I was saddened to hear of the passing of former Scottsdale Mayor Bill Jenkins this week.
Mayor Jenkins was my government and econ teacher during my senior year at Scottsdale High School. Not only was he an outstanding teacher, but he encouraged me to pursue political involvement. In fact, through our discussions in government class, he asked me to run for the mock city council for Youth in Government Day — a program he had initiated years early while he was Mayor. Had he not done so I probably would not have considered it. In a large high school class with well-known athletes and student body leaders in the race, no one was more surprised than me when I won. But Mayor Jenkins didn’t seem surprised at all.
Mayor Jenkins was a classic public servant of a type we see too few of today — genuinely committed to the betterment of his community above all else. And even though he held strong views, his friendly and respectful demeanor along with his fair-mindedness and integrity made him well-liked even by those with whom he disagreed politically.
I too was sad to hear of Bill’s passing. Although I never attained any political aspirations, I was also in his government class in the mid-70’s at Scottsdale High. I must have been a few years ahead of you, Len, because an article I read in the Scottsdale Republic mentioned that he taught government class at Scottsdale High AT THE SAME TIME he was Mayor of Scottsdale. He would teach school in the morning and then ride his bike over to city hall to be mayor in the afternoons. Just goes to show how much The West’s Most Western Town has changed over the years.