lighting it UP! S
taff, physicians, families, friends and neighbors celebrated Tucson Medical Center’s 65th anniversary by lighting up the landmark Water Tower for the holiday season. Hundreds of people enjoyed the cool early December evening for an old-fashioned birthday celebration complete with live music, corn dogs, lemonade, eggplants and cucumbers. That’s right – eggplants and cucumbers. In recognition of the initial planting of the TMC Community Garden, the 17th Street Farmers Market set up an area to sell fresh winter fruits and vegetables. The stand was nearly bare as dark settled in. Mr. & Mrs. Claus, the Grinch, Frosty the Snowman and Santa’s helpers were on hand for photo ops and play; one lucky girl won a new bicycle for her winning coloring contest entry.
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President Emeritus Donald Shropshire joined President Judy Rich at dusk to flip the switch to a roaring crowd as “65” lit up in red and green on the historic Water Tower, the first structure built on the campus in 1926. The lights on the Water Tower were visible north to Sunrise Drive and beyond, and remained lit until the end of the year. When TMC first opened its doors in 1944, it was far outside of town with no streetlights, let alone a blazing Water Tower or a green Grinch. Over the years, TMC has grown as the city has grown, and will continue to be run by and for the people of Southern Arizona.