Producer Gloria Knott's Fave Five

Oro Valley woman paints Star photo of 7-year-old girl — 20 years later, she met the girl

This story was unlike anything I had ever written. After Maria Gagnon reached out to us, hoping to find the little girl she painted after seeing a photo of her in the Star in 1999, I was more than happy to help. After a few social media searches, I was able to find the girl and unite the two — and it was so heartwarming to watch them embrace in their first hug.

─ Gloria Knott

In 1999, the Arizona Daily Star profiled three Tucson families that had deep equestrian roots.

Maria Gagnon, now 85, saw that story.

But what caught her eye was a photo, taken by the now-retired photographer A.E. Araiza, of 7-year-old Stephanie Reyes. Gagnon cut the photo out of the paper and stashed it away. She’d paint it one day, she told herself.

Gagnon, a Connecticut native, says she’s always enjoyed painting, but it wasn’t until she retired when she could devote more time to it. The retired accountant’s paintings are usually inspired by photos of landscape or buildings.

The Star’s photo was put aside for nearly two years before Gagnon decided to pick up a paintbrush. And after the painting was finished, it was displayed in her family room for close to two decades — leading lots of visitors to ask who the little girl in the painting was.

But as Gagnon’s 85th birthday was coming up, she decided the painting needed a new home — Reyes’ home.

“I thought it was time to find this little girl,” Gagnon said. “I thought, ‘It’s her portrait and she should have it.’”

After doing a little research herself, Gagnon reached out to the Star in hopes of finding Reyes.

And with a few social-media searches, Reyes, now 27, was found.

Reyes said she was driving home from a road trip with her fiancé when she received the Star’s message on Instagram asking if she was the girl in the photo.

“I was so emotional, I cried,” she said. “My fiancé is driving and he’s like, ‘What happened?’ and I said, ‘She painted me!’ And I’m bawling in the car and he doesn’t understand.”

“This was such a shock because (the article) was such an honor to my family,” she said, adding that she didn’t think she’d hear about it again 20 years later.

A couple weeks later on June 21, the two met at Gagnon’s Oro Valley home. They greeted each other with the biggest of hugs and Reyes brought Gagnon a bouquet of orange roses.

“This is crazy. It’s beautiful,” Reyes said when she first saw the painting.

“I thought this year, when I turned 85, that this portrait was yours,” Gagnon told her. “It’s yours.”

Reyes’ mom, Clarissa Cañez, tagged along. She was also interviewed and photographed for the Star’s 1999 story.

As it turns out, the photo meant so much to the Reyes family that they had it framed. It’s still hanging in Reyes’ mother’s living room to this day.

Reyes wasn’t even a year old when she was first put on top of a horse. The family did countless performances, rodeos and parades.

“I lived for it, with my mom,” Reyes said. “This was our life.”

“(The painting) really is an honor,” she told Gagnon. “You have no idea what kind of impact this has made on my mom and my grandfather.”

The horseback riding chapter of Reyes’ life has mostly closed, though she still visits her grandfather’s horses.

“This is literally a tribute to this era and what was my life,” Reyes said.

“It feels very surreal — I thought that something from my past came back,” she said. “I think it’s meant to be. I feel like now, it’s going to be the start to a beautiful friendship.”

Reyes said she hopes Gagnon can meet her son. And Gagnon said she hopes Reyes can meet her children too.

“For you to keep me in your home for 20 years, I’m not going anywhere,” Reyes told Gagnon. “Even though the painting is gone, I’m not.”

And as if one painting isn’t enough, Gagnon said that sometime after she finished her painting, she walked into her neighborhood activity center to see yet another painted rendition of the same 1999 photo.

Gagnon said she had no idea another Oro Valley resident had painted it.

That painting was done in watercolor and has since been sold.

Blame a fondness for sweets for a midtown Tucson neighborhood's coyote incursion

This is the third time I wrote about an influx of coyotes in the Catalina Vista neighborhood — the first two times a year earlier than the third. This third, final — and unexpected — story allowed me to wrap up the three stories with a nice little bow.

─ Gloria Knott

Wildlife officials have figured out why a neighborhood in midtown Tucson was seeing an influx of coyotes: They’re looking for dates.

