Celebrities have called Fountain Hills home over the years.
The first celebrity to plant roots in our town was Elleston Trevor, a world-renowned author. He and his wife, Jonquil, moved to the community in 1974.
The award-winning spy novelist was the creator of “Quiller,” the enigmatic British espionage agent. Trevor wrote the Quiller spy series under the name of Adam Hall, one of his seven pen names.
He wrote more than 100 novels during his career. One of his books, “The Flight of the Phoenix,” was made into a major motion picture.
The Trevors were active in the community. They were among the organizers of the Fountain Hills Saddle Club. Jonquil organized a major clean-up of the community called “The Trash Bash.”
Earl McPherson was the featured artist at the first Fountain Festival of Arts & Crafts. He became famous for his series of pinup girls that Lucky Strikes cigarettes used on a calendar that featured the scantily-clad females. They were in big demand by soldiers in World War II. He spent his winters here in the late 1970s.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood lived on Cerro Alto. His 20-strikeout performance on May 6, 1998, against the Houston Astros was recently named one of the top three pitching performances of all time by ESPN.
In 1988, the St. Louis Cardinals NFL football team moved to Phoenix. At one time there were 11 players renting apartments in the area around Club Mirage, a tennis and swimming complex that was owned by Gary Martinson. It also had a quality bar and restaurant and two levels of workout equipment in the clubhouse.
Of the 11 players who initially moved to Fountain Hills, only one ended up building in our town. And that was star linebacker E.J. Junior. I visited with him and his wife, Jackie, several times at his home built south of Shea. Unfortunately, E.J. and Jackie got a divorce about a year after moving here. Jackie stayed in the house for about another year.
Professional golfer Mark Calcavecchia was living in Fountain Hills when he won the British Open in 1989. He sold his home in 1990 to Jackie and Jerry Miles, who became local celebrities. Jerry was the second mayor of our town and the couple has been very active in the community. They initiated the Public Art program and they have made many contributions to the program.
The Miles have used their home for major fundraisers and other large social events in the past 30 years.
Steven Hunter was a member of the Phoenix Suns and conducted a number of youth basketball camps while living in Fountain Hills.
Another celebrity who still calls Fountain Hills his home is Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
He is known as the nation’s “toughest sheriff.” He became famous for building a tent city, issuing pink underwear for inmates and serving them green baloney sandwiches. He is running this year to regain his position of sheriff from Paul Penzone, who defeated Arpaio in the last election. Joe has to get by another Fountain Hills resident, Jerry Sheridan in the August Republican primary.
Jeff Dayton and his band were regulars at the Village Pub on Saturday nights in the 1980s. The band won every major country band competition in the state. They went on to become the stage band for country pop star Glenn Campbell. Dayton was band manager for Campbell for many years.
My daughter, Holly, was a Broadway dancer for 15 years. She was in six productions including the lead role (the girl in the Yellow Dress) in “Contact” and Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out.”
“Contact” won the 2000 TONY award for the best musical. She also won the Best Actress award at the Kennedy Center in 2004.
She retired from the stage in 2005 and took up photography. She was named the number one wedding photographer in San Diego County by San Diego Magazine in 2018.
Larry Linkin is a jazz and concert clarinetist, who performed all over the country with many top entertainers. He lived in the community for more than 20 years. He performed in several solo concerts in Fountain Hills and was the entertainment at the Lower Verde Valley Hall of Fame dinner one year.
Paul Lehnin is another entertainer who lived in Fountain Hills at one time. He performed in Las Vegas and the cruise ship circuit. He did a standup comedy and singing routine.
When jazz guitarist and singer George Benson performed at the Fountain Hills Jazz Festival, he said to the crowd, “This place is gorgeous. It’s thebest kept secret in all of Arizona.”
He then brought the crowd to its feet when he started to sing his big hit, “On Broadway.” Benson ended up buying a house on Crestview.
Singer Scott Hallock plays with his band all over the Valley. I’ve heard him play at various venues, such as the Mayo Hospital lobby to different restaurants in our town.
Allen Fossenkemper and Tony Pistilli harmonized for years with the O.K. Chorale cowboy singing group. They felt it was time to hang it up with each of the members reaching their seventies. Allen has taken over the Munch and Music program for the Town.
Whenever David Karl puts on his beard and makeup, you can be sure that the Kenny Rogers Tribute he performs will be an evening of entertainment. The Fountain Hills resident does a spot-on impression of Rogers.
Well, that is all I could come up with. But the risk in running a column like this is you invariably will leave someone out.
I do think it shows we have had a lot of talented people in our town through the years.
