Nearly 50 years after he was murdered in a car bomb attack, Arizona Republic investigative reporter Don Bolles could be commemorated with a statue in Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, just across from the state Capitol. House Bill 2171, known as the Don Bolles memorial bill, would authorize private funding and allot space for the statue. Last month it passed a third reading in the Arizona House of Representatives and is now in the Senate awaiting a vote.
HB 2171 is sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Longdon, D-Phoenix, who said a memorial to the reporter is long overdue.
“I think this is a great idea,” said Longdon. “Honoring the values that Don Bolles stood for on Wesley Bolin Plaza will stand the testament of time.”
The bill was originally an idea by local reporter Hank Stephenson. It was created in a passionate move to prove that the press has a major role in today’s society. He approached Republican Sen. T.J. Shope and from there, the bill took on a journey of its own.
“I’ve been thinking about it for years,” said Stephenson. “Right now is a very fraught time …There’s just so much hatred for the media and current day reporters live up to Don Bolles’ legacy.
Stephenson said that he hopes both sides of the political spectrum could agree with the bill, or at least acknowledge the importance of the rights of the press.
Bolles was a renowned journalist, known all over the country for his discoveries of land fraud and other organized crimes in the state. But in 1976, tragedy struck when Bolles’s car was blown up after he proceeded to follow an informant’s tip to the Clarendon Hotel.
Lisa Simpson, executive director at the Arizona Newspaper Association and supporter of the memorial, said Bolles’s legacy should always be remembered by Arizonans.
“One of the things that I think, especially today, that needs to be celebrated is what the journalists do for their communities,” Simpson said. “Don Bolles paid the ultimate price to serve his community, to be a watchdog and keep an eye on what was going on with the organized crime.”
HB 2171 passed a third reading in the house on Feb. 21, 2023, and is now on its way to the Senate as Senate Bill 1039 to begin its next process. The Senate will eventually discuss and vote on the bill. If the bill passes by a majority in the Senate, it will then be signed by the governor and instituted as a law.
While SB 1039 is still being debated, some elected officials have questioned a memorial to the slain journalist.
“This statue of him is a nice idea but it’s not a necessary thing to do,” said Allen Skillicorn, a Republican Fountain Hills councilmember, who is opposed to the proposed statue being placed in Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza. “I really think it would be best for this to be in the private sector.”
Skillicorn mentioned ideas like placing the Bolles statute elsewhere to keep the memorial separate from the fallen heroes and warriors that reside within the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza.
Rep. Longdon stated that the memorial would not be constructed using government funds or taxpayers’ dollars. She said it should be in Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza because Bolles exemplified what it means to be a heroic Arizonan.
“The criteria for this is that you’re a noteworthy Arizonan, certainly Don Bolles fits that bill,” said Longdon. “It will resonate for generations to come.”
Contact the reporter Marcela Beltran at mbeltr20@asu.edu.
