It's a cliché; "gone but not forgotten," but it epitomizes Sun City. It's just another one of those things that makes us different from every other age restricted community out there. We like to say we are unique, but sometimes quantifying it is a challenge. In this case, it's pretty simple; a living testimony of the power of people coming together. If you want proof of it, spend a week at the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum; read the oral histories, dig through the archives of 1000's of names of those who struggled to make Sun City what it is today. If you want the Reader's Digest version, pick up a copy of Jubilee, The 25th Anniversary of Sun City Arizona. On page 246 is a list of 75 "helpers" that worked together to compose the book. The point being, Sun City has history. How many 55 plus communities can say that? How many of them have traced their roots, honored those who helped build it? How many have an infrastructure that was created and then maintained by residents for 55 plus years. How many have endured times that the community should have been ripped apart; failed to make it past the first 5 years? I know for many people, it doesn't make a whit of difference; for me it's one of the primary reasons we moved here. But this story isn't rooted in our history. This is about this past week, one where the community suffered losses that most residents have no clue about. Nope, not their fault, that's how Sun City works. The 1000's of people that yearly make a difference in our community are often both nameless and faceless. They don't do it for the fame or the recognition, they do it because if they don't, Sun City won't continue to be a great place to live. On Tuesday I was reading the obits and saw an old friend, Art Williams, had died. I first met him in 2003 on the Communication Committee where he graciously told me, "we don't do it that way here kid." By then Art had become an institution in Sun City. He was the first and only board member to be recalled, it was back in the 90's and it was because he wanted to build a 2 story administrative building where the bocce courts are at Sun Dial. Art has been involved in the community from the day he got here till the day he died. The 3 years I served as president of the Sun City Foundation, Art was one of the board of directors. He was in his 90's and never gave up trying to make the community a better place to live. On Friday, we honored (and said goodbye to) Deanna and Bill Szentmiklosi. Deanna has worked for the RCSC for 8 or 9 years and her husband Bill was the director at SCHOA for most of that same time. We hired him (when I was on the board there) as a compliance director and he worked his way up to running it. I would argue with anyone, SCHOA had/has never been as effective as it when he ran it. Deanna was Jan's assistant, but more importantly helped board members stay on track. They were 2 of the hardest working people I have ever met. Losing them back to Michigan is our (the community's) loss. It's simple for me, Sun City succeeds because of people like Art, Bill and Deanna. I've written this a hundred times, as good as they are/were, they along with all of us are still just "bit players." Sun City is bigger than any one person. I could tick off a dozens of names of people over the 50+ years who were essential to our growth, to our success. And through it all, they were still "bit players." It's exactly why Sun City is unique, why it is so special. We have nice rec centers, good golf courses, great homes at great prices...but so does everyone else (many of them far better than ours). What they don't have, never will have is the people, the history and the sense of community we have. It's an intangible that for anyone not living here struggles to get their head around. Take care Art, Bill and Deanna, Sun City is better today because of you.
Thanks for sharing this, Bill. The history is important and one can't help but admire those that play(ed) a role. As you do (and have).
Thanks for the kind words gang, but in the end, we're all just bit players in what we've come to know as the Sun City way of life. Heck, even those who had no idea of self-governance or how or why Sun City works end up buying in. They end up chairperson of the greens committee or on the board of a club or volunteering at one of the dozens of organizations that rely on residents taking ownership. They become the how and why we work, and in many cases don't come close to thinking about it in those terms. That to me is why this site and how we "market" the community is so important. Imagine "selling" Sun City to those who want to stay in the game. Who move here knowing they can make a difference simply by putting up their hand. Who grasp the importance of being involved and committed from start to finish. I get it, it's not for everyone. Folks who just want to kick back and do nothing in retirement may opt for a newer more glitzy community. For my money, Sun City was the perfect blend of too much to do and not enough time to do it all. Way more than the hedonistic lifestyle of lazing by the pool or chasing the white ball around the green grass (unless you're playing at Chamber's Bay). It's why Sun City has always been the choice for those looking to continue to be relevant in life, even after other places treated you like you weren't.
