Community
www.SanTanSun.com
May 20 -June 2, 2017
1
May 20 - June 2, 2017 www.SanTanSun.com
Dad, golf lover, restaurant owner helps children get in the swing of sports BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
Mark Roden loves golf. In fact, it was high school friend Rick Duffey’s promise of sunny, golf-filled college days that brought Minnesota native Roden to Arizona State University in the late 1970s. Who knew this golf-fueled decision would mark the beginning of a nonprofit organization based in Chandler? While attending ASU, and in between the putting green and driving range, Roden, whose daughter is now a freshman at Seton Catholic Preparatory, got a job at the local grocery store. Life moved merrily along for Roden until a fateful fishing trip with his father in the summer of 1986. During the trip, Roden’s father talked about his life-long dream – to start his own business and work for himself – but that he never had quite enough time to take the leap. He also told Roden that he wanted nothing more for his son than to start his own business and take the chance he never did. That was the last time Roden saw his father. In January, 1987, and just months before Roden graduated from ASU with a bachelor’s degree, Roden’s father suffered a massive aneurysm while driving home from work and died. Although rising in the ranks at the Tempe grocery store, his father’s
(Photo by Alison Bailin Batz)
Mark Roden, founder and president of Desert Subway, Inc., says his daughter, Marcee, is the apple of his eye.
words echoed in his mind. Roden knew he had to make a change.
He just didn’t know his exact path yet. So, he decided to go back to ASU. He
loved kids and sports, and so he planned on working toward a master’s degree in elementary education. “I figured I could be a teacher and a decent coach,” Roden said. He was also one heck of a fan of a new restaurant on 48th Street and Southern called Subway®. So much so that he was one of the first Subway customers in Arizona and even got to know Subway’s development agent for Arizona as well as his daughter, who worked at the location. The daughter happened to be the first Arizonan to graduate from “Subway University.” “They hated it every time I stopped by, because I always ordered a cheese sandwich,” Roden remembers. “I thought I was being a good customer.” It wasn’t until years later that Roden discovered that Subway sliced their cheese slice-by-slice every day – and there were 20 slices of cheese on each sandwich. So, Roden went off and became a teacher and coach and catered all of the kids’ parties with Subway, right? Wrong. Fate (and Subway) had other plans for him. see
DAD page 8
Tempe Union High School District could enter deal for vacant local site BY PAUL MARYNIAK
Tempe Union High School District would enter a long-term arrangement with one or more developers under three options being considered for getting revenue from vacant land it owns in Chandler. The options came under review by governing board members at a recent meeting as they pondered the sale of a 49-acre parcel at Kyrene Road and the Loop 202 Santan Freeway. No decision has yet been made on what to do with the site, which the district bought in 1994 for a high school that ultimately wasn’t built. The Chandler parcel is one of two district-owned sites that Tempe Union officials are reviewing for generating millions of dollars in revenue. The other, a 63-acre site in Ahwatukee with the potential for the construction of 178 higher-end homes, is already on the market. One final disposition of that land also could involve a long-term relationship
between the district and whatever developer buys the site. A real estate advisor hired by the district said the Ahwatukee land could generate well over $10 million for the district. The three options on the Chandler site that would make the district a landlord or a developer’s partner could give the district a steady revenue stream for many years, an advisor told the board. But they provoked one board member to wonder if the district’s quest for more money could put it into territory that has nothing to do with education. “I’m thinking maybe that’s not what school districts do. This is not the job we hired you to do,” board Vice President Michelle Helm told Superintendent Kenneth Baca at one point. Helm’s concern – which she expressed several times during the April 19 meeting see
SELL YOUR HOME
TEMPE UNION page 9
(Photo by Kimberly Carrillo)
Matt Hesselbacher reads to his daughter, Audrey. His wife and Audrey’s mother, Pamela Hesselbacher, was hit and killed by a truck in Chandler in November.
Pedestrian deaths growing, family mourns Chandler woman killed BY JIM WALSH
Minutes before a pickup truck ran a red light and killed her, Pamela Hesselbacher sent a message to her husband, Matt, saying that she and their two small children had left a nearby park and would be home soon.
“We finished up at the park. We are headed home now. We’ll see you in about 15 minutes,” Pamela Hesselbacher said. “Love you.” see
F E AT U R E STO R I E S From Chandler Little League to LA Dodgers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carpenter’s son Chris Valenti designs museum displays . . . . Outpouring of support for Heap family after girl’s death . . . Culture of volunteerism is celebrated at ICAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . Environmental artwork contest winners announced . . . . . . . . . .
Page 15 business . . . . . . . . . Page 24 youth . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 35 neighbors . . . . . . . . Page 52 arts . . . . . . . . . . . Page 60 community . . . . . . .
CLIP IT................................................................ Center Section
PEDESTRIAN page 10 More Community . . . . . . 1-20 Business . . . . . . . . 21-28 Youth . . . . . . . . . . 29-36 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Neighbors . . . . . . 42-59 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . 60-65 Spirituality . . . . 66-68 Directory . . . . . . . 69-70 Classifieds . . . . . . 71-72 Where to Eat . . . .73-74