Donald W. Carson and James W. Johnson, both journalists and UA journalism professors, have published what could be considered the most complete record of Morris K. Udall's 30-year congressional career.
Mo: The Life and Times of Morris K. Udall reveals how Udall challenged the House seniority system and turned the Interior Committee into a powerful panel that did more to protect the environment than any organization in the 20th century.
Carson and Johnson deal with Udall's opposition to the Vietnam War long before such a stance was popular. And the book also explores the paradoxes of the politician's life, showing that while he was able to accomplish much in office because people liked him, he was a loner and workaholic whose professional focus overshadowed his personal life.
Former mayor Tom Volgy, also a UA professor (political science), also has been busy at the keyboard, writing Politics in the Trenches: Citizens, Politicians, and the Fate of Democracy.
In his book, Volgy seeks to dispell the idea that all politicians are rascals and scoundrels. Volgy, who served 14 years as a member of the Tucson City Council and as mayor, suggests that most elected officials are honest, hard-working folks whose real work goes unnoticed by constituents and the media. The book serves as a call to citizens to get involved in the political process.
Carson and Johnson and Volgy will be signing their books and talking with readers from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Reader's Oasis, 3400 E. Speedway Blvd., Suite 114. For more information, call 319-7887.
LAST CALL TO DIG IT. The Old Pueblo Archaeology Center is offering a last chance to tour the excavations at the Sabino Canyon Ruin.
The tours, conducted since 1995, offer a look at how the site is being explored through excavation. Archaeologists directing the dig will show and describe models of reconstructed Hohokam houses and samples of recovered artifacts.
The site, located on private property about a mile from the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center, was once a vibrant village of the Hohokam Indians, ancestors of the Pima and Tohono O'odham peoples, between 1000 and 1350 AD. Excavations have uncovered bone, pottery, stone and seashell artifacts.
The two-hour tour does not include hands-on participation.
One of two final Sabino Canyon Ruin tours (the other has not yet been announced), this begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. Cost is $10 adults, $2 children 12 and under. The tour is limited to 32 people. For reservations and directions, call 798-1201 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
ARTISTS OPEN HOUSE. Artists throughout the Tucson Arts District are opening their studios to the public Saturday and Sunday.
It's a great chance to meet the creative people working downtown and in the Warehouse District. This Open Studio Tour includes a look at artists doing everything from sculpture to ceramics to painting to printmaking.
Program guides will be available at all tour studio locations and downtown galleries. Guides are also available online at www.tucsonartsdistrict.org and in this issue
The event is from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. or more information, call 624-9977.
