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Wednesday, October 7, 2020
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SUPREME LAKES FIGHT
Dr. Jan Vesely retiring after 4 years at Kyrene helm
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FAMILY LIFESAVER
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KOLACHES COMING
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PRICE RISING
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BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
yrene School District Superintendent Jan Vesely is retiring at the end of the school year. In making her surprise announcement last Friday – just before fall break began – Vesely said that with a new governing board coming into office in January, this was a good time to begin a new chapter in her life. “After 43 wonderful years in public education, I have made the difficult decision to retire at the end of the 2020 calendar year,” she said in her statement, adding: “With new members joining the Kyrene Governing Board in January, it would be appropriate for a new superintendent to begin this
DR. JAN VESELY
important journey alongside the newly config-
ured board. “The board is engaged in the planning stages of a search for Kyrene’s next superintendent, and I have no doubt this board will select someone exceptional for the role.” The announcement came less than a month before voters will fill at least two governing board seats with new people and it is unclear how much say – if any – they would have in selecting the district’s top executive. Given that superintendent searches can take at least a few weeks, if not a few months, the board may be leaning toward an internal candidate. The board issued a statement within hours after Vesely’s announcement that noted the
see VESELY page 17
Ahwatukee man marks a century of service BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor
T
he year 1920 launched the Roaring Twenties and the decade ended with the stock market crash that ushered in the Great Depression. It also was the year Wilbert ‘Bill’ Chesbro was born in Hollywood, California. It was a shaky start. “When I was born, they didn’t think I would live,” said Chesbro, a long-time Ahwatukee resident with Betty, his wife of 74 years. “I only weighed 3 pounds and was born at home.” Yet he did survive – and he’s seen a lot of water flow under the proverbial bridge in the ensuing 100 years, during which Chesbro has lived a life of service to others while raising three children. The couple emanates good cheer and humor as Bill recalled many of his life’s highlights and his wife occasionally popped in with tidbits he’d not mentioned. They laugh together often. While attending Hollywood High School,
Chesbro worked for the Hollywood Reporter. “I worked in the bindery and had a 36mile paper route,” he said. In 1936, also while still in high school, Chesbro joined the National Guard and, as his son said, possibly fudged his age to do so. In 1940, after President Franklin D. Roosevelt incorporated the National Guard into the U.S. Army, he served in the South Pacific and – presaging his future – was stationed on various islands of the Philippines. After the liberation of the Philippines, Chesbro headed home with no thought of seeing the islands again. “As I was on deck with the guys and leaving the Philippines I said ‘Good-bye. I’ll never be back.’” But, he says, God had other plans. It was while fighting in the Philippines that he said he had a word with his Creator about his future wife. “While I was in the service, I got a letter from a girlfriend I had intended to marry
see CENTENARIAN page 22
Wilbert “Bill” Chesbro of Ahwatukee celebrated his 100th birthday Saturday with Betty, his wife of 74 years. They’re holding a photo of themselves when they were younger. (Courtesy of the Chesbro Family)