you for your time and speech.i’m sure the grads will never forget you.Very proud of you and your success as a writer.CW McElyea
Great blog. So glad I had a chance to see Bisbee even for a short time.
What an honor to speak at your old high school graduation ceremony! Congratulations! I am happy that you told them the story of Doug.
Karleen