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Grant Woods was the best of Arizonans

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Peoria Times Columnist

Every story requires a headline, so when Grant Woods left us Oct. 23 at age 67, the headline writers called him “former Arizona Attorney General.” This is absolutely true — Grant served two terms as AG between 1990 and 1998 — but also a wretchedly poor summation of everything he encompassed as a human being.

Father of five. Grandfather to JoJo. Husband. Attorney. Writer. Talk show host. Political commentator. Playwright. Musician. Community volunteer. World-class joker. Tennis player. Patriot. Basketball court trash talker. Songwriter. Pain in the butt.

I’ll stop there, though the breadth of Grant’s many passions calls out for more. If it’s possible to cram a century of living into 67 years, Grant did so, which is a life lesson I will take away from having known him.

Another one is to lead with your heart, to follow love where it takes you.

Grant was passionate about music and writing songs. In 2015, he asked me to help him drum up publicity for one of his endless side projects: songs he’d written performed by artists with Arizona ties. He had lined up a long list of talented musicians, including Nils Lofgren of the E Street Band, Lawrence Zubia of the Pistoleros, bluesman Hans Olson, and legendary local vocalists Alice Tatum and Francine Reed. I’ll confess to some initial fear that a lawyer dabbling in songwriting might be, you know, not great.

I never should have worried. My favorite track on the album is “Me and Preacher,” sung by Blaine Long. It remains on my Spotify playlist and I sing along every time it pops up. Some of Grant’s lyrics:

You’ve got to try when the burning’s high/And you must believe when the pain is deep/You’ve got to march right on, singing that gospel song. The day will come, when the Lord will set you free.

That was Grant, always marching on, singing his truth. We worked together for some clients where lawyering and public relations intersected. I admired his intelligence and charisma.

Grant was rarely the first to speak. He never dominated the conversation. He was the voice of wisdom, an experienced legal mind who sliced through the posturing, bad ideas and ego clashes. He took pride in getting the team where we needed to go.

He was like that on the basketball court at lunchtime, too. Grant liked to bring the ball up court, a point guard who distributed to teammates and launch Steph Curry-length jumpshots, of which he made a surprising number. No hoops game with Grant was complete without trash talk.

One of the guys we played with was an assistant city manager named Dave, who like Grant never met a shot he didn’t like. Grant prided himself on getting in your face on defense. Dave, not so much. This led Grant to refer to him as “Ave” for days on end. Why?

“Because there’s no D in Dave.”

At age 28, fresh out of law school, Grant served as chief of staff for then-Congressman John McCain. Theirs was a lifelong bond marked by a mutual love of Arizona, its sports teams and its politics. Both men put people before party, service before self.

At McCain’s funeral, Grant’s eulogy gained national attention. His final summation of the great senator provides another lesson to be remembered.

“He served his country with honor,” Grant said of his friend. “He fought the good fight. He finished the race. He kept the faith.”

That was Grant Woods in a paragraph. He marched right on. He fought the good fight. He was the best of us.

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David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Contact david@ leibowitzsolo.com.

SHELTON’S OPINION — MikeSheltonCartoons.com

AROUND THE BLUHMIN’ TOWN A welcome return of an old friend

BY JUDY BLUHM Peoria Times Columnist

It’s a scary world out there. Sometimes, we just need a friend. A buddy who will walk miles through a scorching desert, escape the perils of predators, suffer through the wind, rain and dust of monsoons with no map, GPS or cellphone, just to make it up your driveway, saunter in through your open door (or doggy door) and once again, grace your life with a visit. Welcome back Manuel! He is one big, beautiful tarantula, who every year for about 30 years, routinely spends a few months with my friend, Diane.

Diane gives us thrilling reports of finding Manuel in very odd places. You see, this is what he does. Shows up, unannounced and then lounges around the house for three months. On the ceiling (would scare me over my bed), in the shower stall (stay dirty that day), on the kitchen counter (eat out) and sometimes just resting on the back of the sofa (keep standing). And in a most peculiar place, resting inside her hair curlers (wear your hair straight). Yes, Manuel makes himself at home!

Let me tell you the story from the beginning. Our spidey, shows up for about three months each year. The arachnid specialist at the Phoenix Zoo speculates that this tarantula has an established migration pattern which has been likely imprinted into the offspring. And since a female tarantula can live 25 years (males usually 10 to 12 years) it might be safe to say that this furry little beast is actually the son or daughter of Manuel. Or, could Manuel be Manuela?

It all started one July day, when Diane noticed something with a big belly and hairy legs walking into her house through an open door (no, it wasn’t her neighbor). Yikes, a spider of the biggest, furriest kind was strutting around her kitchen! Consider the kind heart and calm disposition that it takes to open your home to a big, fat spider! Not a pet, nor a companion, just a little creature of God that strolled innocently into the house and decided to hang around. After checking out the premises and the occupant, he liked what he found and keeps coming back.

This year, Manuel arrived much later than usual, at the end of October! Diane leaves the lights on for him, so he can catch plenty of bugs. Diane’s doggy greets Manuel like he is an old friend, sniffing the spider thoroughly but mostly leaving him alone. The cat also will acknowledge Manuel’s presence, yet never bothers him.

There might be problems in the world, but with Manuel’s arrival, it is a reminder that the earth is spinning on its proper axis and the stars are lined up just right. Life is good, because one, happy eight-legged critter seems to have found his way “home.” So, if you see one of our Arizona wonders, like the tarantula, please look kindly and do not be afraid. They may come unannounced, but they make perfect houseguests. So, leave your porch light on, as you never know who will show up and walk through your door.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local Realtor. Have a story or a comment? Email Judy at judy@judybluhm.com.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local Realtor. Have a comment or a story? Email Judy at judy@judybluhm.com.