The ripe ones that fall from date palms planted throughout the Catalina Vista Neighborhood.

The coyote sightings prompted the Arizona Game and Fish Department last year to have a plan to use non-lethal paintball guns — a tactic that was approved by the Humane Society and the Tucson Police Department — to encourage the coyotes to leave the area. Further, the paintballs would mark the coyotes, giving officials a better understanding of how many were in the neighborhood.

“It’s not to hurt them,” City Councilman Steve Kozachik said. “Hazing the coyotes is to deliver the message: ‘You keep your space and we’ll keep our space.’”

But after spending an active six weeks in the neighborhood last year, Game and Fish only encountered two coyotes, which behaved appropriately and left the area after seeing humans.

The paintball guns weren’t needed.

Kozachik said last October that as many as 17 coyotes were seen at one time after food was left in a grassy roundabout in the neighborhood, which is near Campbell Avenue and Grant Road.

Now, almost exactly a year later, Game and Fish was made aware by Kozachik’s office of another influx of coyote sightings.

Game and Fish has spent five days over the last two weeks patrolling Catalina Vista, in addition to the adjacent Blenman-Elm neighborhood, where a resident said three of her dogs were recently killed by coyotes.

On the first night, wildlife officials saw six coyotes congregating around a date tree in a neighborhood park.

This year, paintball guns were used on three coyotes. Although they were struck, the coyotes’ sweet tooth brought them right back.

“The paintball guns are making them leery of people, but not so leery that they won’t come back to the same area,” department spokesman Mark Hart said, adding that Game and Fish isn’t sure they’ll continue to use the paintball guns.

“We’re never going to totally eliminate the problem, but we can make it better if we work together,” Hart said of finding a solution based on input from the department, the city and neighbors.

“The community has been helpful in telling us where the coyotes are,” he added. “They’re engaged and want to help.”

Kozachik added that residents are no longer leaving out pans of food for wildlife, as was suspected last year.

Hart said the department won’t lethally remove the coyotes because there is no immediate threat to public safety and there have been no reports of anyone being injured.

“The goal is to coexist,” Kozachik said. “They’re here, they’ve been here, they’re going to be here.”

Tucson RV-loving boy gets personalized letter from Winnebago CEO

It’s not every day that you get to meet a 12-year-old who loves RVs.

─ Gloria Knott

A year or two ago, the now 12-year-old Jacob Davies became interested in traveling and decided he wanted to live in an RV.

But when he realized it was too expensive for his family, and after seeing old school buses being converted into RVs, he thought of the next best thing.

If he can’t live in one, why can’t he design one?

If you know anything about RVs, you probably know the company Winnebago. Based in Iowa, Winnebago is a leading manufacturer for outdoor products, namely RVs and boats.

A few days after Christmas, Jacob, with the help of his uncle John, decided to send a letter to the CEO of Winnebago, Michael J. Happe.

Jacob, a sixth-grader at Leman Academy of Excellence in Marana, wrote to Happe that he wanted to work for his company one day.

Not only that, but the Tucson-area native also sent Happe some drawn-out designs for a double-decker RV — complete with a pool and submarine station. He says some of his design ideas came from YouTube — others came from his own home.

“For the kitchen design, I used our own kitchen because it felt like home,” he says. “I also (designed) a normal living room, but added some more spice to it — like a rug — to make it feel more like home.”

Jacob also incorporated four bunk beds in his design — that way, his family of eight all had a place to sleep.

Although the designs are impressive, Jacob says he didn’t have a ruler at the time and has since made even better designs for Winnebago.

“It might be a little crazy, but you might want to take a look,” Jacob wrote in the letter, referencing his RV design.

Jacob told Happe to keep up the good work and to call him if he needed any ideas. “I’m happy to be a tester for any new designs,” he wrote.

Jacob expected a letter back — but nothing personal, just something “typical,” he says. Maybe they’d send him some brochures or something, he thought.

But that changed when the mailman rang the doorbell of his Marana home in early February. Jacob simply thought it was a normal package.

His mom, Sara, opened the door and picked the package off the porch. When she held it, she recognized the logo — Winnebago.

“She’s like ‘Oh my gosh, you gotta see this,’ and I was like, ‘What, what, what?’” Jacob says.

Needless to say, Jacob was more than elated.

“I was thrilled. It was neat to see his face light up,” Sara says.

Inside the box was a personalized letter, signed by Happe himself.

“It was interesting to see your ‘double decker’ design concepts and your creative approach to space utilization,” the letter reads. “We recognized a few features that are pretty standard in our lineup, but I must say this is the first design I remember seeing with a swimming pool and mini-submarine station!”

Happe also included some advice to Jacob, such as doing well in school, engaging in the community and getting a variety of experiences.

Jacob says none of those would be a problem for him — he already does his best in school and takes on new experiences, he says.

“I wasn’t expecting this heartwarming letter,” Jacob says. “I really liked it.”

Along with the letter, which the Davies family plans to frame, Happe sent a Winnebago hat and a model of a motorhome — which Jacob and his dad, Stephen, assembled right away.

“I’m really proud of (Jacob) for being so creative,” Sara says. “I think it’s great that he has a goal in mind and is striving to do more.”

Beyond Jacob’s passion for Winnebago and RVs in general — he has countless model RVs made out of LEGOs in his room — he’s also thought about possibly becoming an engineer, just like his dad.

Plus, Jacob likes to draw, write and sing. “Anything to keep me busy,” he says.

Jacob also snagged a lead role in his school’s musical theater production for “Peter Pan.” He plays Michael, which he says is cool because Michael is Happe’s first name.

Tucson's new blacksmithing school is open and ready for students

I often get nervous when I’m assigned a story about a subject I know little about, but I find that those kinds of stories — the ones where you learn the most — tend to be the most rewarding ones. Although I knew very little about blacksmithing prior to being assigned this story, I learned a lot and loved how the story turned out. I also had the opportunity to put together a video of the school, which allowed me to present the story in a different way for our audience.

─ Gloria Knott

When walking into a class in an unassuming building on Tucson's south side near 22nd Street and South Fourth Avenue, the first thing you might hear is the clanking of hammers. 

And the first things that might catch your eyes are two fiery forges with bright orange knives stuck inside. 

Students slam the hammers onto the hot steel knives, shaping them until they lose their glow. Back in the forge they go — until they're ready for the next steps.

From the outside, you wouldn't know the building at 544 E. 24th Street is actually Desert Metal Craft, a new blacksmithing school in Tucson. 

Desert Metal Craft is the product of three people — Rich Greenwood, a professional bladesmith who once taught bladesmithing at Pima Community College and was also featured on an episode of the History Channel's "Forged in Fire" series; Liz Cameron, who received her Masters of Science in materials science and engineering at the University of Arizona and currently teaches at PCC; and Pete Brown, a science journalist, engineering technical writer and communications director for the UA's College of Engineering. 

But just two years ago, Desert Metal Craft was merely an idea.

"In community college, I was only one person teaching the class and people wanted to learn things that were out of my scope," Greenwood says. "I thought, if I did my own school, I could have whoever I wanted come and teach."

Greenwood and Cameron dabbled with a few different ideas, such as starting a co-op or offering camps and workshops, but the ideas just weren't feasible, especially financially. 

"That's when we were like, 'We'll figure out how to do (a school) ourselves,'" Cameron says.

Brown later got on board after taking Greenwood and Cameron's classes at PCC. 

And although the ball was already rolling to open the school, one of the obstacles was finding a location. At one point, even Greenwood's backyard was considered.

"We were like homeless kids needing somewhere to start big fires," Cameron says. 

They eventually came across the street of warehouses on East 24th.

Though they hope to expand the 2,000-square-foot space in the future, Desert Metal Craft is now a reality — currently accepting students in a number of different courses, which can be found on desertmetalcraft.org. Classes are offered to anyone ages 7 and up.

"The rule is if you can swing a hammer, you can hang out and take a class here," Cameron says.

Class topics are vast, including hands-on beginner classes, historical classes and casting classes. They range from one day to a few weeks and cost anywhere between $100 and $600.

Summer camps for kids are also in the works.

The best part? The classes are hands-on, which means students get to make something and take it home. Greenwood calls them "skill-based classes with a project in the end."

And beyond the three founders, who are also teachers, the school will bring in guest instructors from around the nation. 

"We all kind of feel like we ran out of outlets for our own education, whether that's financial or geographical," Cameron says, adding that Desert Metal Craft gives people the opportunity to learn things they wouldn't be able to learn elsewhere.

"As we bring teachers in to teach these classes, everyone wins," Greenwood says.

The trio agrees that our community needs something like Desert Metal Craft.

"Personally, I think we need a place for kids to learn to get their hands dirty and make something," Greenwood says. "I think that's getting lost in the public school system. When I was a kid, I took six years of auto shop. I learned casting in seventh grade. That's not happening today."

"I think we definitely want to become a destination for people interested in learning about metal arts and metallurgy," Cameron says.

The school's grand opening ceremony will be held from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2 and will give the public a taste of what Desert Metal Craft is all about.

Among the activities are ax-throwing, make-your-own knife and bottle openers, and demonstrations from featured artists. There will also be fire performers, live music, raffles and food trucks. The event is family-friendly.

This 7-year-old and her grandpa inspired their family to cycle in El Tour de Tucson

Among my favorite stories to write are the uplifting ones — the ones that make readers smile.

─ Gloria Knott

Melody Guzman was only 6 years old when she hopped on her bicycle and rode El Tour de Tucson’s 25-mile route last year.

She was among the youngest cyclists there and her mom says she was the youngest one to complete the 25-mile route completely on her own.

Years before, Melody had watched her grandpa, David Montijo, cross the finish line of El Tour.

She decided she wanted to do it, too, and with the help of her grandpa, she started training.

“My dad was the one who got Melody riding the bike that my sister’s daughter had grown out of,” Melody’s mom, Eva Guzman, says. “She enjoyed it so much that he took her on The Loop so she could ride for longer periods of time with no interruptions.”

Melody’s drive for cycling soon inspired her mom and grandma, Carmen Montijo, to ride last year.

“I said, ‘If Melody’s going to do it, I want to do it.’ So did my mom,” Eva Guzman says. “It was my first time as an adult getting on a bicycle. To see the joy on my dad’s and my daughter’s faces made it all worth it for us.”

Just when everyone was ready for the big ride, a day before the event, Melody came down with a fever.

She felt better the day of the ride, but she started to trail behind.

“At one point, she was in tears because she didn’t want to do it anymore,” Eva Guzman says. “We got to the last checkpoint, with about 7 miles left, and I said ‘Melody, you’ve worked really hard. I know you don’t feel good. If you want to stop, we can stop.’”

But Melody persisted.

“We crossed the finish line and the emotion of it was just incredible because she’s only 6 and on top of being sick, she did it,” Eva Guzman says. “It was her motivation that not only got her past the finish line, but it got my mom and myself on a bike to work with her as well.”

But as they crossed the finish line, with the rest of their family cheering them on from the sidelines, Melody turned to her mom and said: “I never want to do the Tour again.”

But that mentality didn’t stick. The now 7-year-old is signed up to do the 25-mile ride again on Saturday, Nov. 23, alongside both her parents and grandparents, and her 6-year-old brother Michael Guzman.

Michael had just turned 5 at the time of last year’s race, when he decided he wanted to ride, too.

“Michael started training that very next day to ride a bike,” Eva Guzman says.

The family is also using the ride as an opportunity to raise funds for the Easterseals Blake Foundation, a nonprofit that provides resources to children and adults with disabilities, veterans, seniors and families. Easterseals works with El Tour de Tucson each year.

Eva Guzman was a college student and wasn’t working when she and her husband, Antonio Guzman, learned they were pregnant with Melody. Eva Guzman’s doctor shared the resources available for first-time parents and passed their information along to Easterseals.

Easterseals was able to provide an in-home nurse to the Guzmans at no cost to the family.

“It was nice to have that extra support from a professional,” Eva Guzman says. “Once (Melody) came, there were no nerves. I attribute that — of course to my family — but to Easterseals and Nurse Amy.”

Last year, Eva says the Guzman family raised $1,500 for Easterseals. This year’s fundraiser can be found at tucne.ws/guzman

“(Easterseals) were there at a time when I really needed them and I feel blessed that I don’t need them anymore,” Eva Guzman says. “If I can give back, it’s the least I can do to show our gratitude for what they did for us.”

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